Shalla-Bol as the Silver Surfer

[Mordar]

News that the Silver Surfer will appear in the Fantastic Four Marvel debut.

Shalla-Bol as the Surfer. Interesting choice suggesting the dual heralds as tied to a new Galactus...or something else?

- M

[t209]

Part of me reminded me of What If Comic where she became Silver Surfer.
OR recent one where she became some grand galactic figure.
Depends if Galactus will be cloud again.

[Trixie_One]

I think jumping straight to the Silver Surfer in the first movie, irregardless of the surfer in question is a terrible move. That's the kind of character you hold off on until they're fully established and you really need to challenge them.

[Dragonus45]

IS she? I saw she was cast but everyone is just assuming she will be a herald I hadn't seen anything from Marvel themselves on what her role will be.

[Mordar]

IS she? I saw she was cast but everyone is just assuming she will be a herald I hadn't seen anything from Marvel themselves on what her role will be.

Concur. The article expressly said Surfer, but that could be someone unfamiliar with the full run of the characters and jumping to a conclusion - that's kind of what I meant by the dual heralds option...

- M

[GloatingSwine]

I think jumping straight to the Silver Surfer in the first movie, irregardless of the surfer in question is a terrible move. That's the kind of character you hold off on until they're fully established and you really need to challenge them.

Yeah but so’s Doom, they’ve wasted Kang, done Skrulls and they’re just not gonna do Mole-Man at this point.

[Mordar]

Yeah but so’s Doom, they’ve wasted Kang, done Skrulls and they’re just not gonna do Mole-Man at this point.

But maybe they could use the Under-miner!

More seriously, I think they need something grounded to start with, or run the risk of being a "serious" alternative to Guardians. So much of modern FF (at least through when I stopped reading) was as protectors against dimensional/spacefaring threats. All the multiverse [garbage] is cluttering stories and too convoluted for a lot of people. We can't dive right into the Negative Zone

While that ship may have sailed (Shalla-bol, whether Surfer or not, suggests not really grounded), maybe there are some options. We're a little limited for an initial film in MCU...so who do we have that isn't already tapped, isn't too space-y, or isn't alternative dimension or Celestial/Elder/Cosmic Power (Kang, Skrulls, Namor, Klaw, the Kree, Annihilus, Galactus, The Five Eaten Elders, Heralds)?

Mole Man, Molecule Man, Doom, a few of the sillier others? Some version of the Frightful Four, but maybe using untapped Spider-Man/Daredevil/unaffiliated villains?

Me, I think a nice kaiju style story that ties in a few of the science-y villains could be a good path to take, leading to a confrontation with Mole-man being puppeted by one of the brain-types (Thinker? Doom?) that ties FF to an underground story that links to a portal to the Negative Zone (but not to be explored...just a teaser for future and a source for Negative Zone baddies to emerge).

I know what I am thinking, but not expressing it well, I think. In short - Film one is Terrestrial threat masterminded by brilliant villain with Doom as red herring, links to Negative Zone; Film two is Negative Zone creatures rampaging in Earth with Doom having to be reluctant ally; Film three - FF and Doom must go to Negative Zone to squash the threat with Doom emerging as hugely powerful non-hero non-villain. We get to see a smattering of classic FF rogues along the way, and a true, developed rise of Dr. Doom as contender to Sorcerer Supreme, Four-Quadrant super power that isn't about sunshine and rainbows.

But instead we'll probably get a space cloud that causes global warming or something. With the 27th coolest Herald option.

- M

Instead, we'll get

[Dragonus45]

Concur. The article expressly said Surfer, but that could be someone unfamiliar with the full run of the characters and jumping to a conclusion - that's kind of what I meant by the dual heralds option...

- M

So anyone says X person was the Silver Surfer when all they were was one of the many rotating Heralds is automatically suspect too me to be honest. Especially when she is already such a big supporting character in general outside of just being a herald so this doesn't really signal much. I am curious if they are going all in on Galactus this movie though.

[Mordar]

So anyone says X person was the Silver Surfer when all they were was one of the many rotating Heralds is automatically suspect too me to be honest. Especially when she is already such a big supporting character in general outside of just being a herald so this doesn't really signal much. I am curious if they are going all in on Galactus this movie though.

Big supporting character in SS books, though, not so much in FF books, right? So like a supporting character to an occasional character in FF?

- M

[Dragonus45]

Big supporting character in SS books, though, not so much in FF books, right? So like a supporting character to an occasional character in FF?

- M

Yes although I mostly remember her personally from the cartoon. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a surfer heavy movie with hints toward Galactus as a threat to earth for later team ups. Heck they might even have Galactus eat some random planet along the way to really sell it.

[t209]

Part of me feel that Marvel movies taking more from alternate or recent version.
Like Spiderman (Peter one) taking cues from Miles (like his Chinese roommate and student at private school), and Nick Fury being based on Ultimate.
I think Silver Surfer GF (assuming if article writer just winging it) seems more like 2010’s where she became Herald in Mark Allred’s run (one with armor).

