NOW: THE LONG-AWAITED SEQUEL TO "RETURN OF THE GODSLAYER" YOU READERS DEMANDED!
 

WHAT IF...? #155

"The Devourer and the Devoured: The cosmic irony!"

The Watcher floats in the nether-regions of space, seeming to stand in front of the Earth, which appears behind him. In his hands are tablets.

"Thus ended a threat of cosmic proportions, as Count Nefaria, like so many petty villains before him, ultimately fell victim to his own insatiable desires," the Watcher recounts. As the Watcher speaks, images of Count Nefaria, fighting the heroes of the Earth, appears in the background, behind the cosmic entity. "His own greed and arrogance ultimately cost him more than he was prepared to pay." Count Nefaria is shown doing battle with Galactus.
(These scenes all took place in What If? # 126)

"However," the Watcher continues, "this was not the END of the story. Count Nefaria devolved into nothingness, it seemed, as he swiftly grew younger by the second, as if time itself had drawn him into its infinite void. How did it happen?"

The Watcher waves his hand, and a series of Earths appear in the background. "My abilities allow me to peer into the alternate future of this world's Kang, the conqueror. It is there that the truth to this puzzle may be found."

Count Nefaria stands in a darkened room, whole again. He immediately looks at his hands, noticing that they are not old and wrinkled. Nor are they young and frail. His hands involuntarily go to his beard, feeling the bristles that are familiar to him. A smile crosses his face. His body is in its prime again!

"How did this happen?" he wonders to himself, standing alone in the near darkness of the room in which he finds himself. He looks around the room, noticing that it is very old, made from brick and mortar. He does not know why he is here, but he quickly surveys the situation, realizing that he could break free if he so desired.

"Greetings, Count," a voice from the darkness calls out, capturing the Italian nobleman's immediate attention. "Like you, Nefaria, I am the sworn foe of the Avengers." The time-master steps into the light, brought in by a single window above their heads carrying a narrow beam of sunshine. "I am KANG!"

Although at first interested, Count Nefaria grows increasingly annoyed. He wants answers to the questions circulating in his mind. "Why have you brought me here?" Nefaria demands, his voice raising in anger. "I could have defeated Galactus!"

"Perhaps," Kang replies, walking over to Count Nefaria. He is carrying a pair of gloves in his hands. "But, you may have destroyed your own world in doing so. I have a BETTER way, my friend."

Nefaria cannot deny his curiosity at the man's scheme. "Go on," he suggests.

"I have put futuristic circuitry in your gloves," Kang explains. "It is a highly advanced version of the primitive molecular rearranger that could disrupt Ultron's adamantium body. This weapon, combined with your unmatched strength, will allow you to use the Silver Surfer as a weapon against his former master."

"I do not need the help of the Surfer," Count Nefaria counters angrily.

"No, but he may prove to be an annoyance to you in the future," Kang replies, offering the gloves to Nefaria. "Why not eliminate him now, so that he won't be around to cause you problems in the future?"

"Perhaps," Count Nefaria admits. "But, why are you offering to help me? Why did you engineer my apparent death and return?"

"I need to rid the timelines I rule of Galactus' fetid presence," Kang explains. "Are you ready to help me accomplish this, and rule several empires as a reward for assisting me?"

"I've never felt MORE ready for anything!" Nefaria responds, smiling sinisterly. "I feel utterly invincible!"

"We now turn our attention to a lonely, windswept mountain peak," the Watcher narrates, "where we find the Silver Surfer sitting alone, brooding over his imprisonment on the Earth."

"Will I never be free of this world of madmen?" the Surfer asks defiantly. His years of imprisonment among a world so unlike his native Zenn-La has had its effect on him. He is quicker to anger than he ever would have thought possible, and he finds himself brooding with increasing frequency.

Suddenly, however, the Surfer's brooding is interrupted by a fist smashing into his face at faster-than-light speed! The power of the punch cannot properly be described, so unholy is its impact!

The Surfer is sent hurling through space from the sheer impact of the blow, and pierces Galactus' barrier like a bullet going through tissue paper! Unable to control his trajectory, the Surfer regains consciousness on the planet Mars. He finds himself in the area where the famous "face on Mars" has been photographed.

A stunned Silver Surfer sees Count Nefaria standing in front of him, running his fingers along his beard, with an evil smile on his face.

"Taste the power cosmic, villain!" the Surfer bellows, as he fires his deadly power at Count Nefaria.

