The new miniseries Fantastic Four: Antithesis opens with major cosmic figure in the Marvel Universe apparently meeting their untimely end…again.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Fantastic Four: Antithesis #1, by Mark Waid, Neal Adams, Mark Farmer, Laura Martin and VC’s Joe Caramagna on sale now.
It has been a particularly rough time lately for Galactus, the World Devourer. As the omnipotent villain saw the reemergence of his dark master the Black Winter over in the pages of Thor, he attempted to recruit the God of Thunder to help him against the coming evil. This desperate alliance would prove to be short-lived, with Thor turning against Galactus, completely incinerating the longtime antagonist. And, in the new Fantastic Four miniseries Fantastic Four: Antithesis, the Silver Surfer has returned to Earth with the grim news that Galactus has met his demise yet again.
After neutralizing a new invasion launched by the Negative Zone villain Annihilus on Earth, the Fantastic Four settle into their usual ennui and good-natured bickering as they unwind back at the Baxter Building. This domestic bliss proves to be short-lived when the building senses something from deep space crash landing in Manhattan. As Marvel’s First Family rallies to investigate, they discover that the Silver Surfer is the crashed object they detected, gravely weakened despite possessing the Power Cosmic from Galactus. As Mister Fantastic asks the Surfer what happened, Norrin Radd reveals that a new threat defeated him and managed to kill Galactus.
There are plenty of clues over the course of the issue that indicate that Antithesis takes place long before the events of Thor #6. The Surfer doesn’t have the blackened appearance he regained in the acclaimed miniseries Silver Surfer: Black, a physical condition which he retained after using the last of his inner light to reignite life eons into the Marvel Universe’s past. And with Surfer evidently serving as Galactus’ herald, the World Eater hasn’t even approached Asgard with his indecent proposal for Thor yet.
While what exactly transpired to the Surfer and Galactus remains unseen, Norrin’s reports of his benefactor’s death may be exaggerated. Marvel’s advance solicits revealed that Reed Richards and Galactus would merge through the Power Cosmic to form a new omnipotent being known as Mr. Galactic later in the miniseries, in a desperate bid to save the universe from the new villain Antithesis and restore life to the cosmos. While this certainly doesn’t spare Galan of the gruesome fate he endures at the hands of the God of Thunder, it suggests that he will join forces with another longtime opponent against a more powerful foe, capable of effortlessly throttling both the World Devourer and his most trusted herald.
Once one of the most feared beings in the cosmos, Galactus has recently been laid low by both Thor and the new villain Antithesis, disrupting the order of power in the Marvel Universe. While the Silver Surfer’s claims that Galan has been killed may be premature, Thor readers know that the World Devourer will eventually be killed off in spectacular fashion, with the Odinson unleashing the full might of the Power Cosmic and Asgardian All-Father against him.
While Galactus has lately been substantially less powerful than his introduction as a nigh unstoppable cosmic force of nature, the Fantastic Four is willing to come to their old foe’s aid as they face a common new enemy that is shaping up to be even deadlier.
