The newest Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer has recently dropped, and there is plenty for every fan of Marvel’s First Family to digest. We saw the Four’s reactions to Sue’s pregnancy, our first look at Mr. Fantastic’s stretching, Galactus’s massive boot, and the Fantasticar, just to name a few. The trailer looks to be really celebrating the Fantastic Four in just about every way, even more than some more casual fans might realize. However, not everything shown in the trailer was received enthusiastically.
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Fans saw got a first look at Julia Garner’s awesome Silver Surfer, and a small subsect of people have started a controversy that Marvel changed the Silver Surfer’s character for one reason or another, as the most popular version of the Surfer is Norrin Radd, a man. However, this is not a superficial change to the Surfer’s character as some wrongly claim, and is, in fact, a deep and very interesting cut into Marvel Comics lore.
Who Is the Female Silver Surfer?
The Silver Surfer that people are most familiar with is the original Norrin Radd version, but he is not the only person to have wielded the Power Cosmic and driven the silver board. The Silver Surfer shown in the trailer is actually Shalla-Bal, Norrin’s lover, whom he became Galactus’s Herald in order to protect. However, in the alternate world known as Earth-9997, in the comic book Earth X, Shalla-Bal herself becomes the Silver Surfer.
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After Galactus seemingly reappears following his death at the hands of the Fantastic Four, he reunites his Heralds to assist him in tracking down worlds that held Celestial eggs. To that end, Galactus chooses to expand his number of Heralds and reunite his most loyal, Norrin, with his lost love. He recruits Shalla-Bal, telling her that he needs her assistance to track down Celestial eggs to combat the Celestials’ control of the universe. She agrees to this and serves as a Herald of Galactus alongside Norrin, both claiming the title and abilities of the Silver Surfer until their tragic deaths later in the comic. There are plenty of very interesting reasons that Shalla-Bal could serve as the film’s Silver Surfer instead of her lover, and they might reveal hidden plot points we could see in the upcoming movie.
Why Choose Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer?
One of the most obvious reasons that the film might use Shalla-Bal instead of Norrin is to help showcase that the world where First Steps takes place is different from the main Earth for the MCU. Norrin is by far the most popular version of the character, so this could be shorthand to show the audience that things are not exactly what they are used to, with there being some distinct differences. The MCU has been playing very heavily into the multiverse ever since Avengers: Endgame, so this is a way to showcase the plethora of other worlds in the Marvel Multiverse.
From a storytelling perspective, however, this choice to use Shalla-Bal instead of Norrin could mean that the film intends to emphasize the relationship between the Silver Surfer and Franklin Richards. We know that Sue is pregnant in the movie, and that in the comics, Franklin is Sue and Reed’s first child. Franklin himself has a very storied history with the Eater of Worlds, Galactus, and Shalla-Bal. In fact, in Earth X it is Franklin who recruits her to be his Silver Surfer, as Franklin took the place and identity of Galactus in that universe. Shalla-Bal being the Surfer could indicate a connection between herself, Galactus, and the unborn Franklin in the movie, and might even be part of the reason Galactus has chosen Earth as his next target. It could also foreshadow Franklin’s role and possible relation to Galactus as a cosmic heavy hitter in future films.
Ultimately, the decision to use Shalla-Bal’s Silver Surfer character tells us a lot about how Fantastic Four: First Steps plans to handle itself. It says that its creators have a deep knowledge of each character, and are willing to play into the alternate earth aspects to tell the story they want to tell. It makes me excited, because Shalla-Bal is a very interesting character with her own abilities alongside her Silver Surfer capabilities, and her connection to the grander Marvel Universe could showcase a plotline that fans aren’t prepared for at all. Ultimately, it is a very interesting and exciting choice.
Fantastic Four: First Steps has a release date of July 25th.
