Galactus (Ralph Ineson) is making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The cosmic entity known for devouring planets to sustain its immense life force is one of the most powerful villains to ever arrive in the MCU.
However, hope isn’t lost for the MCU’s heroes, considering a few of them have histories of besting Galactus. Viewers can use our guide to find out which MCU heroes defeated Galactus in Marvel Comics.
The Fantastic Four
While viewers will have to watch The Fantastic Four: First Steps to find out if the team defeats Galactus, it bodes well for the heroes since they’ve bested him in Marvel Comics multiple times. Aside from Doctor Doom, Galactus is one of The Fantastic Four’s archenemies, resulting in numerous instances where the team defeated him or foiled his plans. In the original Fantastic Four series, The Fantastic Four defeat Galactus by threatening him with “The Ultimate Nullifier,” a weapon powerful enough to destroy the universe. In a later storyline, Reed Richards’ son, Franklin, used his powers to control Galactus, becoming his “herald.” Silver Surfer, set to appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, has also aided The Fantastic Four in Galactus’ defeat.
The Avengers
From defeating Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Endgame to taking down Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in TThe Avengers, The Avengers have taken on many larger-than-life threats in the MCU. In the comics, they’ve also come up against Galactus. In The Trial of Galactus, a weakened Galactus comes to Earth to search for his former herald, Terrax, and decides to consume the planet. Of course, this puts him in direct conflict with both the Fantastic Four and Avengers, who fight him to the point of death, though Reed Richards opts to save him. Usually, The Avengers wouldn’t have stood much of a chance against Galactus, but in his weakened state, even Spider-Man and Daredevil could hold their own against him.
X-Men
The X-Men are slowly making their way into the MCU, with a Wolverine variant (Hugh Jackman) appearing in the multiverse movie Deadpool & Wolverine, and the original Beast (Kelsey Grammer) making a cameo in The Marvels. Most of the original X-Men team is also confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. Meanwhile, the team is arriving in the MCU at just the right time, considering they once defeated Galactus, although it was in an alternate timeline. An issue of What If…? follows the Age of Apocalypse X-Men team in a timeline where the world didn’t end. When Galactus shows up, The X-Men team up with Tony Stark and defeat the cosmic entity with Weapon X, leaving him mortally wounded.
Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies made their debut in the MCU through an episode of What If…? and proved so popular that Marvel greenlit a Marvel Zombies miniseries for Fall 2025. Not only are these undead heroes unsettling, but they are also powerful enough to defeat Galactus in the comics. In the Marvel Zombies comic series, the zombie superheroes eat humanity into extinction. When Galactus arrives to consume the planet, the zombies see him merely as another food source, killing The Silver Surfer before attacking and overcoming Galactus. Some of them even acquire his power and become Zombie Galacti, traveling the galaxy in search of more life to devour.
Thor
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been a staple of the MCU since Thor (2011) and has faced some formidable enemies. In Avengers: Endgame, he deals the blow that kills Thanos while also defeating Hela (Cate Blanchett) in Thor: Ragnarok and Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) in Thor: Love and Thunder. He’s possibly the MCU’s biggest hope to defeat Galactus, considering he did so in the comics through quite a unique method. Thor was so formidable against Galactus that he earned the entity’s respect, with Galactus seeking him out to defeat Black Winter. Galactus entrusted Thor with his cosmic powers, which Thor then used to kill Galactus before turning his corpse into a bomb and detonating it to defeat Black Winter, too.
Thanos
Thanos is the overarching villain of the MCU’s Infinity Saga, with his plans reaching their culmination in Avengers: Infinity War. In the Infinity Gauntlet comic series, Thanos acquires the infinity stones, as he does in the MCU, and becomes the most powerful being in the universe. However, in the comics, he takes his power further than wiping out half the population. Sensing his immense power, Galactus and Adam Warlock confront him, only for Thanos to easily defeat and imprison them. Thanos typically wouldn’t be on par with Galactus’ power, but even the cosmic entity is no match against the Infinity Gauntlet.
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is quite a force in the MCU, considering he bested Dormammu in his eponymous MCU debut. In the comics, Strange proves magic can be even more potent when he aids The Fantastic Four against Galactus. Although he doesn’t directly defeat Galactus, he performs a powerful spell in The Trial of Galactus that distracts the cosmic entity long enough for The Fantastic Four and Avengers to beat him. The spell caused Galactus to see all of the tormented souls he’d killed, nearly driving him mad on top of his weakened state. Doctor Strange doesn’t boast a lot of brute strength, but his intelligence and sorcery even the playing field between him and Galactus.
The Living Tribunal
The Living Tribunal has yet to appear in the MCU in a substantial role, though Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness featured a non-speaking cameo of the being. If the MCU is gearing up to introduce The Living Tribunal, it will have one force that can easily defeat Galactus. The Living Tribunal is arguably the single most powerful entity in the Marvel Universe, maintaining balance by serving as the judge of the universe. Even Galactus can’t escape The Living Tribunal’s judgment. A variant of Galactus from Earth-982 disrupted the balance of the multiverse too much, drawing The Living Tribunal’s disapproval. The Living Tribunal oversaw the situation until Galactus merged with The Silver Surfer to become a builder of worlds rather than a destroyer.
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