by bloodyarts » Tue Mar 29, 2005 9:20 am
I'll agree that Galactus is an important faction of the Marvel Universe, but in many of his appearances, he's been quite the jobber.
I'm sure you recall when the FF and a host of heroes took down Galactus. True, he was fairly weakened, but even the merest iota of his power (as he has boasted in the past) should be enough to reduce mortals to primordial ooze.
In his battle against Ego, the Living Planet, he needed the FF's help.
Darkseid directly withstood a blast from Galactus. Apokolips' defenses were sufficient to resist Galactus while he built his machine.
Thanos has matched wits with Galactus, and very nearly defeated him.
Galactus and the Sphinx fought for nearly three issues before Galactus finally subdued him.
Thor and Galactus have fought. Thor, of course, was really no match for him, but the fact that he could go one-on-one with Galactus says something.
While I have no proof, I'm fairly confident that the Destroyer armor, powered by the Pantheon gods, can take down Galactus. It was no match for the Celestial Assemblage, but then again, what is?
If I'm not mistaken, Galactus has taken on Asgard and was thwarted. I have to look into that, though, as this seems more a vague memory to me than an actual incident.
Most of the cosmic entities you listed are on a level either just over or just under Galactus. Those beings much higher than Galactus would be Death, Order, Chaos and the Living Tribunal. But there is also Love, Hate, Eon, the In-Betweener, Abraxas (didn't he once KILL Galactus?) and probably a few others.
Oh, and the Watchers. I'm not sure where they rank, but it's been said that even Galactus respects their power. After all, they have access to the ultimate Nullifier, but even without it, Galactus would never dare threaten them.
The death of Galactus doesn't necessarily mean the end of the Marvel Universe. It's already been chronicled that when Galactus dies, Abraxas is born, who is basically a cosmic embodiment of destruction. He was supposed to act as the reset button of the universe in the event of Galactus' death. It is Abraxas who would attempt to end all that is, but he was stopped by Uatu the Watcher, and Franklin Richards.
Franklin Richards himself could do a number on Galactus, if pushed to his limits. He had a hand in bringing Galactus back to life after Abraxas' reign of destruction on Earth and the multiverse.
SS vs. Superman? Surfer, after losing his patience when he realizes Superman is too stubborn (the way he's depicted nowadays) to stop fighting and just listen.