7 Characters That Could Have Taken Out Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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In *The Fantastic Four: First Steps*, Galactus (voiced by Ralph Ineson) is depicted as a truly frightening character, staying very true to his origins in the comics. He’s an incredibly powerful cosmic being whose very existence threatens all life. The film presents him as an unstoppable force of nature, older than the universe itself, and driven by an endless hunger that forces him to destroy planets to survive. This Galactus isn’t just a typical villain; the movie effectively shows just how massive a threat he poses. The story follows the Fantastic Four’s desperate fight to save Earth from becoming Galactus’s next target, a huge challenge that tests their abilities and pushes them to use all their strength and intelligence.

The story *Fantastic Four: First Steps* takes place in an alternate universe (Earth-828) where the Fantastic Four are the only superheroes. This makes their eventual success feel more impactful because they’re truly on their own. But if Galactus had arrived in the main Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-616), things would have been very different. That universe is already filled with incredibly powerful beings who have dealt with huge threats before. Many of these characters could likely have stopped Galactus, and perhaps even more easily than the Fantastic Four did. Here are seven MCU characters who we think could have defeated Galactus.

1) The Sentry

I was really blown away by Robert Reynolds, or ‘Bob’ as he’s called, in *Thunderbolts*. The movie immediately shows us he’s something special – a product of some seriously shady experiments run by Valentina de Fontaine. It’s clear right from the start he’s incredibly powerful. I mean, bullets literally bounce off him, and even super-soldiers can’t lay a glove on him! His strength seems to be up there with the Hulk, and he’s *fast* – like, teleportation fast. It’s a really exciting setup for the film.

What truly makes the Sentry a powerful cosmic threat is his incredible ability to move things with his mind. He can effortlessly stop bullets and reshape his surroundings, effectively turning anything into a weapon. In a fight against Galactus, he could use this power to destroy Galactus’s advanced technology from within. Plus, his darker side, the Void, can trap opponents in a terrifying dimension filled with their deepest fears – a mental prison that might even be able to defeat a being as old and powerful as Galactus. This combination of immense strength and psychic attacks makes him one of the few who could actually stand up to and defeat the world-eater.

2) The Scarlet Witch

Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, has gone through a heartbreaking story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This journey turned her from a telekinetic hero into the Scarlet Witch, a figure of immense and almost unlimited power. She can naturally use Chaos Magic, which lets her change reality itself. We saw this most powerfully in *WandaVision*, where her deep sadness created the Hex – a detailed alternate world that she unknowingly imposed on an entire town and everyone who lived there. This wasn’t typical magic; it was a demonstration of power beyond anything seen before.

When facing a powerful cosmic being like Galactus, the Scarlet Witch’s ability to warp reality makes her an incredibly dangerous opponent. Unlike most heroes, she wouldn’t need to fight him directly with energy or strength. Instead, she could simply change reality so that Galactus disappears or no longer feels the need to consume planets. As seen in *Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness*, she easily overcame the defenses of Kamar-Taj and defeated the powerful heroes of the Illuminati, even while being controlled by the Darkhold. A determined Scarlet Witch could potentially eliminate Galactus with just a thought.

3) Captain Marvel

Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson, is among the most powerful characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her abilities come from the energy of an Infinity Stone and include incredible strength, the power to control cosmic energy, and the ability to fly faster than light. She proved her strength by destroying Thanos’s warship in *Avengers: Endgame*, but her most impressive feat was bringing a dying sun back to life in *The Marvels*.

Reviving a star demands an immense amount of energy, putting Captain Marvel on a scale similar to Galactus. This demonstrates she could potentially interfere with the energy source Galactus relies on. Her power to absorb and redirect energy would be a major strength, allowing her to potentially drain power from his planet-destroying technology and use it against him. Essentially, Captain Marvel’s ability to control stellar energy makes her a significant threat to a being who survives by consuming worlds.

4) Thor

Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder played by Chris Hemsworth, has fought cosmic battles for over a thousand years throughout the Nine Realms. He’s incredibly strong and controls lightning, but those powers became even greater when he created Stormbreaker. This powerful axe, made from the heart of a dying star, boosts his abilities and lets him summon the Bifrost – a rainbow bridge that allows him to travel anywhere in the universe instantly.

Thor truly showcased his incredible power in *Avengers: Infinity War*. He endured the intense energy of a neutron star to forge his weapon, Stormbreaker, and then arrived at the battle of Wakanda, dramatically shifting the momentum. Most impressively, he threw Stormbreaker with such force that it pierced Thanos’ armor, even overpowering the energy from the complete Infinity Gauntlet. This proved Thor can tap into power that rivals the universe’s most fundamental forces. When facing a powerful being like Galactus, Thor stands out as one of the few heroes with both the battle skills and a weapon capable of actually harming such a cosmic threat.

5) Thanos

Thanos, the main villain in the Infinity Saga, became incredibly powerful when he collected all six Infinity Stones and put them on the Infinity Gauntlet. These stones gave him complete control over fundamental forces of the universe – space, the mind, reality, power, time, and even life itself. In *Avengers: Infinity War*, he showed just how terrifying this power was, deflecting attacks like they were nothing, destroying a moon to create a rain of meteors, and ultimately wiping out half of all living things with a single snap of his fingers.

When facing a threat as immense as Galactus, a Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet at full power wouldn’t even need to fight. The Gauntlet’s power is limited only by what Thanos *wants* to do with it. He could use the Reality Stone to disintegrate Galactus’s ship, the Soul Stone to destroy his life force, or even use all six stones together to simply erase him from existence. Thanos himself claimed he could destroy the entire universe with the Gauntlet. Ultimately, a planet-eater like Galactus is no match for someone who can rewrite reality.

6) Doctor Strange

Doctor Stephen Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is a brilliant hero who repeatedly saves the world using his intelligence and magical abilities. Though he once held the title of Sorcerer Supreme, his true strength lies in his mind – he can manipulate reality, travel between worlds, and cast powerful spells to defeat even his strongest enemies. While he’s proven himself in battles like the one against Thanos, his biggest successes often come from being resourceful and never giving up.

As a huge fan of *Doctor Strange*, I always thought the climax with Dormammu was brilliant. Strange realized he couldn’t just *beat* this being of pure power – Dormammu existed outside of time itself! So, he cleverly used the Time Stone to create this endless loop, repeatedly dying but forcing Dormammu to experience it with him. It was a battle of wills, not fists, and he saved the world through sheer persistence. Thinking about how he handled Dormammu makes me wonder if he could use a similar tactic against someone like Galactus. Maybe trap him in the Mirror Dimension, or cast a spell that puts him in a loop he can’t escape until he gives up. It would be a fascinating way to see Strange outsmart another cosmic-level threat!

7) Loki

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) went through a huge change during his adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He started as a mischievous god, but ultimately became something much more – essentially the most powerful being in the entire multiverse, with control over time itself. By the end of his Disney+ series, he not only mastered time manipulation but also rebuilt reality. He destroyed the machine that maintained the timelines and literally wove all possible timelines into a new, stable foundation for existence – a new World Tree, Yggdrasil. Now, he exists outside of time, personally keeping the entire multiverse from falling apart.

Loki’s new job takes him beyond battles and physical fights. He’s become a vital force that keeps all stories going. If a threat like Galactus appears, Loki doesn’t need to fight him directly. Instead, he can change the story itself – going back in time to stop Galactus from ever arriving, eliminating entire realities where Galactus is dangerous, or even changing the past so Galactus never became a threat. As the ruler of the multiverse, Loki now has complete control over the narratives themselves – the ultimate power.

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2025-10-16 01:13