Actress Julia Garner says that she spent a lot of time with Joseph Quinn while filming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which might tell us something about the story and where it’s headed. Garner is playing Shalla-Bal, the Silver Surfer in this highly-anticipated movie, while Quinn is playing Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. It makes sense for the two to spend a lot of time together, as both of their characters can fly, and both need to be animated with special effects that require motion-capture filming. However, there’s also a chance that this is a hint about where the story is heading. It’s possible we’ll even see a romance kindling between these two.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“I did a lot of days with Joe. Joseph Quinn is so lovely, and I think he’s absolutely brilliant in this,” Garner told Entertainment Weekly in a new interview published on Thursday. The actress said that she worked with all four actors cast as the Fantastic Four, but emphasized her time spent with Quinn.
There has never been a romance between Shalla-Bal and Johnny Storm in the comics before, but that’s never stopped the MCU. It might make a compelling B-story for this film, especially if the heroes are trying to appeal to the Silver Surfer’s humanity and break through her cold facade. Shalla-Bal was originally written by Stan Lee as a fiercely protective lover and partner to the Silver Surfer Norrin Radd, and that romanticism could carry over here with a new target.
[RELATED: The Fantastic Four: First Steps Debuts New Clip (With a Human Torch Easter Egg)]
In the same interview, Garner said that she dug deep into comics featuring Shalla-Bal, and also that she learned more about the 1960s in general so that she’d have some competence in this movie’s new setting. First Steps takes place in an alternate reality within the MCU, with a 60s-inspired retro-futuristic aesthetic. It is not expected to feature any familiar characters from the main timeline, meaning this new ensemble will need to be the center of attention at all times.
Of course, the pragmatic explanations are enough to explain Garner and Quinn’s time together. Both are playing characters who are fully covered in CGI for much of the movie, which means they needed to film in motion-capture suits. It’s likely that they used the same space and equipment on set for this, which would naturally bring them together. That doesn’t preclude the possibility of a deeper connection, and it makes enough sense to spawn some interesting theories, at least. As the only hero who can fly, it would make sense for Johnny to spend the most time talking to the Silver Surfer. We already saw him chase after her and grab her board in the trailer, after all.
Whether Garner is heralding an MCU romance or not, we’ll find out for ourselves very soon. The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25th. Before that, Thunderbolts* premieres on Friday, May 2nd.
