The Fantastic Four: First Steps made waves when they cast the film’s main characters, including one of the antagonists, the Silver Surfer. Julia Garner, an incredibly talented actor who recently starred in Wolf Man, made headlines as the first female live-action depiction of the Herald of Galactus. Some fans have speculated that Garner was playing a gender-bent version of Norrin Radd, the original Silver Surfer. However, the three-time Emmy-winning Ozark actress has confirmed the true identity of her version of the iconic Marvel character, and it’s a deep-cut reference to the source material.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Garner confirmed that when she signed on for The Fantastic Four, director Matt Shakman explained to her that the character she would end up portraying was Shalla-Bal, the love interest of Norrin Radd and one of the few characters to wield the power of the Silver Surfer.

“No, I met up with Matt, who’s lovely. We met up at some restaurant in Burbank or something, I don’t even remember, but I knew it was for the Fantastic Four. And then I was confused because I was like,’Wait, isn’t the Silver Surfer a man?’ I was just like, ‘Okay, well, I’ll play anything.’ [Laughs] I was a very big fan of Matt’s, so there was already, in my mind, like, ‘I should probably meet with Matt Shakman because he’s a very smart director and I love his work.’ And then he was explaining to me that it’s actually Shalla-Bal and that whole thing.”

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For those unfamiliar with the comics, Shalla-Bal was first introduced in the late 1960s as the love interest of Norrin Radd, the original Silver Surfer, before an alternate version of the character from Earth-9997 became the Herald of Galactus instead in the Earth X storyline. Although most fans were quite certain that Garner was playing the Shalla-Bal version of the Silver Surfer, it did not stop others from believing otherwise. Now, we can be certain that The Fantastic Four is reaching deep into the canon for their fan-favorite villain. The unique switch-up from what most audiences are used to will help First Steps further differentiate itself from previous live-action adaptations, especially since 2007’s Rise of the Silver Surfer had a comic-accurate portrayal of the titular character, played by Doug Jones and Laurence Fishburne.
Will ‘The Fantastic Four’ Tell the Silver Surfer’s Origin?

Walt Disney Studios

With Shalla-Bal being the MCU’s version of the Silver Surfer, it coincides with the idea that the Fantastic Four themselves are not from the main continuity that most of our favorite heroes reside in. With First Steps taking place in an alternate, retro-futuristic universe, it allows for the source material to run wild without having to adhere to a specific set of rules established by previous films. However, will the film still stick close to the comics and reveal a similar origin story for the Silver Surfer? It’s unclear, but according to Julia Garner, audiences will find out for themselves “towards the end of the movie.”

“All I can say is that she works for Galactus and that she’s mysterious, and the character will unfold more towards the end of the movie. That’s all I can say. I know it’s a very Marvel tease, but also it’s like a real tease. I haven’t seen the movie myself!”

Source: Entertainment Weekly