In the Marvel Universe, Galactus has one of the most iconic designs among the publisher's greatest villains, but when the Devourer of Worlds first appeared in Fantastic Four #48, he sported a much different look. In his first cameo, Galactus had a different color scheme and a sleeveless ensemble. However, Marvel Comics would change his appearance in future printings of the issue.
Galactus made his first appearance in Fantastic Four #48 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, where the villain made his presence known on Earth by announcing he planned on draining it of all of its life to feed his hunger. The three-issue "Coming of Galactus" storyline introducing the Devourer of Worlds and Silver Surfer remains one of the greatest, most epic comic arcs in Marvel Comics history, as the villain made an extremely memorable entrance. But, when Galactus first appeared, he had a different design that would quickly change after Marvel settled on his look soon after.
In original printings of Fantastic Four #48, Galactus makes his grand entrance striking the same pose and delivering the same haunting words that he plans on draining Earth of its life to feed his hunger. However, he looked much different in that cameo appearance. Instead of his purple, armored cover ensemble, he would sport, Galactus wore a red and green costume. Galactus also had exposed arms, while the G logo on his chest was more prominent than ever before. Check out the original Galactus look side by side with the one that would be corrected in later series reprints. There's a striking difference in the two designs.
While Marvel would change the look in the future printings of the issue, including a handful of different color schemes and armor tweaks, he resembled his usual future self when Galactus appeared in Fantastic Four #49. Marvel would ditch the Christmas-like colors and give the Devourer of Worlds his purple look while also getting rid of the G-logo on his chest. In the end, Galactus kept his first design for just the single page cameo.
Marvel Comics made the right call to change Galactus's original design, as the color scheme and sleeveless armor aren't nearly as intimidating and look off compared to his iconic ensemble. It's possible with his original sillier look, Galactus would never have become the villain he is today. Thankfully, Galactus' design was swiftly changed, and he would go on to become a significant villain to the Fantastic Four and the rest of the Marvel Universe.
Source: Reddit