50 Greatest Super Villains In Comic Book History

9. Galactus

(Write-up by Nick Tylwalk, Bam Smack Pow Editor)

Galactus is not a super villain. There, I said it.

By that I mean he’s got nothing in common with the motivations of any other character on this list, and he definitely doesn’t think of himself as one. Galactus would say he is beyond such things, and that he exists solely to fulfill his role in the nature of the Marvel Universe itself. If he’s a super villain, then we might as well call a hurricane a super villain in real life, because he’s best thought of as a cosmic force of nature. He hungers, and he feeds, and when he does, entire worlds perish.

The truth, as is often the case, is a matter of perspective. Denizens of the planets he’s destroyed would certainly call him the greatest of all villains, were they still around to make any claims. The Beyonder memorably grouped him with Earth’s bad guys during the original Secret Wars, though true to form, Galactus immediately broke away and began seeing if he could figure out how to eat the Battleworld. He’s a little single-minded that way.

Only he’s not always so focused, and during those times, we’ve seen Galactus get tangled up in the same kinds of pettiness as mere mortals. He’s been angry, he’s been jealous, and more than once, he’s sought out revenge. If he were truly as far above the fray as he maintains, those things wouldn’t happen — or at least they wouldn’t pop up on a regular basis.

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby certainly outdid themselves with Galactus’ design, which is one of the most distinctive around. A literal giant with headgear like no other, it’s proven impossible to translate to film even though fans still clamor to see it.

That’s a fitting dilemma for such an enigmatic character. Though he’d scoff at his placement here if you could somehow make him take notice, the sheer size of the threat Galactus always brings to the table when he’s against Earth’s heroes make him deserving of his ranking here — whether he’s actually a super villain or not.

Next: No. 8: In love with Death itself ... enough said