While we’re still comparing characters, we should do a Marvel versus Marvel matchup just for the fun of it. This article is going to be the conclusion of our small, three-article miniseries of comparisons. We had a DC-on-DC comparison, a DC-on-Marvel comparison and now we’re staying within the boundaries of the Marvel universe as we are going to compare the infernal Mephisto and Galactus, Marvel’s galactic devourer. In a fight between the devil himself and a world-devouring giant, there are no safe bets, and if you want to know the outcome, we recommend you keep reading our article!
As their direct conflict confirmed, Mephisto and Galactus are equally strong in terms of physical power, but due to the fact that Galactus is able to consume Mephisto’s kingdom – with which Mephisto is symbiotically connected – we have to state that Galactus would win this fight.
Today’s article is going to be all about comparing the power levels of Mephisto and Galactus. You’re going to find out who Mephisto and Galactus are, as well as what their exact powers and abilities are. In the end, based on what we have presented earlier, we’re going to give our final verdict on who is stronger. It’s promising to be a fun story so keep reading until the end!
Is Mephisto really so dangerous?
Mephisto is a fictional demon appearing in stories published by Marvel Comics. He made his debut The Silver Surfer #3 (1968) and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema. He was inspired by the character of the same name from the legend of Faust and is best known as being the archenemy of Johnny Blaze.
Mephisto is the supreme lord of Hell in the Marvel Universe, whose purpose is to deceive the mortals (terrestrial and otherwise) of all universes by proposing pacts to them. Mephisto will grant their every wish in exchange for their soul, which will join the other damned souls in his kingdom.
Mephisto is primarily established as the nemesis of the Silver Surfer, who constantly haunts in the hope of taking possession of his very pure soul. In one of the stories, he even resurrects the Flying Dutchman and pushes Surfer to fight against S.H.I.E.L.D. The heroes he has most often haunted are the Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange. His plots, however, have encompassed almost all Marvel heroes, such as Devil, Spider-Man and Thor. Even Cloak and Dagger were his targets at one point.
It was revealed, at one point, that he and his fallen angel brothers and sisters were created by a God-like entity (the One-Above-All), who intended to generate beings of great powers to no longer be alone, but that, having been granted free will, they decided to turn to evil, instigated by Mephisto himself.
Mephisto plays a pivotal role in the “Spider-Man: One More Day” storyline, in which the status quo of Spider-Man is redefined. In this saga, Peter Parker desperately tries to save his aunt May Parker, who is killed by a bullet from one of the Kingpin’s hitmen which was aimed at him.
Mephisto offers to save her, but in return makes a pact through which Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson must give up a fundamental event in their life: their marriage. The undoing of this event (and its erasure from everyone’s memory) will radically change the course of events, returning Peter’s life to the way it was before he was married.
Despite his role in the comic books, Mephisto has not had many appearances in derivative materials. He made a cameo appearance in the animated series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, and has appeared in the live-action movies Ghost Rider (played by Peter Fonda) and its sequel (played by Ciarán Hinds). He also appeared in several video games.
Why is Galactus so powerful?
Galactus is a fictional character from the Marvel Universe, a cosmic entity known as the devourer of planets. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, debuting in Fantastic Four #48 (1966).
Despite usually being portrayed as an antagonist, Galactus is actually essential in the upkeep of the Marvel Universe and is not primarily a villain like some other characters.
He has appeared as a protagonist in several stories, as well as being both a main and a recurring character over the years. He is considered to be one of the best and most popular Marvel villains.
Galactus was actually a humanoid alien explorer known as Galan from the Taa-an species. After passing a star, Galan gained god-like powers and turned into Galactus, a god-like entity that has to devour planets because he feeds on their energy.
His origin was further expanded by revealing that he had lived during the previous universe, before the Big Bang that created the current one; Galactus still remains the last living being from the previous universe. Due to his nature, Galactus has been an inspiration for many writers who’ve explored his story and his character further.
Being a god-like entity, Galactus is usually depicted as having a very different sense of morality than regular humans, which often causes him to clash with Earth’s superheroes. He has an immense set of powers and is considered to be one of the most powerful beings in the whole Marvel Universe, especially if full of energy after having devoured several planets.
