Marvel’s version of Superman once killed Galactus before his story even started. Many characters with an uncanny resemblance to Superman exist in the Marvel multiverse. Among the most well-known are Sentry, Gladiator, Wonder Man, Blue Marvel and the more recent Sun God. All of these heroes mirror the same concept of godlike but fundamentally human heroes with an array of powers that can level whole cities.

Of these, Hyperion is probably the most direct and deliberate Superman parallel. Like the Man of Steel, Marcus Milton developed flight, super-strength, invulnerability, survived a dying world, and developed a moral worldview rooted in protecting his adopted home. Hyperion’s classic origin, costume design, personality archetype, and place in the Squadron Supreme all reinforce him as Marvel’s most explicit homage to Superman.

Hyperion Kills Galactus In Record Time During Heroes Reborn

Heroes Reborn #2; Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Dale Keown, Carlos Magno, Scott Hanna, and Edgar Delgado

In the artificial universe of Heroes Reborn, Hyperion harbors a thirst for vengeance against Galactus since childhood. Like countless victims throughout the universe, Hyperion witnesses his planet be destroyed by the Devourer of Worlds. Only in his case, he survives his planet’s destruction in a rocket ship that brings him to Earth, where he grows resentful against Galan, swearing that one day he would take revenge on the Devourer.

As Galactus descends on Earth for the first time in this timeline, he’s met by Hyperion instead of the Fantastic Four. The Silver Surfer senses a presence approaching at impossible speed, but by then it’s already too late. Hyperion shoots straight through Galactus’ head, and Galactus dies on the spot.

With one decisive blow, Hyperion avenges the extinction of his world and the death of his family. He declares his victory and effectively brings justice to the innumerable civilizations that were wiped out before Galactus’ arrival on Earth. Hyperion doubles down on his twisted parallels to DC’s Superman by describing himself as “a man of sun-forged honesty, atomic grit, and the red-blooded American way.”

Hyperion’s Quick Murder Of Galactus Summarizes Two Marvel Problems

One Character Has Grown Too Strong, And The Other Too Weak

Hyperion’s modern portrayal in Marvel stories highlights a difficult narrative contradiction, as he has become too strong for consistent appearances. In Jed MacKay’s Avengers, Hyperion first appears as an extinction-level threat to the Earth. Yet, once he teams up with the Avengers, Hyperion immediately starts to struggle against a zombie horde just as much as Captain America and Iron Man.

Galactus suffers the opposite problem. Instead of being too powerful to write, Galactus has been used so many times as a benchmark for establishing how strong other characters have become that he has lost all sense of intimidation. When heroes or villains need to show a new upgrade, they simply defeat Galactus as a rite of passage.

The result is that Galactus often appears already dead, restrained, or humiliated the moment he enters a story. Just as Hyperion’s absurd strength pushes writers into corners, Galactus’ frequent defeats have stripped away his grandeur. Both Hyperion and Galactus could use a few tweaks in their respective powers.