Galactus’ most extreme redesign totally redefines Stan Lee’s original vision for the character. Galactus is feared throughout the Marvel Universe, an enormous planet devourer who serves as a balancing force in the cosmos. In the late 1990s, artist Scott McDaniel, as part of the publisher’s Timeslip initiative, gave Galactus a makeover, turning him into a mindless creature that can never be defeated.
Scott McDaniel’s Timeslip Galactus first appeared in Marvel Vision magazine in 1998. Rather than the giant, purple-armored space god readers know and love, this Galactus is a true monster.
Gone are the cosmic-level intellect, and fantastic ships and gadgets. Instead, Timeslip Galactus is described as a “scavenger,” and is “weightless, limitless and directionless.”
Timeslip Gave Readers A New Look At The Marvel Universe
Timeslip Galactus drifts through the universe, devouring planets, “pulling itself from one galaxy to another by poisoned tendrils.” McDaniel’s art, made to resemble a 1950s B-movie monster poster, shows this horrifying incarnation of Galactus laying waste to Earth. The piece goes on to reveal that essentially Earth is doomed –this Galactus, unlike his 616 counterpart, cannot be reasoned with. It has no heralds to warn of its arrival. It simply cannot be defeated. Scott McDaniel’s Galactus redesign was part of Marvel’s Timeslip publishing initiative. Running through Marvel Vision magazine, these two-page spreads were drawn by the top talent of the time.
Timeslip Galactus Would Scare Even His 616 Counterpart
The concept behind Timeslip was to imagine some of Marvel’s biggest characters; the artists were invited to put their own spins on the icons. For example, the Punisher, while still a bloodthirsty murderer, was an accountant, while the original Human Torch was the vanguard of a robot army. Scott McDaniel’s take on Galactus made the world-devourer truly scary again. McDaniel’s redesign of Galactus is terrifying on multiple levels. The Earth-616 Galactus is an impressive sight; a massive, armor clad being who lords over every world he visits. Timeslip Galactus, on the other hand, is a grotesque monster, with massive, poisoned tentacles. While 616 Galactus is scary, he still resembles a humanoid being.
616 Galactus is a force of nature, responsible for maintaining the universal balance. He possesses a cosmic-level intellect, and can be reasoned with. Timeslip Galactus is unthinking, plodding along aimlessly through the universe, feeding on whatever hapless world it comes across. Perhaps the best part of McDaniels’ redesign of Galactus is how it invokes the science fiction movies of the 1950s, which helped inform the science fiction comics of the time – including ones being published by Marvel Comics. Timeslip Galactus is very much cut from this mold. By redesigning the character, Scott McDaniel manages to honor Stan Lee’s original vision.
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