Why is the Silver Surfer a Woman in Fantastic Four: First Steps?

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In the movie “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” some viewers are questioning why the character of the Silver Surfer has been changed to female, as this character has traditionally been male. However, there is a theory that offers an explanation for this change in the Silver Surfer’s gender for the purpose of the story in “First Steps.

Why the Silver Surfer is a female in Fantastic Four: First Steps

In my perspective, experiencing the Marvel Cinematic Universe debut of the Silver Surfer through Fantastic Four: First Steps was quite intriguing. Some found it surprising that Julia Garner took on the role, given the character’s traditionally male identity in the comics and previous films. Yet, there might be a compelling reason behind this departure from the source material and past adaptations.

In the main Marvel universe (Earth-616), cosmic entity Galactus visited Zenn-La. A man named Norrin Radd stepped forward, proposing to serve as Galactus’ herald in exchange for sparing his home planet. Galactus accepted and bestowed upon Norrin Rrad the Power Cosmic, transforming him into the Silver Surfer. He subsequently left behind his wife, Shalla-Bal, and spent the next hundred years leading Galactus towards fresh planets to devour.

In the universe of Fantastic Four: First Steps (Earth-828), the storyline followed a similar path, but it was Shalla-Bal who stepped forward to become Galactus’s herald instead. The movie didn’t delve deep into this transformation process, but it could have been as straightforward as a coin flip landing on heads rather than tails that led to these events.

In the alternate reality known as Earth-828, Shalla-Bal transformed into the Silver Surfer, whereas it’s plausible that Norrin Radd became the herald of Galactus in the primary universe. We haven’t yet encountered the characters from Earth-616 (our main universe) who correspond to Galactus and the Silver Surfer, but we wouldn’t be taken aback if they make an appearance in the future.

There’s still a chance we haven’t seen the last of characters like Norrin Radd and the Male Silver Surfer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The MCU’s Phase Six has just begun, and it seems that Marvel has some unexpected turns planned for Avengers: Doomsday and beyond.

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2025-07-30 00:36