The following contains spoilers for Avengers #66, on sale now from Marvel Comics.

In their battles across time and space against Mephisto and the Multiversal Masters of Evil, the Avengers have faced countless iterations of familiar villains from every corner of the multiverse. Thankfully, they have also come to know just as many versions of themselves, amassing what is easily the largest roster of Avengers of all time. In fact, Earth's Mightiest Heroes have even inducted someone who is now the largest Avenger of all time, and it is precisely the role Galactus has been waiting to step into.

With the emergence of a single, towering Mephisto on top of Doom Supreme's rampage in the pages of Avengers #66 (by Jason Aaron, Javier Garrón, David Curiel, Morry Hollowell, Erick Arciniega, Rachelle Rosenberg, and VC's Cory Petit), the eponymous heroes find themselves being quickly overwhelmed by the seemingly endless onslaught of Dooms. Luckily, Ka-Zar arrives just when he and the Power Cosmic are needed the most, and they aren't alone. While the return of Ka-Zar is a boon in itself, the arrival of the Devourer of Worlds is even better, especially once his sights are set on Doom the Living Planet.

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Galactus Becomes Marvel's Biggest Superhero - Again

avengers 66 galactus

Seeing Galactus intent on making Doom the Living Planet his next meal is far from shocking considering the fact that he has always been the Devourer of Worlds, but it is a far cry from the precedent set by his introduction in 1965's Fantastic Four #48 (by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby). Although his earliest appearances played Galactus as an abject villain, it wasn't long before his need to consume living worlds reframed him as the victim of a cosmic tragedy. In the years since Galactus has largely shifted between these two extremes, yet he has also been able to make a name for himself as a hero on more than one occasion.

In the lead-up to the cataclysmic collision of the primary Marvel Universe and the Ultimate timeline, Galactus stood firm as the guardian of Earth on a cosmic scale. Of course, not even he could stop a multiverse-altering event, though he emerged from it a better version of himself. With the renewal of the universe necessitating a team of heroes who could operate on just as grand of a scale, he became the perfect addition to the then-newly formed Ultimates not as the Devourer of Worlds, but as the Lifebringer. This type of rebirth would happen again following his death and subsequent resurrection, the latter of which freed him of his hunger. As such, he was free to join Norrin Radd, aka the Silver Surfer on a new mission.

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The Silver Surfer May Have Changed Galactus' Entire Life

avengers 66 the meal of a lifetime

It was in 2021's Defenders #2 (by Al Ewing and Javier Rodriguez) that the eponymous heroes stepped into the home of Taaia, the Scienceer Supreme, and mother of Galan (Galactus). Knowing what would come of Galan, the Silver Surfer imbued him with an innate sense of all the love and beauty born of worlds yet to come, all in the hopes of nudging him toward something better than what Norrin had already lived through alongside him.

Joining the Avengers in fighting against Doom Supreme's army by consuming his biggest soldier may not seem altruistic on the surface, but there is no mistaking the fact that this is just the latest in a long line of heroic turns Galactus has made in recent years. Whether these moments were inspired by the Surfer's influence in the Sixth Cosmos is still undetermined, though that hardly matters in the grand scheme of things. What does, however, is that Galactus has chosen to fight to save worlds rather than destroy them, and that doesn't look like it is changing anytime soon.