Marvel Studios unveiled the trailer for its upcoming 2025 film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, revealing a major departure from the comics canon: the character of the Silver Surfer will be portrayed as a woman, played by Julia Garner.
Garner’s casting as the Silver Surfer—traditionally depicted in Marvel comics as the male character Norrin Radd—marks a bold pivot in the franchise’s third cinematic adaptation. Known for her Emmy-winning roles in Ozark and Inventing Anna, Garner’s Silver Surfer makes her entrance in the trailer with a grim warning to the superhero team: “Your planet has been marked for death,” she declares.
Directed by Matt Shakman and set in an alternate, retro-futuristic 1960s Manhattan, The Fantastic Four: First Steps officially introduces Marvel’s “First Family” into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) following Disney‘s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
Why It Matters
The gender swap of a legacy character like Silver Surfer is a notable shift in Marvel’s adaptation strategy. In the original comics, the Silver Surfer was Norrin Radd, a male astronomer from the planet Zenn-La who became the herald of Galactus.
The character was first brought to the big screen in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), where Doug Jones portrayed the Surfer physically while Laurence Fishburne provided the voice.
In this new iteration, Garner assumes the role and features prominently in the trailer, heralding the arrival of the cosmic entity Galactus, voiced by Ralph Ineson.
“I didn’t want to just use motion-capture for Galactus. I wanted to actually have someone there embodying the part,” director Matt Shakman told Entertainment Weekly.
What To Know
Alongside Garner, the film stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. According to Variety, the movie sets the Fantastic Four in a self-contained universe, separate from other existing Marvel heroes, at least initially.
Marvel confirmed that this version of the superhero team will reappear in the upcoming ensemble film Avengers: Doomsday, where the MCU’s new and legacy characters converge.
The trailer also teases a subplot involving a pregnancy between Sue Storm and Reed Richards, possibly hinting at the birth of their son, Franklin Richards, a character with universe-altering powers in Marvel lore.
Is the Silver Surfer a Woman in Marvel Comics?
In Marvel’s comic book canon, the Silver Surfer has traditionally been depicted as a male character named Norrin Radd. He was created by Jack Kirby in 1966 and first appeared in Fantastic Four #48. Norrin Radd becomes the Silver Surfer after offering to serve Galactus in exchange for sparing his home planet.
Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Julia Garner as a female Silver Surfer named Shalla-Bal, a character with roots in Marvel Comics. As reported by Screen Rant, Shalla-Bal is not a new creation for the film; she has a well-established backstory.
In Marvel Comics, Shalla-Bal originally appeared in Silver Surfer #1 (1968) as the love interest of Norrin Radd. Over time, she was granted a portion of the Power Cosmic by Galactus, enabling her to restore her home planet, Zenn-La, and later become its leader. In Silver Surfer #2 (2016), she took a darker turn as the Keeper of the Great Truth, becoming a complex antagonist.
In some alternate realities, both Norrin Radd and Shalla-Bal have served as heralds of Galactus. The MCU may be drawing on one of these alternate portrayals, reimagining Shalla-Bal as its Silver Surfer.
The 2025 film marks the first major portrayal of the Silver Surfer as a female character in mainstream media.
Julia Garner arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Califorinia. Julia Garner arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Califorinia. Evan Agostini/AP Photos
What Movies and TV Shows Has Julia Garner Been In?
Julia Garner rose to prominence with her performance as Ruth Langmore in the Netflix crime drama Ozark, for which she won three Primetime Emmy Awards. She also starred as the titular con artist in Inventing Anna, a Shonda Rhimes-produced miniseries based on the real-life story of Anna Sorokin. Other notable credits include The Assistant, Maniac, and The Americans. Her role as the Silver Surfer marks her first appearance in a superhero blockbuster.
What People Are Saying
X user @ReignOfPride posted: “Before anyone complains that Silver Surfer got gender swapped it is NOT TRUE. A female version of the Silver Surfer exist in the comics.”
Director Matt Shakman told Entertainment Weekly: “Casting was the number one challenge for the film. It wasn’t just a search for who was the best Ben and who was the best Johnny, but also who was the best family? Who was the best married couple? Who were the best siblings and honorary uncle?”
What Happens Next
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to premiere in theaters on July 25, 2025. Following this release, the Fantastic Four are set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, as well as the broader crossover event Avengers: Secret Wars, slated for release in 2027.
