Now that Endgame is over and Thanos has been dispatched, the anticipation is building for Galactus to join the MCU. If the cost of his first appearance is out of your price range, where do you go for other key issues?
That's the problem for Galactus collectors: his major keys are already out of reach for many. Fantastic Four #48 is already among the holiest of grails, and his first full appearance in Fantastic Four #49 is rapidly ascending to that level.
Whether or not we will see Galactus or the FF anytime soon remains to be seen. We know that Kevin Feige isn’t rushing to put the X-Men onscreen, but not as much has been said about the F.F. properties.
It would make sense for Galactus to be the next major villain looming in the shadows, waiting to consume the MCU. However, there’s so much we don’t know about Marvel’s plan to use the F.F. properties. I can’t imagine Marvel leaving Galactus on the shelf collecting dust, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be five years or more before we see him.
All that being said, it would be wise to pick up every Galactus key you can find because they’re only going up in value. That includes the key appearances of his heralds not named Silver Surfer. That’s the part that is often overlooked in all this talk of the World Eater. Certainly Galactus must always have a herald, and the Surfer was only the first. The MCU is bound to introduce the other heralds, and I can see that being a major plot point in a potential Surfer movie.
In a way, the coming of Galactus would be the anti-Avengers, as far as the introduction. Just as Marvel gave us the Avengers one by one, so can they give us the heralds and their backstories. It would lead to an eventual big reveal of a much-hyped villain as the MCU is famous for doing. Who knows what Marvel will do next, but it’s clear that Galactus makes perfect sense.
So what keys should you be after?
This is the third in the "Galactus Trilogy" that includes FF #48 and #49. While this isn't the cheapest comic on the list, it's still much more budget friendly than the first two in the trilogy. You also get the third overall appearance of the World Eater, and it's only going to gain value going forward.
I will wager that this story will play out in the MCU: Thor versus Galactus. Although Galactus had a silent cameo in Thor #134, this is the first full meeting between the two. Initial meetings of Thor and other cosmic entities are in demand these days, especially since the thunder god has been well established as an interstellar hero. Although it would be logical for Galactus to first appear with the Fantastic Four, Marvel could debut him in a Thor movie.
More Thor comics for you to pick up, but these feature the origin of the Devourer of Worlds. Like Thor #160-#162, this is not only a wise pickup because they are Galactus keys, but the story told in these issues could very well be translated onto the big screen.
Not a major key by any stretch, but it's an early cover appearance of Galactus that is worth adding to your collection. It's also an early Silver Surfer story, which makes this comic even more collectible since everything Surfer is hot at the moment.
