Fantastic Four #523
Rising Storm: Part 4
Having reverted Galactus back to his human form of Galan, the Fantastic Four have brought him back to Earth and try to get him back in touch with his long lost humanity. However, time is fleeting as the power of Galactus is somewhere in the universe trying to find its way back to its master. The Thing has taken Galan out to a local bar on Yancy Street. There he stops Galan from eating an eight-ball off the pool table and gets him a hot dog. He then introduces him to Maisie, a drunk waitress who immediately begins hitting on Galan. It's about then that Mister Fantastic catches up with them and demands to know what Ben is doing. The Thing explains that if they were going to teach Galan about humanity he would give him a crash course by visiting his old neighborhood. Reed pulls Ben and Galan outside where Reed quietly reminds Ben that the power of Galactus can return at any moment and they have to be careful to restore the humanity in Galan before that moment.
Meanwhile, back at the Baxter Building, Quasar is using a device to scan their DNA so that they might reverse the power swap that Reed was forced to perform on Johnny and Sue. With the scan complete, Quasar departs to keep track of the power of Galactus so that he can remove Galan from Earth the moment he has transformed into Galactus once again. With Quasar gone, Sue has a hard time keeping her powers in check and admits that she has a newfound respect for Johnny's ability to control his flame that she did not even realize. When asked if he will miss invisibility powers or the Power Cosmic, Johnny lies and tells his sister that he won't.
Later, Johnny and Ben take Franklin and Galan to Central Park where the boy goes skating. When they ask Galan if he is interested in trying it out, Galan turns the idea down flat. Galan then criticizes Franklin for getting emotional over it and is unimpressed with the children. When Johnny calms down Ben and tells Galan that this is the greatest city on Earth, Galan feels nothing but sarcastic pity for them. He then points out that his homeworld of Taa was a scientific utopia compared to Earth which he views as a filthy cesspool. Ben is about to attack him again when Johnny reminds him how the Silver Surfer had the same mentality when they first met him. They then realize that the person they need to help is Alicia Masters. Alicia takes Galan to the Guggenheim Museum to show him the art collection there. But regardless of what she shows him, Galan scoffs at all the artwork and attributes her "awe" being a product of her lack of sight. Undaunted, Alicia tries to take Galan across the city to see the beauty of humanity. However, wherever Alicia takes him, Galan sees the homeless of the city and the broken system of this world.
Later, Sue recounts their failed mission back to Reed who has just finished creating a portal he hoped would lead to a dimension of energy that could feed Galactus permanently. However, Reed discovered that attempting to lure Galactus into it would cause a chain reaction that would destroy the Earth. Reed, however, refuses to give up. Galan overhears this and asks why. Reed explains that he strives to constantly improve himself and the world, pointing out all the inventions he has created in his lab. He then goes on to explain that there are hundreds of other specialists around the world striving to do the same thing themselves. Hearing this is what convinces Galan that humans are no different than he is. Realizing the menace he will become as Galactus again, Galan traps himself in the portal chamber. Explaining what he now understands, Galan opens the portal to exile himself from the universe in the hopes that he can stop Galactus, at least for a short time. Despite the protests of the Fantastic Four, Galan enters the portal and seals it behind himself.
With Galan gone, Reed tells the others they have one last loose end to tie up: Johnny and Sue's swapped powers. He takes them to the lab and explains the device that he has created was originally intended to transfer Ben's powers from one person to another, but Grimm refused to burden anyone with that. When Reed activates the device, it malfunctions and explodes. Emerging from the wreckage, the Fantastic Four are shocked to discover that they are stripped of their powers. At that moment in four different parts of the city, four random individuals are shocked to discover that they suddenly have the powers of a member of the Fantastic Four.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Alicia Masters, Quasar, Galan
Continuity Notes
Johnny and Ben recall how the Silver Surfer, a former Herald of Galactus, viewed humanity as insignificant as well until he met Alicia Masters. This was seen in Fantastic Four #48-50.