However, Count Nefaria's speed is so great now that he has had time to zoom behind the Surfer, even as the former herald of Galactus's cosmic blasts destroy the face of Mars (badly enough to make it unrecognizable when a future global surveyor from Earth will scan it in the late 1990's).

"Nice try, Surfer," Nefaria says, racing faster than the eye can follow, leaving only faint after-images of himself in his wake. "But not good enough!"

So great is Nefaria's speed and strength that he grabs the stunned Surfer by the back of the neck, throwing him from his surfboard before the Surfer can make any movements to prevent it! Just as Surfer starts getting to his feet, Count Nefaria swings the Surfer's own board around, hitting Surfer in the jaw with tremendous force!

"I had heard that Count Nefaria was powerful," the Silver Surfer thinks, trying to rise to his feet. "I had no idea how powerful!" Silver Surfer sends out his cosmic energy at Nefaria, striking his hands, forcing him to let go of the board. "I will not stand by and let you defeat me with my own board! To me, my board!"

Count Nefaria, however, quickly recovers from the Silver Surfer's attack, and sends out his heat vision, striking the Silver Surfer in the face, temporarily blinding him with the energy! "You won't be standing for anything much longer, fool!" the vicious Count Nefaria counters.

As the Surfer falls to his knees, his hands in front of his aching eyes, Count Nefaria acts. He grabs the Surfer's board from the ground once again and slams it into his jaw, sending the Surfer flipping backwards from the impact, landing hard on the ground of Mars! Nefaria begins beating on the Surfer with his own board and, after using the molecule-rearranging gloves and super-strength to create a sharp, jagged point at one end of the board, Nefaria impales the Surfer with his own board! The Surfer's eyes widen in shock and pain as Nefaria ruptures his spinal column with the Surfer's own surfboard! The Surfer then falls to the ground like a limp ragdoll, looking up helplessly at the powerful Count Nefaria, who smiles down at the Surfer with sinister satisfaction. Count Nefaria starts pounding on the Surfer's metallic body at super speed, using his full strength and his deadly laser vision! The alien circuitry in Count Nefaria's gloves begin making the Surfer more and more malleable as he pounds the life out of the hapless Norrin Radd..

As life leaves the Silver Surfer, he uses his fading power cosmic to signal Galactus, just as he once did when he found worlds for his erstwhile master to devour. Nefaria's laser vision has made the Surfer's body red-hot, as his super punches begin deforming the former herald's metal body. The Silver Surfer, once proud spacefarer, falls to the ground for the final time, as lifeless as the planets consumed by his former master!

Count Nefaria then turns to the Surfer's cosmic surfboard, lifting it into his hands. He uses his vast super-strength and his laser vision, in conjunction with the alien circuitry in his gloves, to re-shape the surfboard in his powerful hands. Soon, Count Nefaria has re-shaped the surfboard into a small metal ball, roughly the size of a softball. He holds it in his hands, tossing it into the air slightly, as a sinister smile crosses his bearded face.

Count Nefaria slams his right foot into the ground, creating a large crater beside the badly beaten form of the Silver Surfer. "Do not worry though, Surfer," Count Nefaria comments. "I will not deny you a proper burial." He then kicks the Surfer's unmoving body into the crater. Using his super speed, Count Nefaria soon covers up the ground over the Surfer.

Count Nefaria stands over the Surfer's grave, a large rock in his right hand. He uses his laser vision to carve the large rock into a marker for the Surfer. He continues using his laser vision on the rock for a moment more, then places it over the Surfer's grave. The marker reads: "Here lies the Silver Surfer, former herald of the world-devourer, Galactus."

"Let it not be said I am without mercy!" Count Nefaria sneers. Then, his mocking laughter can be heard for miles around, carried by the very barrenness of the world on which he stands. He stops for a moment, and picks up the small metallic ball that was once the Surfer's board.

Galactus lands on Mars in a cosmic rage, sensing the death of his former herald. Galactus feels tinges of grief wash over him, and then he is consumed with anger, when he sees Nefaria standing over the grave of the Silver Surfer.

"Nefaria, I do not know how you can be alive," Galactus bellows, "but know this: even though Norrin Radd betrayed me, he was my most cherished herald! If Galactus had ever had a son, it would be the noble Surfer! I shall AVENGE him, Earthman! You have brought down the wrath of Galactus upon you!"

Count Nefaria, who appears very small next to the towering giant form of Galactus, acts before Galactus can attack! With one swift throw at super-speed, the crushed ball-like form of the Surfer's board hits Galactus between the eyes and goes through his head entirely, heading into deep space like a tiny meteor!

