The Hulk is the strongest there is, sure, but Galactus is on another level – except that, according to Marvel, there’s one gross scenario where Galactus has no chance against the Hulk. It’s a rare case, but with a sufficiently powerful Hulk, Galactus could find out the true meaning of an ironic death.
Several alternate universes have demonstrated that Galactus has one ironic weakness that the Hulk’s been able to exploit: the Devourer of Worlds can himself be eaten.
The first time that readers get to see this is in Marvel Zombies #5 by Robert Kirkman and Sean Philips. In this issue, a group of former heroes gain the power cosmic and use it to overpower Galactus, consuming him. Later down the line in The Immortal Hulk #24 by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett, Galactus meets the same fate, with a demonic version of the Hulk revealing that he ate Galactus long ago.
The Hulk Has Eaten Galactus in Several Alternate Realities
Panel from The Immortal Hulk #24 by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Marc Deering, Belardino Brabo, Roberto Poggi, Ruy José, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit
Galactus, originally Galan of Taa, is one of the fundamental forces of the Marvel multiverse as readers currently know it. The classic Marvel multiverse is actually the seventh incarnation of the multiverse, which has been recreated with greater complexity time and again. Galan, a scientist, was the sole survivor of the prior sixth incarnation, chosen to survive by the sentient essence of that multiverse itself. As such, he’s destined to survive until this multiverse’s own end, at which point there will be another survivor who becomes part of the next multiversal foundation.
The current Marvel multiverse is actually now in its eighth incarnation after being nearly perfectly recreated at the end of 2015’s Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić.
Reborn as Galactus, Galan eventually came to view himself as above other life forms of the seventh cosmos and saw no problem in converting their worlds into pure energy that he could absorb as “food.” It’s only thanks to the efforts of the Fantastic Four, and later many other heroes, that Earth wasn’t consumed years ago. While Galactus’ level of empathy or understanding for humanity has varied depending on the current status quo, he still has the ability to consume the planet should he so choose, so it’s just lucky that he’s found some level of accord with Earth.
The Regular Version of the Hulk Definitely Couldn’t Eat Galactus
Nor Should He, to Be Quite Honest
What’s important to note about both of the scenarios where Galactus is eaten is that not just anyone could have done it. The Marvel zombies needed the power cosmic and the Immortal Hulk had basically been subsumed by some version of the One Below All, Marvel’s most primordial version of the devil. The issue, of course, is what comes next. Depending on the story, Galactus is a universal constant, and his dying would throw the balance of cosmic power in the Marvel Universe completely off kilter. The Hulk could, theoretically, eat Galactus under rare circumstances, but it might not be a great idea.
Marvel Zombies #5 and The Immortal Hulk #24 are both available now from Marvel Comics.
The Hulk, a Marvel Comics superhero created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, is physicist Bruce Banner transformed by gamma radiation. He morphs into a giant, green-skinned creature of immense strength and invulnerability when angered. Struggling with his transformations, Hulk allies with other heroes, battling villains while balancing his intellect with uncontrollable rage, making him a central figure in Marvel’s universe.
- First Appearance
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The Incredible Hulk (1962)
- Alias
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Robert Bruce Banner
- Alliance
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Avengers, Defenders, Horsemen of Apocalypse, Fantastic Four, Pantheon, Warbound, S.M.A.S.H., Secret Avengers
- Franchise
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Marvel
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