The Marvel Multiverse is vast and unending, and in one devastating reality, the iconic X-Men hero Emma Frost became The Lifebringer – the ultimate universal hero – with the help of her husband Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer. The 2018 series Marvel 2-in-One saw Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm exploring the Multiverse in search of the missing Sue and Reed Richards when they stumbled into a universe that had been nearly destroyed by a merger of Doctor Doom and Galactus, before Emma Frost bravely sacrificed herself to save everyone.
For decades, Emma Frost acted as the White Queen, one of the X-Men’s foremost villains as a major player in the Hellfire Club. Still, for the past 30 years, Frost has been proving herself repeatedly – in every reality – as a fierce and honorable hero.
Marvel 1-in-One #4, from writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Valerio Schiti, follows the Human Torch and the Thing as they enter into Earth-18466, a world where Doctor Doom “saved” the Earth from Galactus instead of The Fantastic Four, before merging with the Devourer of Worlds and destroying the entire universe except for Earth. To defeat Galacti-Doom, Emma Frost projects her mind into the cosmic being, overwriting its hunger and becoming The Lifebringer, bringing life back to the dead universe.
Galactus was first introduced in 1965’s
The Fantastic Four
#48 and, along with Doctor Doom, has remained one of the team’s archenemies since his debut as a galactic villain.
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The Silver Surfer Helped Emma Frost Become The Ultimate Hero
The Lifebringer brought life back to a nearly-dead universe
The terrifying and mighty Galactus, once known as Galan, is one of Marvel’s most famous cosmic entities, with a hunger for planetary energy that knows no bounds, leading the being to devour and destroy countless worlds throughout the cosmos. Besides the constant hunger that Galactus faces, he is also known for always having a “Herald,” a being imbued with some of his master’s Power Cosmic that always them to scout out potential planets for the Devourer’s next meal. While Galactus has always been a monstrous and nearly unbeatable foe, his merger with Doctor Doom in Marvel 2-in-One took the creature to the next level, causing near-universal destruction.
On Earth-18466 Reed Richards and The Fantastic Four failed to stop Galactus and spare the Earth, leading Victor von Doom to adapt technology from the Ovoid alien race, allowing him to transfer his mind into the entity’s body. While Doctor Doom did indeed save the Earth from destruction, promising not to devour it, the intense hunger of Galactus mixed with Doom’s endless need for conquest led the being to destroy every other planet in the entire universe. Sadly, when the Thing and the Human Torch from Earth-616 entered this alternate reality, Galacti-Doom noticed, and assuming it was Reed trying to escape his reality, came to attack planet Earth.
Originally, 1966’s
Fantastic Four
#50 saw Reed Richards of Earth-616 threatening to use the Ultimate Nullifier – which would destroy Galactus, Earth, and the whole universe – against Galactus, prompting the cosmic being to promise to leave Earth alone if Reed returned the weapon.
That is where Emma Frost and the Silver Surfer step in, brought back into the fray by Grimm and Storm. Seemingly married and living a peaceful life on a Midwest farm, Frost quickly reads the Human Torch’s mind and realizes they need their help to save the universe. Marvel 2-in-One #6 sees Reed Richards and the Prime Universe Victor von Doom creating a machine to swap Frost’s consciousness into Galacti-Doom, which they successfully do, with Emma sacrificing her normal life to become a cosmic entity. Not only does Emma become Galactus, but Reed had implanted an overriding code in Emma’s mind that switches off the Galactus hunger, transforming Frost into a being of life and growth, the Lifebringer. Emma Frost’s fascinating romance with Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer, made her uniquely equipped to understand the Devourer of Worlds and be willing to sacrifice her entire life to save her love.
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Emma Frost Is Not The First Marvel Lifebringer
Galactus was turned into the Lifebringer by the Ultimates
Frost, as the Lifebringer, was seeded with the energy and history of the universe, and with this unstoppable power, she was able to begin bringing life back to this universe. In an incredibly sweet moment, this universe’s Human Torch, who was given the Power Cosmic by Norrin years earlier, gave the power back to him so he could once again travel the universe as the Silver Surfer, working as his love’s Herald. Interestingly, Frost is not the first Lifebringer to exist in the Marvel Multiverse. The 2015 series The Ultimates followed a team of incredible heroes using Galactus’ initial Incubator, mixed with the power of Neutronium, to transform the entity into the Lifebringer, allowing Galactus to travel to Earth-616 and bring back to life the planets he had devoured. While the Lifebringer eventually reverted to his original Galactus form in the Reckoning War, he spent many years as a convoy of peace and life across the universe.
Emma Frost took decades to become a beloved X-Men hero on Earth-616, but on another Earth the iconic White Queen took her redemption one step further, partnering with her love the Silver Surfer to become the Lifebringer and save a universe. Next time Galactus is rampaging across the universe, the heroes of Earth should perhaps look to Miss Frost, instead of threatening all reality with the Ultimate Nullifier.