Summary

Julia Garner will play the female version of Silver Surfer, Shalla-Bal, in the upcoming
Fantastic Four
movie.
Shalla-Bal is connected to Marvel characters like Galactus, Mephisto, and Nova in Marvel Comics.
The film, set for July 2025, will also feature Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and Johnny Storm as the Fantastic Four.

The Fantastic Four has found its Silver Surfer in Ozark star Julia Garner. According to Deadline, the highly anticipated Marvel movie will be bringing Shalla-Bal to screen, a female version of the character that was originally introduced as the lover of the Surfer, but goes on to have the Surfer’s power endowed upon her.

Fantastic Four (2025) Release Date July 25, 2025 Format Theatrical Studio Marvel Studios Franchise Marvel

Although there have been very few details of the movie’s plot revealed, or how the Silver Surfer will fit into it, there are a number of connections this version of the Surfer has to several big Marvel characters that are all rumored to be making their MCU debuts in the coming years.

In Marvel Comics, the original Silver Surfer, Norrin Radd, first gained his powers from Galactus after agreeing to find the villain planets to devour in exchange for the guaranteed safety of his home planet of Zenn-La, and his lover Shalla-Bal. Over the course of this story arc, Shalla-Bal is at one point abducted by Mephisto, and herself battles against Galactus when her home world is attacked by the mighty being after the Surfer turns against him. With Galactus being heavily rumored to be the main antagonist of the Fantastic Four’s debut movie, and Mephisto constantly doing the rounds on MCU rumor threads, it is likely that at least some of the character’s story will be incorporated into her appearance in the movie.

As expected, with this announcement comes a variety of strong online opinions. You can see a small selection of these conflicting views below.

What is the Story of The Fantastic Four’s MCU Debut?

The Fantastic Four will be directed by Matt Shakman, who previously found success in the MCU with WandaVision. So far, it has been revealed that the story will be set in the 1960s, and there is a strong belief that the majority of the film will not be set within the current MCU timeline. The rumored plot will see the Fantastic Four take on Galactus in their own universe. After being defeated and facing the destruction of their world, they will find themselves being thrown into the MCU as a result of the increasingly unstable multiverse incursions that are tearing holes between universes. While this is still speculation at this time, as new information comes to light, everything does seem to be leading to this being very close to the truth.

Garner will be joining Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who were announced to be playing the titular foursome back in February. The movie is currently filming and expected to debut in July 2025.

Related Superman vs. Fantastic Four: The DC/Marvel Summer 2025 Showdown, Explained With Superman: Legacy and The Fantastic Four both set to open in July 2025, it will be the closest together an MCU and DC film have opened since 2017.