The trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has not only garnered enthusiasm for the reboot of the legendary team, but also for the boldness in choosing a new approach. One of the highlights was Julia Garner’s appearance as the Silver Surfer, which provided a surprising and unexpected twist in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25, 2025 as part of the sixth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Fantastic Four team will also join the Avengers in a movie titled “Doomday” that will be released in May 2026.
Before filming began, it was clear that First Steps would provide a fresh and unusual take on Marvel’s First Family-and Garner’s mysterious cosmic role adds to the appeal.
So far, we know the Silver Surfer is a man from the planet Zenn-La who sacrificed himself to protect his world from Galactus. So, why is the Silver Surfer in The Fantastic Four: First Steps a woman? Is there a hidden agenda from Marvel Studios?
Silver Surfer in The Fantastic Four: First Steps is Shalla-Bal
It’s unclear to what extent the movie will stay true to the original comics, but there are changes that we can see from the latest trailer. In the upcoming movie, the Silver Surfer is no longer a man, but a woman.
This change is something unprecedented in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it holds great significance. Not only did Marvel change the Silver Surfer’s gender, but it also introduced an entirely new character to the story.
Before accusing Marvel Studios of gender-switching and the like, it’s important to remember that Julia Garner is not playing the classic Silver Surfer character who first appeared in Fantastic Four #48 in 1966.
Instead, the actress, who was born on February 1, 1994, will play Shalla-Bal, a variant character of the Silver Surfer.
The character of Shalla-Bal first debuted in the Silver Surfer #1 comic in August 1968. In the story by Stan Lee and John Buscema, Shalla-Bal is the leader of a beautiful planet called Zenn-La. She is also the lover of the main character, Norin Radd or what we also know as the Silver Surfer so far.
Many MCU fans are of the opinion that The Fantastic Four will most likely be set in a parallel universe. However, at the same time, it still ties into the main storyline of the MCU.
This suggests that the character of Shalla-Bal was inspired by the Earth-X #10 comic which is one of Marvel’s most popular alternate universes.
In the comics by Jim Krueger, Alex Ross, and Matt Hollingsworth, Shalla-Bal transforms into the Silver Surfer and becomes Galactus’ servant alongside Norrin Radd. Unfortunately, after gaining cosmic powers, Shalla-Bal was soon killed by the new Galactus, Franklin Richards.