He is usually accompanied by a herald (the most famous one being the Silver Surfer) to whom he has granted cosmic powers. The herald travels the universe and searches for suitable planets for Galactus to feed on in order to satisfy his endless hunger. Although not impossible, it is exceptionally difficult to stop Galactus from devouring a planet once he’s decided to do so, which is why the best option is to leave the planet and let it get eaten.
It is presumed that Galactus cannot be stopped, even to the degree that he will probably be the last living being once this universe has collapsed, just like the one before it.
Due to his immense popularity, Galactus has appeared in a number of derivative media, including a cameo in the movie Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). He is one of the villains heavily rumoured to make a debut in the MCU.
Comparing the powers of Mephisto and Galactus?
Our principal analysis of the issue at hand starts off, as usual, with a comparison of the characters’ powers. We are going to bring you an overview of the main powers and abilities of the two characters before we actually give our verdict. It is important to know what our protagonists are capable of before we actually state who the more powerful among them is and that is why we are doing this short analysis before the final section of the article.
Mephisto is an extremely powerful immortal demonic entity that possesses magical powers and abilities obtained through manipulation of the forces of magic. Mephisto is capable of using his power for a variety of uses, including superhuman strength, changing shape and size, projecting illusions, manipulating memories, altering time, and is highly resistant to injury.
The character has been shown to be energized by sources of evil in the human realm, such as the Dire Wraith aliens. Like other demons, Mephisto is symbiotically linked and is considerably more powerful within his own realm, and the character is able to transform its structure at will. Within it, he has threatened a galaxy and has stalled a nurtured Galactus until the latter threatened to consume his kingdom.
If Mephisto’s physical form is destroyed, the character will regenerate and reform in his domain. Mephisto is known for acquiring souls, but he cannot subdue the will of another being without the permission of the victim, which is usually done with some kind of pact.
As for Galactus, his powers include god-like qualities (such as speed, strength and stamina), levitation, psionic abilities (telekinesis, telepathy), the ability to teleport, energy manipulation and molecular manipulation (through which he can change the molecular structure of others).
He is also invulnerable when at full energy and is practically immortal, although he can be weakened if not fed regularly. He also has other god-like abilities such as resurrection and creation (seemingly out of nothing), and can sense disturbances around the universe.
He can also change his own shape and size. His true form is unknown; as Galan, he was a humanoid alien, but his true form as Galactus is unknown because he appears to each being in a form resembling their own (this is why humans see him as a giant, armored human). His true form has never been shown.
Much like when we have compared Trigon to Galactus, we can establish that there is no major difference between the non-magical powers of these two characters. Yet, Mephisto has access to a wider array of magical powers that might give him an edge over Galactus, but we are going to see whether that is actually the case or not.
Verdict: Who would win?
And while we do enjoy doing our own analyses here, Marvel’s writers have done the work for us in this case. Namely, Galactus and Mephisto have indeed clashed in the pages of Marvel Graphic Novel #38 – Silver Surfer: Judgement Day (1988), written by Stan Lee and illustrated by John Buscema, the creators of the Mephisto character.
In the pages of this story, Mephisto has finally managed to trick the Silver Surfer into giving him his soul for the safety of his dear ones. Mephisto had been hunting for his soul for a while, but Galactus’ herald was always successful in avoiding him. This time, though, Mephisto was successful and he trapped the Silver Surfer in his kingdom.
Although impassive during such events, Galactus intervened and he entered Mephisto’s realm, demanding his herald back. Mephisto is always strongest in his own kingdom and he is intrinsically tied to it, which meant that Galactus had to give his best to defeat him. Did he do it?
The match seemed to be at a standstill. Mephisto, at the height of his powers, even stood to win against Galactus, who had eaten not long ago, until something happened. Galactus realized that he could simply devour Mephisto’s kingdom and he began draining its energy, which prompted Mephisto to react. Mephisto finally gave in and returned the heralds to Galactus, who had thus proven that he could defeat Mephisto – not in direct physical combat, but he did have the upper hand as he could devour Mephisto’s only source of power.
This is a bit different from our comparison of Galactus and Trigon, where we have established that Trigon could deal with Marvel’s devourer simply because Trigon has no inherent weakness. He is not tied to a planet or a realm, he is powerful as he is and Galactus would not have anything to bargain with in such a scenario.
And that’s it for today. We hope you had fun reading this and that we helped solve this dilemma for you. See you next time and don’t forget to follow us!
