Marvel and Disney are once again courting controversy by casting a female actress to take on the typically male “Fantastic Four” role of the Silver Surfer in the upcoming reboot.
Actress Julia Garner has been picked to play a female version of the iconic comic book character and Herald of Galactus, Deadline magazine reported. Sources told the outlet that the Emmy-winning “Ozark” star will play the Shalla-Bal version of the Silver Surfer from the comics.
Bounding Into Comics reported that Marvel Studios dived deep into the comic book lore to find justification to not use the Norrin-Radd version of the comic book hero played by a male.
In 1968, in an issue titled “Silver Surfer Vol. 1,” Shalla-Bal is depicted as the Silver Surfer’s love interest. For the next fifty years, her role is just that, a supporting one. Then in 1997, her character is part of the final two issues of “Earth X” when she’s briefly granted her lover’s super powers so she could stop an invading force, the Blaze noted.
‘Fantastic Four’ reboot will have a female Silver Surfer — Marvel casts Julia Garner for role with obscure justification https://t.co/1kbcADjBzv pic.twitter.com/tnXGIOYSVD
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) April 4, 2024
Shalla-Bal’s total time as the Silver Surfer was four pages across two issues. In 2016, in Silver Surfer Vol. 8 #2 “Things Change,” writer Dan Slott changed Shalla-Bal from “Radd’s love interest” to Zenn-La’s Keeper of the Great Truth, Bounding Into Comics reported.
In the 2007 film “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” the title character was played by male actor Doug Jones. His character was also voiced by male actor Laurence Fishburne, the Blaze reported.
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Even in the official Marvel Guide, the company uses he and him to describe the “Silver Surfer.”
“Since his debut in 1966, readers have seen the Sentinel of the Spaceways serve as Galactus’ loyal Herald, revolt against his leader, live on Earth and cruise the cosmos on his trusty board,” a description on the site reads. “In that time, we have learned the answers to some of the burning questions about the Silver Surfer!”
And now, the decision by Marvel to cast an actress as the Silver Surfer has sparked a debate online.
“Love all the female Silver Surfer fans that are popping up out of nowhere using the one image on her wiki,” one person wrote. “Nobody tell them the character only appeared in 4 comics. They might strain something.”
Another added, “They should’ve casted Julia garner has Nova, a actual female character who is a equally powerful herald of galactus, instead of making her silver surfer for ‘Fantastic Four.'”
While a third wrote, “Not to sound like one of those ‘everything’s woke’ guys, but why change Silver Surfer to a woman? I know there was a female silver surfer in the comics. But the main Surfer was always the guy.”