Galactus Just Put A Deadly Ticking Clock On The Marvel Universe
Warning! Spoilers for Fantastic Four: Life Story #4 by DC Comics below
In the Fantastic Four: Life Story universe, Silver Surfer has arrived on Earth and gives the ultimate warning about Galactus. In the comic, the Herald of Galactus delivers a devastating speech about his master's intent on Earth, warning the inhabitants of the planet they have ten years before he'll destroy everything in the name of cosmic balance - and there's nothing they can do about it.
Fantastic Four: Life Story is a decade-spanning book that tells the tale of Marvel's First Family but has the characters age in real-time. In the 1960s, the group originally encountered Galactus, which Reed Richards spent obsessing over how to fight the cosmic giant. Unfortunately, his obsession led to a divorce with Sue Storm, and the team became further splintered when a nuclear missile from Russia killed Johnny Storm. To make matters more complicated, Doctor Doom and the Thinker have their own plans for ruling the planet and dealing with the Devourer of Worlds.
In Fantastic Four Life Story #4 by Mark Russell, Sean Izaakse, Franceso Manna, and Nolan Woodward, the story fast forwards to the 1990s. After the incident with the Soviets, Reed Richards got the funding he needed to create a defense perimeter in space for Galactus. The Fantastic Four learn Galactus is coming, and when they sense he's arrived a couple of years later, they're met by the Silver Surfer, who easily decimates the defense Reed had been building in seconds. Surfer goes to the United Nations and tells the people of Earth it's too late for them - Galactus is coming.
Surfer's warning is brutal, as he tells them Galactus is a thousand times stronger than him, and he easily broke through their best defenses. He tells everyone the make peace and finds meaning before Galactus arrives ten years from the date he gave the warning. In 1999, the Fantastic Four are honored as the people of Earth realized there might not be many celebrations to come. The tease for issue five teases Galactus' arrival.
It's a crushing issue, as Reed Richards had decades to prepare for Galactus, and when he finally gets the funding he needs to stop him, the Devourer of World's Herald destroys the last line of defense in seconds. It's hard to imagine living knowing the exact date your world is going to be destroyed. Galactus showed why he's one of Marvel's most-feared villains without even making an appearance. Now, the Fantastic Four will need to figure out a solution to stop the cosmic juggernaut before it's too late.