02x08 - When Calls Galactus

[bunniefuu]

[woman] Oh, my gosh.

I can't believe it's the Fantastic Four!

[man] Hey, Torch, how about a picture?

[second man] Can I have your autograph?

Hey, Susie, going out for dinner's

your worst idea

since you put curtains

on the Fantasticar.

Sorry, Ben.

I was hoping it'd break Johnny

out of his funk over losing Crystal.

Johnny, could I please

have your autograph?

- Huh, sure.

- Make it to Frankie. That's me.

Flamehead's gotta be lower

than a well-digger's toenails

when he doesn't notice

a hot tamale like that.

So, Ben, how's Alicia?

Huh? Oh, uh, fine.

Heh, heh. Hey, let's eat.

Oh, I've been reading about you

all the time.

It must be incredible soaring up there

in the clouds like that!

- Flying and

- Yeah, it's the best.

Oh

- Frankie? What is it?

- That kiss. I feel strange.

- What'd you do to her, kid?

- I didn't do anything.

She burst into flame all on her own!

I'm all right. I feel fine.

In fact, I've never felt better.

- [people gasp]

- [Frankie whoops and laughs]

Flame on! Hey, wait.

Come on, Johnny. Catch me if you can.

Frankie, wait! Don't go any higher!

What's the matter, Johnny?

Can't you keep up?

What? Help!

- Gotcha!

- What happened?

Up this high, the atmosphere's too thin

to support your flames.

And I was worried

it was something serious!

Frankie, this transformation

is big-time serious.

Oh, sorry, Johnny.

How about we fly back to Reed's lab

and let him run some tests?

And get you some fireproof clothes.

Whatever you say, hot stuff!

Very good, Frankie.

I think the hypnoscanner has discovered

the cause of your inflammatory

transmogrification.

Transmoggafag

Look, that's just peachy, Stretcho.

from when you were six years old.

My stepfather's lab!

I was never supposed to go in there.

[Reed] Oh, well, apparently

you didn't always obey.

It seems your stepfather

was involved in chemical research

in an attempt to create

an android human torch for the military.

[Thing] Daddy's little helper!

Uh-oh.

Oh, my gosh! She's burning!

She's all right, Sue. See?

Frankie wasn't hurt.

Her young mind simply blotted

out the traumatic incident.

Cosmic!

So somehow my body

absorbed that stuff in the beaker.

And contact with Johnny provided

the catalyst necessary

to activate

the dormant molecular instability

Come on, professor,

you're givin' me a brainache!

You know, it's funny,

but ever since I was little

I just knew I was destined

for something special.

Come on, Johnny!

Let's light up the skies.

Teach me some

of those k*ller moves of yours!

Oh, my pleasure.

I'm glad Matchhead's

finally checked outta Heartbreak Hotel.

Well, who knows?

We may soon be changing our name

to the Fantastic Five.

Oh I don't know, Reed,

I just hope Johnny isn't just rebounding

from one heartache to another.

- Okay, I'm ready!

- Okay, let's light our fires!

Hey, we're just like the song.

Frankie and Johnny were

- What's with the light show?

- Oh!

Frankie!

No!

Bow before me!

Humble your pitiful selves

before the might of Terrax!

Oh, sure, pal.

Right after I'm through

curtseyin' to Captain Kangaroo!

Careful, Ben!

Terrax is Galactus' new herald.

The one who replaced the Silver Surfer.

Thor and I encountered him once before.

Oh, yeah?

Well, if he's thinkin'

about settin' up my worid

as a smorgasbord

for Mr. Purple Planet Eater.

Fool!

Terrax commands all soil and rock!

Foolish striplings!

Johnny!

On your knees! I command you!

My body courses with the power

cosmic bestowed upon me

by Galactus himself.

Special delivery for Mr. Terrax.

Holy maloney!

I grow weary of this play.

Let the city entire

behold my might and fear me!

It it can't be.

The entire island of Manhattan

is rising into the air!

Form a force bubble

over the entire city!

If Terrax takes it into airless space

Here goes.

Don't know how long I can sustain it!

You see the power I command!

Now, obey me

or your entire city perishes.

What does one city matter,

if you've led Galactus here

to devour our entire planet?

Ignorant fool! I am the herald

of Galactus no more!

In all the universe,

only you four have defeated

Galactus in battle.

For that very reason,

you must battle him again.

And this time, you must end

the menace of Galactus for ever.

[all gasp]

Nuts, and I wanted the weekend off.

- He's coming!

- Who's coming?

[Reed] Galactus!

- How did you?

- I don't know. I just felt it.

Go!

Destroy the devourer of planets.

Hey, when did we become hired g*ns

for every unemployed herald

in the galaxy?

Ben, we've no choice!

Millions of lives are at stake, and Sue

can't maintain the bubble for ever!

Sue, open the bubble just enough

to quickly let us through.

- Galactus!

- I've been awaiting you.

Then you know

we've been sent by Terrax.

Yeah, any special reason

Mr. Charm out there

wants to put you out to pasture?

Behold, Benjamin Grimm,

the manner in which

cosmic events unfolded.

When the Silver Surfer

broke faith with Galactus

to protect that pale blue orb

which is your Earth,

I searched the galaxy for a herald

devoid of any and all morality.

