Posted on 04/05/2024 6:36:46 AM PDT by Red Badger
Marvel and Disney are once again courting controversy by casting a female actress to take on the typically male “Fantastic Four” role of the Silver Surfer in the upcoming reboot.
Actress Julia Garner has been picked to play a female version of the iconic comic book character and Herald of Galactus, Deadline magazine reported. Sources told the outlet that the Emmy-winning “Ozark” star will play the Shalla-Bal version of the Silver Surfer from the comics.
Bounding Into Comics reported that Marvel Studios dived deep into the comic book lore to find justification to not use the Norrin-Radd version of the comic book hero played by a male.
In 1968, in an issue titled “Silver Surfer Vol. 1,” Shalla-Bal is depicted as the Silver Surfer’s love interest. For the next fifty years, her role is just that, a supporting one. Then in 1997, her character is part of the final two issues of “Earth X” when she’s briefly granted her lover’s super powers so she could stop an invading force, the Blaze noted.
Shalla-Bal’s total time as the Silver Surfer was four pages across two issues. In 2016, in Silver Surfer Vol. 8 #2 “Things Change,” writer Dan Slott changed Shalla-Bal from “Radd’s love interest” to Zenn-La’s Keeper of the Great Truth, Bounding Into Comics reported.
In the 2007 film “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” the title character was played by male actor Doug Jones. His character was also voiced by male actor Laurence Fishburne, the Blaze reported.
Even in the official Marvel Guide, the company uses he and him to describe the “Silver Surfer.”
“Since his debut in 1966, readers have seen the Sentinel of the Spaceways serve as Galactus’ loyal Herald, revolt against his leader, live on Earth and cruise the cosmos on his trusty board,” a description on the site reads. “In that time, we have learned the answers to some of the burning questions about the Silver Surfer!”
And now, the decision by Marvel to cast an actress as the Silver Surfer has sparked a debate online.
“Love all the female Silver Surfer fans that are popping up out of nowhere using the one image on her wiki,” one person wrote. “Nobody tell them the character only appeared in 4 comics. They might strain something.”
Another added, “They should’ve casted Julia garner has Nova, a actual female character who is a equally powerful herald of galactus, instead of making her silver surfer for ‘Fantastic Four.'”
While a third wrote, “Not to sound like one of those ‘everything’s woke’ guys, but why change Silver Surfer to a woman? I know there was a female silver surfer in the comics. But the main Surfer was always the guy.”
There is no controversy except in the collective mind of brain dead liberals.
The execs involved are just throwing money in the toilet so they can tout their woke credentials. Stockholders should walk en masse. Even the most die hard fans will eventually be sufficiently triggered to stay away.
My wife hates super hero movies, woke or not.
I suspect many women feel the same.
Women like ‘chick flicks’. Romance and drama.................
These movies aren't aimed at women - they're aimed at soy boys, raised by single mothers, who identify as more feminine than masculine.
"Superhero" comic books, cartoons, and movies were always aimed at non-masculine males.
“My mom threw away all my comic books when I went into the Marines.
I had some really classic ones, especially Silver Surfer issue #1, which is now worth about $10,000 last time I checked.”
What is it with Moms? Mine threw away my first issue of spiderman.
I can take a little bit of woke if the story is good.
These fools will never learn. Maybe the stockholders can force them out.
The problem is not the casting of women in superhero roles. The problem is that the cowards don’t want to invent new characters and do continue to antagonize the fans by changing established characters. Why these failed projects keep getting bankrolled is a mystery. Unless destruction of the franchise is the goal.
I don’t even think it’s necessarily woke. Again Shalla-Bal has been in the canon a long time. Her getting power has been in the canon a long time. So none of this is particularly new. It’s no less a part of the story than the Wandering Jew aspect of Silver Surfer. Now I do think there’s a deliberate attempt to reach out to the female audience. They started that casting Pedro Pascal (who’s HUGELY popular with female nerds, and also very popular with male nerds, and also a damn fine actor) as Reed Richards, and probably looked at the canon and said “what else can we do to draw that audience.” So the only real question left is will they give them a good story. They have a minimum 2 great actors signed up, now give them a worthy story.
Everything Disney touches turns to crap. Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, National Geographic, Discovery Channel...................
We just saw ORDINARY ANGELS and CABRINI at a movies theater. Highly recommend.
I named my car Norrin-Radd.
I meant generaly.
I can still quote you passages from that issue verbatim, and it's been at least 20 years since I read it.
I have the Silver Surfer on top of my computer. His power-cosmic amplifies the signals to and from my router.
She sometimes reminds me of a generic actress from the '30s.
Nice find!
Oy vey, and your mom pitched it? I’d constantly remind my mom that she did that.
Put a chick in it and make her gay!
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