Galactus Unleashed

Galactus has returned to Earth and has decreed the world doomed. When Reed Richards reminds Galactus of his promise to spare the Earth, Galactus states that he merely made that promise because they had him at a weakness and that the promise means nothing now. When the Silver Surfer flies towards his former master, Galactus reveals that he has come to Earth to collect the Silver Surfer and make him a herald once more. Although the Surfer is easily subdued by Galactus, he refuses to allow himself to be enslaved again and would rather continue living in exile. The Thing and the Torch attack Galactus, and, while the world devourer is distracted by Johnny, Ben actually manages to topple the giant, allowing the Surfer to break free. When the Thing tries to leap on Galactus, the powerful being uses his power to generate a wind that blows Ben, Reed, and Sue far away. While the Thing lands unscathed, Reed and Sue are rescued by the Surfer and Torch.

When the Fantastic Four and Galactus regroup at Coney Island, the Surfer comes up with a plan to escape the Earth so that Galactus will leave the planet alone, pointing out to Reed and the others that Galactus still needed a ship to reach Earth. However, when the Surfer flies up into space, he soon strikes the barrier keeping him exiled on Earth, realizing that Galactus purposely left the ship just out of the reach of his former herald.

Meanwhile, Galactus has followed the Fantastic Four to the amusement park and begins attacking them again. The Torch decides to try and keep Galactus at bay by creating flame duplicates of himself. While Galactus is occupied, Ben smashes a Ferris wheel on their foe while the Surfer swoops in for the attack. While the others free Ben from the rubble, the Surfer is blasted back by Galactus. Because Johnny sees to the Surfer, he misses the sudden departure of Reed and Sue from the scene of the battle. While Johnny resumes his battle with Galactus, Reed and Sue race across town to the Baxter Building. There, they launch a rocket into space. While Sue pilots the ship, Reed goes out into space. When he first tries to board the ship Galactus came in, he is rebuffed by some kind of force field. After being saved by one of Sue's invisible force-fields, Reed manages to penetrate the field. Inside the massive ship, Reed goes to the controls and begins manipulating them in what he believes will be the only way to save the universe from Galactus.

Back on Earth, the Torch's flame is snuffed out by Galactus, who threatens to destroy the Earth if the Silver Surfer continues to refuse to return to being his herald. However, before the Surfer can answer, Reed radios Galactus from his ship, threatening to destroy it and leave Galactus stranded on Earth forever.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Thing, Human Torch), Silver Surfer, Galactus

Continuity Notes

• Galactus exiled the Silver Surfer on Earth when the Surfer betrayed him to the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #50, placing an energy barrier around the planet. The Surfer remains trapped on Earth for years before he finally manages to free himself in Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #1.

• This is not the first time Galactus has returned to Earth to force the Silver Surfer back into his service. The last time he did this was in Fantastic Four #74-77. That time the Surfer agreed to do the bidding of Galactus, only to find himself exiled on Earth again until the next time Galactus needed him.