Julia Garner is officially the new Silver Surfer. The Emmy-winning actress has been confirmed as Shalla-Bal, a different version of the popular character. Originally introduced in Silver Surfer #1 in August 1968, Shalla-Bal was the love interest of the original Silver Surfer, Norrin Radd. Despite being introduced over 50 years ago, her character has never been as relevant as Radd. Which is part of the big uproar over Marvel choosing to use Shalla-Bal over Radd.
As of this writing, there’s no telling just how deep her role is. There are points when the Silver Surfer has been a hero, so it’s always possible that she’s on the side of Fantastic Four. Though the official synopsis hasn’t been released, it’s been stated that this Fantastic Four will take place within the multiverse. The little bit of context surrounding the character and film creates an intriguing scenario that could make for an engaging feature if done right. However, most fans aren’t particularly happy over the casting of the three-time Emmy winner, which is a shame since Julia Garner should be given a chance before any judgments are made.
Marvel Has Caused Distrust Within Their Audience
Realistically speaking, fans consider this as another “woke” statement because Norrin Radd is the most infamous Silver Surfer. There’s no denying that Disney has arguably had some political agenda in their recent films and shows. However, the issue is that these new female characters are a walking political billboard that often undermines men. Characters like Cassandra Lang, Shuri, and She-Hulk don’t have their own identity. They come across as clones of their popular male counterparts.
It’s not particularly fair for Shuri as the unfortunate passing of Chadwick Boseman forced them to shift gears to the protagonist of Black Panther. In the comics, She-Hulk is a well-defined character that fits in nicely within the MCU. She has her own identity because the writers took the time to properly craft a compelling three-dimensional character. Though MCU Jennifer Walters and Bruce Banner aren’t the same personality-wise, the former came across as an entitled narcissist who didn’t have much respect for men.
The same can said about Cassandra. The lack of quality has made audiences question whether Disney can make another compelling female character. Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, and Ms. Marvel are the three best female characters in the MCU as they’re fully defined names who have a purpose that makes them valuable in the MCU.
Shalla-Bal Can Be A Compelling Character
Let’s also not pretend that there are fans who simply don’t want to see a woman take over a role that’s been dominated by a male figure. People are calling this movie woke without getting any context about the character itself. If Shall-Bal turns out to be another Girlboss-type who disrespects men then the woke criticism is warranted.
On the flip side, Shalla-Bal is an established character from the comics. She’s NOT taking over Norrin Rad’s role. Plus, the upcoming Fantastic Four is in the multiverse. This allows the film to explore a new angle of the Silver Surfer character that can have a deeper and different perspective that makes her stand out from the shadow of Norrin Radd. It’s understandable why some fans are apprehensive about the casting, but Marvel can write compelling female characters.
Plus, some of the changes that Marvel has made were for the better. Nick Fury was originally a White man until Kevin Feige took a chance with Samuel L. Jackson. The changes to make Loki an anti-hero have not only done wonders for the character but the world-building of the MCU itself. Plenty of examples of Kevin Feige making changes that turned out for the best. The President of Marvel Studios is a huge fan of Fantastic Four, so he surely has the film’s best interest at hand.
Shalla-Bal Can Be A Gateway To Introducing Norrin Radd
With all that said, It’s still possible that Norrin Radd could be introduced somewhere down the line. Shalla-Bal was originally brought in as a love interest for him. Unless Kevin Feige states that she’s meant to take over the mantle as the primary Silver Surfer, there’s an organic way to have these two characters within the Fantastic Four universe. There are unlimited storytelling possibilities of having two Silver Surfer’s in the MCU.
This is all pure speculation as there aren’t any rumors that Norrin Radd will ever return in live-action form. However, the purpose is to highlight that his character hasn’t been replaced by Shalla-Bal. The reaction to Julia Garner’s casting has been misguided. While the fears about what Kevin Feige could do to their beloved characters are certainly warranted, we should give Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer a chance to succeed (or fail) at first.
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