Galactus Will Reportedly Have a Female Herald in Marvel's FANTASTIC FOUR, But Who Will It Be?
Another rumor has surfaced regarding Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot. Most of the rumors have revolved around casting for the movie, but this latest report is in regard to the villain Galactus.
In the comics, Galactus has had several heralds, and these are individuals who are servants of the Devourer of Worlds. They scavenge the universe for desirable planets for their master to consume and they signal his coming. These heralds are bestowed with a fraction of Galactus' Power Cosmic.
One of the most well-known heralds is Silver Surfer, but it doesn’t sound like Marvel Studios is going to go in that direction. There have been rumors that Silver Surfer will appear in the movie, but it hasn’t been confirmed.
According to Hollywood insider MTTSH, not only will Galactus be in Fantastic Four, but he will have a female herald in the movie. Galactus has had several female heralds over the years, so this isn’t something that hasn’t already happened in the comics. The question is, what character will it be?
Some of the female heralds from the comics include Stardust and a version of Silver Surfer from Earth-829 known as Juno. There’s also a character named Frankie Raye, who is the original female herald "Nova”.
Stardust, whose real name is Lambda-Zero, is a cosmic entity and Herald of Galactus in the Marvel Universe. This ethereal being possesses immense power, drawing strength from the cosmos itself and displaying abilities such as matter manipulation, energy projection, and faster-than-light travel. Originally one of the Ethereal race, Stardust is unique among the Heralds of Galactus in that they serve the World-Eater not out of coercion or necessity but out of pure devotion and loyalty. This zealous commitment, coupled with their inherent power, makes Stardust a formidable force. Over time, the character has had various encounters with other cosmic entities and superheroes, including Thor and Beta Ray Bill.
Juno is the daughter of Arimathes and granddaughter of Hercules. After Hercules sacrificed himself to save the Andromeda Galaxy, Juno offered herself to become Galactus' new herald. Since Hercules had saved his life in his sacrifice, Galactus accepted and Juno was transformed into a new Silver Surfer. She swore to never allow him to destroy another civilized world.
Frankie Raye is a character who has undergone several transformations throughout her appearances. Originally introduced as a love interest for the Human Torch (Johnny Storm) of the Fantastic Four, she eventually discovered that her stepfather had suppressed her innate abilities to generate and manipulate fire. Once these abilities were unlocked, she briefly became a superheroine and took on the moniker "Nova". Her powers eventually caught the attention of the planet-consuming entity, Galactus, who made her one of his heralds. As his herald, her powers were amplified, and she roamed the cosmos seeking out planets for Galactus to consume. Over time, her affiliation with the Fantastic Four and her responsibilities as a herald put her in various moral dilemmas, as she struggled to balance her loyalty to Earth's heroes with her duty to Galactus.
Out of these three possible choices, my guess is that it could end up being Frankie Raye if this rumor is true. Who do you think Galactus’ herald will be in the Fantastic Four movie?
WandaVision's Matt Shakman is set to direct the movie and when talking about the film he said, “We are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material… But I think it's going to be unlike anything you've seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you've seen before."
Kevin Feige said that Marvel’s first family is going to be a big pillar of the future of the MCU: “The only other one in terms of me personally and my 23-year history is the Fantastic Four. We sort of talked about mutants and that whole aspect to the Marvel world, but Fantastic Four is the foundation for everything that came after in the comics. There's certainly been versions of it [on screen], but never inhabiting the storytelling of the MCU. And that's something that is really exciting for us. People will start to hear more about that soon. We plan on that being a big pillar of the MCU going forward, just the way they've been in the comics for 50 or 60 years.”
Marvel producer Stephen Broussard previously promised that the film will be a true celebration of the original source material from the comics: “I wouldn’t presume to know everything about that film; I’m not necessarily working on it. But one of the founding principles of Marvel, going back to Iron Man and the casting of Tony that I think has resonated through today, is to embrace the source material and these comics that have been around forever. They’re older than me, and I’m guessing they’re older than you too. They’ve been around for a while for a reason, [so we] lean into that.”
There’s not much known about the project. Casting is "gearing up," and the studio is looking to cast Sue Storm first. They will then build the team around her.
Fantastic Four arrives in theaters on February 14, 2025.