When IGN, the epitome of American popular culture, published its ranking of the greatest 100 comic book villains of all time a few years ago, there were a number of surprises. To the shock and dismay of the majority of readers, Joker was not the top pick. However, Magneto's position as the top dog did calm a lot of people. Galactus' ranking at number five caused some eyebrows to be raised. Galactus was ranked as the third-best Marvel villain on the list, behind only Magneto and Doctor Doom. This was not a shock to readers of the comics. However, he was an unknown commodity to an entire generation that grew up on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That's about to shift, though!

The atmosphere of Galactus

For the sake of this article, let me play the role of the grumpy Millennial. The term aura is only one of several that have been "ruined" by the modern vernacular. To be honest, it's used too much nowadays. However, no other word can adequately describe a villain of Galactus' caliber. Galactus, one of the most powerful comic book adversaries ever, is a planet-eater and a cosmic menace. In the first three phases of the MCU, Thanos was portrayed as the primary adversary. But in the comic books, he was merely a filler. Thanos was at number 47 on the same list that placed Galactus at number five. That should be enough!

After a break of little under 20 years, The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Galactus to the world. The bad guy was quickly killed off in the 2007 Sony film, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. In place of the helmeted cosmic being that we are accustomed to seeing, we saw a cloud that was larger than our planet. The goal of First Steps is to address this. In addition to being visually faithful to the comics, Galactus also has a comic-like feel. Galactus has been successfully portrayed as a threat of unparalleled proportions in First Steps through the teaser and trailers alone, which Marvel was unable to accomplish with the Celestials in Eternal. It's a nice change of pace..

Can Galactus come to the rescue?

Villains generally want to destroy the day, and it's the heroes' job to prevent them from doing so. However, Galactus has to be the rescuer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The looming threat of Thanos made the Infinity Saga, the high point of the MCU, successful. His manipulations were evident in every fight between a hero and a villain. Partially because of Kang's untimely departure from plans and partly because of Doctor Doom's forced comeback, Marvel has been unable to replicate that sense of impending menace. Here comes Galactus!

Right now, the MCU has a lot of heroes, maybe too many in my opinion. A casual observer may ask themselves what they need to see before starting this endeavor before watching any movie. That's one of the risks of a shared cinematic world. However, by placing this narrative in a parallel reality unrelated to the other MCU tales, The Fantastic Four: First Steps breaks that pattern. In the midst of a season of superhero weariness, it gives the MCU the chance to rejuvenate. There is a promise. The delivery is now due. It is for Galactus to deliver, not just the titular superhero squad. At his height and in his position as a villain, he has to carry the weight necessary to entice viewers back to the theater and inject some life into the MCU. That's the only way to prepare the way for bigger adventures in the future.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel's first family to the MCU. The film, which marks the start of Phase Six of the MCU, will hit theaters on July 25 and will feature Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the titular team, with Julia Fox playing the Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson playing Galactus.

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