 Doom leverages his experience into a deal with the American military , which forces the Fantastic Four to work with Doom . Deducing that the Surfer 's board is the source of his power , Reed develops a tachyon pulse generator that will separate the Surfer from it , while Doom devises a machine whose function he keeps secret . In the Black Forest , the Surfer confronts Sue and reveals he is merely a servant to the destroyer of worlds , and regrets the destruction he causes . The military opens fire on the Surfer , which distracts him and allows the Fantastic Four to fire the pulse , separating the Surfer from his board . The military imprisons the Surfer in Siberia , where they torture him for information . Sue uses her powers to sneak into his cell , where he informs her that his master , known by the people of his world as Galactus , is a massive cloud @-@ like cosmic entity that feeds on life @-@ bearing planets to survive , and that his board is a homing beacon summoning Galactus to the planet . The Silver Surfer has to serve Galactus , who will otherwise destroy the Surfer 's planet . 
