Why a female Silver Surfer is true to the Marvel Universe

In the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, some fans have assumed that Marvel Studios has decided to take creative license by casting acclaimed actress Julia Garner as a female Silver Surfer (Shalla-Bal) versus the male Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd). In the Marvel comics' prime timeline, Norrin Radd is Shalla-Bal’s love interest, who becomes the Silver Surfer as the herald of Galactus - in a selfless act to save his home world, Zenn-la. However, there has been Marvel Comics source material to affirm that Shalla-Bal has become the Silver Surfer, while facing similar dire consequences.

Reimaging the role of Silver Surfer with Garner should bring a fresh take on a classic Marvel character created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and further developed by Stan Lee. There have been previous comic book interpretations of Shalla-Bal becoming Silver Surfer in an alternate timeline in the Marvel Comic “Earth X” issue #12 (2000). Despite some claims of a gender swap on the part of Marvel, nothing can be further from the truth, as a female Silver Surfer is based on foundational text in Marvel comics.

In this alternate timeline from "Earth X" issue #12, Shalla-Bal and her love interest, Norrin Radd, are both empowered with the cosmic forces to become twin Silver Surfers. "Earth X" has a darker-toned storyline that depicts tragic circumstances that could impact the entire universe, which I suspect are quite different from what Marvel creators have in mind for First Steps. With that said, Marvel creators' decision to include a female Silver Surfer is much in keeping with the Marvel Universewhich

In First Steps, Love, sacrifice, and an eternity of separation are poignant themes likely to be explored in Garner's interpretation of Shalla-Bal's Silver Surfer as she fulfills her promise to find planets (including Earth) for the "Devourer of Worlds - known as Galactus. In selecting Garner for this epic role, Marvel is likely banking on her powerhouse talents to convincingly solicit empathy and compassion from audiences. Given her past work, Garner certainly is up for the task.

Julia Garner is a talented award-winning actress

Julia Garner has been a groundbreaking tour de force of acting, leading up to and ever since her Emmy-winning three-peat for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for HBO's Ozark. In Ozark, Garner shined as a street-savvy swindler (Ruth Langmore) out to advance her place in the world of drug dealing, money laundering, wire fraud, and murder.

As an actress, if Juila can transform into a glamourous grifter, Anna Delvey (in Inventing Anna) who pretends that she’s a billionaire heiress of a Russian oligarch while pilfering from New York financiers and socialites – then our Golden Globe winner can likely tackle any acting gig, no matter how larger than life or intergalactic. In press junkets, Garner has been quite tight-lipped about her Silver Surfer role. However, in a sit-down with Entertainment Tonight, Julia gushes on her time with the First Steps cast:

"The Fantastic Four are...Fantastic! ...They [the cast] are phenomenal in this film and I'm very excited for people to see them...I felt lucky to be - have a little tiny, small part."

It's likely that Garner had minimal acting contact with the First Steps cast, as her role as Silver Surfer is probably primarily voiceover and CGI-generated. Notwithstanding the reference material, a phenomenal cast, a visionary director, and the movie-making magic of Marvel Studios, Garner is in great hands to shine and glimmer as the morally complex, enigmatic welder of the Power Cosmic, portraying The Silver Surfer!