FIRST STEPS Concept Art Reveals Galactus’ Death Star-Inspired Arrival On Earth 828

The Fantastic Four: First Steps delivered what many fans consider a pitch-perfect take on Galactus, and new concept art from Thomas du Crest reveals more about how the Devourer of Worlds was translated from page to screen. 

It appears that Galactus was not only much bigger, but at this point in the pre-production process, his arrival on Earth was going to be even more terrifying.

Marvel Studios and filmmaker Matt Shakman clearly explored various options for the villain’s touchdown, many of which are likely to be included in the reboot’s upcoming “Art of” book (which will retail for a whopping $150). 

“Another element of Fantastic Four I had the chance to design under the direction of the amazing [Kasra Farahani] was the vessel Galactus uses to arrive on Earth,” du Crest explained. “Its role is quite short in the movie, but a lot of efforts were put into giving it ‘Death Star-like’ details, all the while keeping an impactful silhouette.”

Galactus would have benefited from a few more minutes of screentime, but The Fantastic Four: First Steps was a pretty breezy adventure that clocked in at less than two hours. As for these designs, it’s always fun to see what might have been.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps ended with Galactus being vanquished to the other side of the universe. That means it will take him countless millennia to return to Earth, ensuring the planet—and Franklin Richards—are safe from him. 

There’s been some chatter about Galactus returning post-Avengers: Secret Wars, though we wouldn’t be shocked if a Variant of the big guy factors into that movie. In Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic’s Secret Wars, Franklin essentially had a “pet” Galactus, and recreating that would serve as a fun follow-up to First Steps. 

Check out this latest batch of concept art from The Fantastic Four: First Steps in the Instagram gallery below. 

In our review of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, we concluded, “The Fantastic Four is an exceptional introduction to the MCU’s First Family, and thanks to a Jack Kirby-infused feel that’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, it proves to be a quintessential superhero movie with Marvel Studios at its brilliant best.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.

Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.

Also appearing are Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman, Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder/Mole Man, Sarah Niles as Lynne Nichols, and Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert. John Malkovich was set to play Red Ghost, but was cut due to time constraints.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson and Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer.

The movie is now playing in theaters.