I chose Tyros, a bloodthirsty

tyrant on his home worid.

A being without morals, without guilt.

I imbued Tyros with the power cosmic,

thus recreating him as my new herald.

Terrax.

He laughed as I devoured

his planet, his people, his family.

Gladly did he go forth

to find new life-sustaining worids

to feed my hunger.

Yet Terrax was not content

with the role of servant.

He longed once more to be a king.

However, he served me faithfully

until the day he discovered Antos,

a planet whose very life essence

was corrupted

by pollution and radioactivity.

A planet seething with anti-life.

Terrax sought to poison me

with the negative life essence

of Antos.

He nearly succeeded.

I was weakened, but did not die.

Terrax fled to Earth

to escape my wrath.

Now he has sought your help

in destroying me!

In my weakened state,

he may well succeed.

I detect no battle

within Galactus' ship.

Can it be that Galactus

is too weak to fight?

Then let Terrax himself

finish what he has begun!

No!

Frankie!

- What are you doing?

- I couldn't help it, Johnny.

I couldn't let him destroy Galactus.

Stretch, check out the Big G.

His equipment's

absorbing Terrax's energy.

Every time Terrax uses his power,

he makes Galactus stronger!

So that's why Wing-hat's

kept us alive up here,

to sucker Terrax into a fight.

- Which means

- I know what it means.

It's clobberin' time!

Enough!

No! You are weak Dying!

Insolent worm!

Have you not yet learned

who is master and who is sl*ve?

The power cosmic is mine to bestow.

And mine to reclaim!

No! No!

No!

Terrax is no more!

What a revoltin' development this is.

Kinda puts me in the mood

for some fishin', though!

In gratitude for your aid,

Reed Richards,

I now undo

that which Terrax has done.

- Sue! Darling!

- I'm all right.

The scale is again in balance.

All is as it was.

What is it? What's wrong?

The poison of Antos.

Its dark venom overtakes me

sooner than I had expected.

To survive, Galactus must feed now.

And upon your Earth!

Aunt Petunia's favorite nephew

ain't gonna just sit around

on his dainty orange patootie

while Old Square Eyes

turns planet Earth

into a blue-plate special!

Hey!

Stinkin' ingrate! We saved you!

Galactus, I beg you.

Stop in the name of humanity.

What knows Galactus of humanity?

I do what I must.

And so do I, you helmet-headed heel.

Galactus is just doing

what he must to survive.

Reed, look! It's Thor!

Stay thy hand, villain!

I command thee halt!

Hey, Goldilocks is hoggin' all the fun!

Flame on! C'mon, Frankie!

Let's get him!

I I No!

- Uh

- I don't believe it!

Johnny, he's still alive.

We must keep him away

from his converter.

Even weakened, Galactus is infinitely

more than a match for us.

[male voice] Hear me, Galactus.

Holy smoke!

Am I missin' something?

Is everybody around here

on fire but me?

They call me Ghost Rider.

I am summoned

when innocent blood is shed.

And you have shed

much innocent blood.

[Johnny] Ghost Rider.

I thought he was a myth!

Who called him? When did this

become a superhero convention?

Do you dare face the agony

of those you have slain?

Mortal or demon, whichever you be,

begone!

Galactus has no time for games!

This is no game!

No!

Feel the torment of a billion billion

extinguished souls.

Experience the pain of eternal guilt.

- No!

- [wailing]

Oh

My task is complete.

I leave you now,

Galactus, in mortal hands!

I gotta lay off

Aunt Petunia's pink lemonade.

Reed! Is it my imagination

or is Galactus starting to shrink?

The giant doth feed

upon his own body to survive.

Then it's finally happened.

Galactus is dying.

No! You have to save him!

Galactus isn't evil.

He simply is what he is.

A force of nature.

And he deserves your help

as much as any living creature.

You're right, Frankie.

Galactus must live.

Aw, my sweet bunions.

This superhero stuff

gets more complicated every day.

If such is your decisión, Reed Richards,

Thor will not question it.

Let the power of my enchanted hammer

sustain the giant

whilst you ponder this dilemma!

Well, I have monitored several

uninhabited planets in the Lambda Sector

with the life essence Galactus needs.

But I've no way to pinpoint

their exact location.

And Galactus no longer has a herald

to search them out.

Then there's only one solution.

Mighty Galactus, spare the Earth

and I will become your new herald.

[Johnny] Frankie, no!

Do you realize what you're saying?

- I do.

- But what about us?

Don't you see, Johnny?

Your destiny is with Crystal.

You must know that.

Mine is with Galactus.

Somehow, I've always known it

deep in my soul.

My herald.

Stand back.

He hath absorbed energy anew.

Let the power cosmic join with your own.

Behold Nova, Herald to Galactus!

Frankie! Frankie, wait!

Turn back, Johnny Storm.

Where I go, you may not follow.

I'm free!

Free! I'm free!

[laughs]

Wait!

Air's too thin

Goodbye, Frankie.

Reed Richards, you saved my life

when it would have been

far easier to do otherwise.

For this act, Galactus willingly renews

his pledge to spare your planet.

Perhaps here, as nowhere else

in the limitless cosmos,

Galactus has found those

he might dare name

friends.