"I ran the largest Maggia on my world," Count Nefaria replies with total lack of concern at Galactus' words. "I am certain that I have been responsible for the deaths of many sons. Of course, my death tolls pales before your own, does it not?"

Galactus drops to his knees! He has never seen his armor ruptured so quickly by an opponent, and he is unable to think from the sheer pain in his head, as the energies that sustain him surge to try to repair the damage done to his cosmically powered form.

Count Nefaria, however, has no intention of letting Galactus recover from the initial attack. He leaps at Galactus, pounding his fists deeply into Galactus' armor at super-speed! He can feel the armor beneath give way under his powerful punches, as Galactus reels from the attack, unable to mount a suitable defense!

"I am Galactus!" the world-devourer demands. "Galactus must not perish!" With that, the world-devourer unleashes a series of cosmic blasts at Count Nefaria. However, Count Nefaria flies through the blasts, allowing none of them to strike his invulnerable form!

"So I have heard," Count Nefaria retorts. Count Nefaria uses his super strength and the gloves given to him by Kang to rupture Galactus' armor, causing him to lose vital energy. Galactus falls back in torment. Galactus' form shrinks in stature, even as Count Nefaria continues to beat the very life out of him! Count Nefaria's laser vision burns the eyes of Galactus, melting his eye sockets! Galactus screams, in utter agony!

Suddenly, Kang appears, with a giant device that looks like a bazooka, which he holds strapped across his shoulder. "Get clear, Nefaria!" he orders with urgency. "Quickly!"

Count Nefaria acts quicker than the eye can follow, and is standing beside Kang before the last syllable can reach to where Nefaria previously was.

Kang fires his weapon at the blinded Galactus, using the space-giant's own energy to help send him into the distant past, across all time and space. Kang stands beside Nefaria, lowering the weapon. "It is finished," Kang utters, satisfied with his work.
"Even as Count Nefaria and Kang turn their attention to how they will divide the spoils of their victory," the Watcher says, appearing once more, "the fate of Galactus was to be determined elsewhere. Let us journey deep into the past to a world the villainous Galactus knows well."

Galactus appears on a planet, so weak that he begins feeding on the world directly, as he once did on the Skrull Homeworld. Galactus feels strength flow into his limbs once again, and he focuses his power on his eyes, allowing the siphoned power, stolen from yet another world plagued by Galactus, to cure his damaged eyesight.

Even as Galactus' eyesight returns, he sees a proud civilization dying around him.. The world shakes to its very foundations, as earthquakes cause large buildings to fall. He can hear the cries of the dying all around him, as the he continues to feel his own strength build up at the expense of yet another world.

"Who...are you?" Galactus hears the hauntingly familiar voice behind him, weakly trying to resist the loss of oxygen, as his world dies around him. He turns and is shocked by the sight that greets his newly restored eyes.

The last thing Galactus sees is his own past self looking at him in horror! Galan can only stare at the world-devourer, a mixture of revulsion and terror filling up his dying moments. Galactus realizes what Kang has done: Galactus was sent back to Taa! As Galan dies because of Galactus' feeding frenzy, Galactus himself ceases to exist! Humans were like ants to Galactus, but this time, the cosmic murderer stepped on the wrong ant mound.   Cosmic poetic justice!

Thus, a cosmic predator is erased from history by his OWN hand! All worlds consumed by him, therefore, never fell to him in this new reality.

On the far-off planet Zenn-La, Norrin Radd embraces his beautiful wife, Shalla Bal. He shudders involuntarily from a cold chill. He feels like someone just stepped on his grave. Galactus will never come to Zenn-La.

"What is the matter, darling?" Shalla asks Norrin, noticing the chill.

"Nothing, my love," Norrin replies. "Just a strange sensation that I cannot understand. It has passed." Norrin thinks to himself: "I can hardly believe that I thought so little of this life, and wanted more. On this day, I have never been happier. It is as if this is my destiny." Norrin smiles with contentment.

"Thus ends the menace of Galactus," the Watcher comments, looking down at the image of an exploding Taa. "A fitting end for his kind. The universe shall never see the likes of him again." Then, he looks at the image of Zenn-La, a planet teaming with life. "All those planets which were consumed by Galactus met other ends, including Zenn-La. And, in this reality, Norrin Radd continued his scientific advancements for his people, creating many scientific marvels to advance Zenn-La, even while he and Shalla Bal produced a long line of progeny that would be prominent on Zenn-La...and beyond. There is much that is different about this reality, but that is a story for another time."

THE END