Fantastic Four: Why Is Silver Surfer a Woman in the MCU?

A universal force, as essential as the stars, chooses your planet to devour. Once Galactus makes his selection, there’s really not much to be done. No refunds on that meal. But hey, at least you get a little warning from his Herald, right?

The Silver Surfer is as much a position of power as it is an iconic Marvel character. Many have fulfilled the role of Herald of Galactus — and a notable few have even lived to tell the tale. In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the Silver Surfer will be a woman, rather than the most well-known Herald, Norrin Radd. Who is she? Sit tight and listen to the Herald’s message.

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Who Is Shalla Bal?

On Zenn-La, life was nearly perfect — until Galactus arrived. Marvel’s tallest villain, the World Devourer, chose the utopian planet as his next meal and Norrin Radd was the only person willing to stand up to the destruction. Famously, Norrin offered himself in exchange for his planet’s safety. Though he saved Zenn-La in becoming Galactus’ Herald, Norrin also left behind his first love, Shalla Bal.

Since childhood, Shalla and Norrin were very close friends. However, Norrin always chose work (and later his planet) over Shalla. Despite this, they shared a deep and devoted relationship. It was a love based in longing but a pure love nonetheless. Each waited for the other in the face of death, distractions, and intergalactic distance. Shalla’s first appearance was in Silver Surfer #1 (1968) and since then she has been a mainstay in Silver Surfer lore. A little yearning goes a long way to create an epic star-crossed lovers dynamic.

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When was Shalla Bal the Silver Surfer?

In the 616 universe, Shalla Bal has only borrowed the Power Cosmic. Shalla was often a passive player in Silver Surfer stories, a tool for villains to manipulate Norrin. She was a victim of Doctor Doom, who brainwashed her into a marriage to lure the Silver Surfer into killing the Fantastic Four. Mephisto also frequently endangered Shalla as a way to tempt the Silver Surfer. One particular plan ended in Shalla being mortally wounded, but before the demon forced Shalla back to Zenn-La, the Silver Surfer passed on some of his Power Cosmic to Shalla to save her life. With this new power, she was able to restore vitality to their homeworld as well. At her touch, all plant life flourished again and she saved Zenna-La. The Zenn-Lavians elected her to be the planet’s Empress.

Time and time again, Shalla Bal and her planet Zenn-La have been destroyed. Usually, the two are returned through some kind of cosmic intervention. Following another one of Norrin’s departures, Shalla then became the Keeper of the Great Truth. This position of spiritual leadership caused her to become corrupted, obsessed with spreading Zenn-Lavian culture across the galaxy. She was opposed by the Avengers and the Silver Surfer and, in a bitter showdown, disowned Norrin Radd as a citizen of Zenn-La.

Alternate Universe Shalla Bal

In the book Earth X (1999), created by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross with art by John Paul Leon, Shalla Bal joined Norrin Radd in being Galactus’ Silver Surfer. Both figures worked as Heralds in this strange dystopian universe. Designated as Earth-9997 in the Marvel Multiverse, all regular people developed their own superpowers, leaving the heroes and villains to question their place in the universe.

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Who Has Been Galactus’ Herald?

At the very beginning of Galactus’ tour de taste, his first Herald betrayed him. This set up an unfortunate pattern that many successors would follow. That Herald is only referred to as the Fallen One. After Norrin and Shalla, Nova is the most prominent Herald of Galactus.

Frankie Raye’s stepfather is Phineas T. Horton, the inventor of the original Human Torch android. In his jealousy at the Fantastic Four’s success, he exposed Frankie to the same chemicals that had powered the Human Torch. The process imbued her with fiery powers. Later, when she began dating Johhny Storm, she learned to control these powers. She was eager to be a hero but Mister Fantastic dismissed her help, causing her to offer her services to Galactus. During her tenure as Herald, Nova presented Galactus with the Skrull homeworld Tarnax IV, which had devastating results on galactic history. Eventually, Nova was killed by the next Herald, Morg.

Other Heralds of Galactus

Throughout the ages, Galactus has always struggled in finding the perfect Herald. Some are too ruthless, like Terrax the Tamer or Morg the Executioner, while others like Norrin Radd are too noble. It’s so difficult to find planet-consuming help, these days. But Galactus sure does keep trying!

At various points in Marvel history, Galactus has enlisted Thor, Carnage, an Asgardian suit of armor, and even Sentry as his Heralds. Recently, the mutant Rogue and other heroes/antiheroes were given a chance to try on the Power Cosmic in a What If…? comic book, and even Dazzler had her shot at the role. Maybe someday Galactus will find the perfect Herald for his purposes. But here’s hoping he doesn’t.

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Are you looking forward to Shalla Bal in The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Do you have any Silver Surfer predictions for the MCU?

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