The Fantastic Four: First Stepsis making some bold moves when it comes to the latest on-screen depiction of Marvel’s First Family. One of the biggest involves the Silver Surfer, the herald of the planet-devouring Galactus, who will be portrayed byJulia Garner. This was a surprise to most fans…and it turns out,Garner herself was pretty surprised when she was cast. “I knew about some of the famous comic book characters, some of them I didn’t know. So when I got presented with this opportunity, I was like, “Wait, what? Me?” Yeah, I was in disbelief, almost because it was so cool,“she toldEntertainment Weeklywhen discussing how she landed the role. The idea of the Silver Surfer being a womanhas its roots in the comics, as Garner is playing Shalla-Bal, the lover of the original Silver Surfer Norrin Radd; Shalla-Bal did become a Silver Surfer in theEarth-Xlimited series. Butthere’s also plenty of dramatic potential to draw upon with the switch to Shalla-Bal, and Garner is more than up to the task of bringing her to life.
Julia Garner Has Hinted That Shalla-Bal Will Have a Tragic Origin Like The Original Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer’s origin is one steeped in tragedy: when Galactus sought to consume the planet of Zenn-La, Norrin Radd offered himself as the Devourer of Worlds' herald to spare Shalla-Bal’s life, and, by extension, their entire planet. Later when Norrin turns against Galactus and stops him from destroying Earth, Galactus strips him of his Power Cosmic — effectively stranding him on Earth. IfThe Fantastic Four: First Stepstakes a similar approach with Shalla-Bal, it will give the character a tragic edge and make her a more complex figure.
Garner has hinted thatThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswill actually delve more into Shalla-Bal’s motives for serving Galactus: “She is the herald of Galactus, so she works for Galactus, but you’re not sure where she stands. Does she stand with her boss, or is she just doing what she’s told? She has this mysterious energy about her, and slowly that mystery will get solved with the audience throughout watching it.” That implies that Shalla-Bal will have a similar struggle as Norrin, especially if she’s not fully on board with Galactus' mission to devour worlds. It also gives her a complexity that other MCU antagonists lack, which is more than welcomed.
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Man, they’ve had it rough.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Has the Chance To Draw Parallels Between Shalla-Bal and Sue Storm
In shifting the mantle of the Silver Surfer from Norrin Radd to Shalla-Bal,The Fantastic Four: First Stepsalso has the chance to draw parallels between her andSue Storm (Vanessa Kirby). Like Shalla-Bal, Sue is deeply in love with Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal). She also has a reason to defend the Earth with all her might, as she’s pregnant with her first child, Franklin. The best superhero movies have drawn parallels between hero and villain; ifThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsis truly aiming to stand out from its predecessors, a link between Sue and Shalla-Bal is one of the best ways to do that. The official trailereven hints this might be the case, with Sue potentially coming face to face with Shalla-Bal in Galactus' spaceship. DirectorMatt Shakmancould take things one step further thanks to a recent Silver Surfer comic. InSilver Surfer: BlackbyDonny CatesandTradd Moore, Norrin Radd is hurled through time and finds himself in a duel with Knull, the King in Black; he often reflects on his past, and a memory reveals that the day that Galactus came to Zenn-La, he and Shalla-Balwere considering bringing a baby into the world. If they did have a child inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps' timeline, it would truly make Shalla-Bal the mirror image of Sue as she gave up her future to secure her family’s.
Changes come with adaptations, and it’s often a double-edged sword — the right change can play into the elements that make a comic character beloved, but the wrong change can alienate fans old and new. Thankfully, making Shalla-Bal the Silver Surfer leans toward the former.It’s ripe with dramatic potential, and Garner has proven herself to be an amazing actresswith projects likeThe AssistantandOzark. Being the Silver Surfer could definitely let her flex her dramatic chops in the MCU.
The Fantastic Four: First Stepspremieres in theaters June 23, 2025.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