[Dragonus45]

Part of me feel that Marvel movies taking more from alternate or recent version.
Like Spiderman (Peter one) taking cues from Miles (like his Chinese roommate and student at private school), and Nick Fury being based on Ultimate.
I think Silver Surfer GF (assuming if article writer just winging it) seems more like 2010’s where she became Herald in Mark Allred’s run (one with armor).

Yea, I think not having Norrin Radd is would be a huge mistake myself.

[Trixie_One]

Yeah but so’s Doom, they’ve wasted Kang, done Skrulls and they’re just not gonna do Mole-Man at this point.

Doom imo would be an acceptable option as it least he's human over an intergalactic herald of a planet eater.

How about Annihilus? Sure he's basically a space invader but he's a more reasonable threat for a new team and at least then you can then scale up from him rather than jumping straight to Galactus.

[t209]

Doom imo would be an acceptable option as it least he's human over an intergalactic herald of a planet eater.

How about Annihilus? Sure he's basically a space invader but he's a more reasonable threat for a new team and at least then you can then scale up from him rather than jumping straight to Galactus.

Dr Doom would be seen as overused and bad association with bad F4 and “decent but bad sequel” Fantastic Four (probably why Noran wasn’t used because of bad sequel).
Maybe save Annihilus for Annihilation Wave.
MCU needs grand galactic battle as comparable to Battle Fleet Gothic.

[Psyren]

The number of people I've seen raging online about this choice (I won't bother using the word that rhymes with "broke") and who don't realize she's an actual character from the comics has been depressingly predictable.

Yeah but so’s Doom, they’ve wasted Kang, done Skrulls and they’re just not gonna do Mole-Man at this point.

MovieBob had an amazing pitch back in the day where they would have ended up fighting Puppet Master, and he would have had construct copies of the OG Avengers for them to fight. Feels a bit too late for that one now too, but I feel like that would have been a slam dunk before Phase 5.

[t209]

SO any idea if it's
A. someone who didn't know Shalla Bol but only saw her Silver Surfer form and assumed that she's the one (edit: I finally found the one I was talking about, which is Star Glow. Wonder if it was meant to be plot twist and homage to that what if.)
OR
B. trying to lean more on recent storyline (but without origin story in continuity, just like MCU Spiderman taking more from Miles Morales). Like only one time she became Silver Surfer was from either What If or Mark Allred's run.

[Clertar]

I think jumping straight to the Silver Surfer in the first movie, irregardless of the surfer in question is a terrible move. That's the kind of character you hold off on until they're fully established and you really need to challenge them.

Holding off doesn't work anymore. It did in the pre-MCU era, but already by the early MCU films it didn't really, and especially now it doesn't connect with audiences, who want a full-fledged story rather than a tease. Today you don't want to see Iron Man fighting Jeff Bridges in a clunky armor to work up to something bigger later, you want to see the hero(s) go up against a very real, unsurmountable challenge on the first outing.

[Psyren]

Holding off doesn't work anymore. It did in the pre-MCU era, but already by the early MCU films it didn't really, and especially now it doesn't connect with audiences, who want a full-fledged story rather than a tease. Today you don't want to see Iron Man fighting Jeff Bridges in a clunky armor to work up to something bigger later, you want to see the hero(s) go up against a very real, unsurmountable challenge on the first outing.

I'll add to the 'Jeff Bridges problem' that "first villain is a dark reflection of the hero" is really, really, really played out and cliché and overdone at this point, and it's still happening - as recently as Blue Beetle vs Carapax and Black Adam vs Sabbac. So for TFF, we need an antagonist that can challenge the Four while hopefully using completely different fighting styles to them.

[Wintermoot]

Personally, I loved the Silver Surfer solo title from the 90s (Ron Lim for the win) and have always enjoyed Norrin Radd as a character, but as they bring the surfer forward into the MCU, I don't really care if its Norrin Radd or Shalla Bol who takes Galactus up on his offer to become the surfer. The character doesn't suffer for being one or the other. I would suspect we will still get the same through-line of a loyal herald of Galactus convinced by interacting with the FF to turn against his master to try and save earth from his hunger.

That being said, I kind of wish they weren't going Galactus/Surfer for the new movie. I also wish they weren't going Doom either. Personally, being a fan of the idea of the FF as explorers, I'd rather see them do some kind of journey to the center of the earth, or the savage land, or the negative zone or something that involves going and exploring, vs fighting a CGI space giant and his zippy friend.

[t209]

Personally, I loved the Silver Surfer solo title from the 90s (Ron Lim for the win) and have always enjoyed Norrin Radd as a character, but as they bring the surfer forward into the MCU, I don't really care if its Norrin Radd or Shalla Bol who takes Galactus up on his offer to become the surfer. The character doesn't suffer for being one or the other. I would suspect we will still get the same through-line of a loyal herald of Galactus convinced by interacting with the FF to turn against his master to try and save earth from his hunger.

That being said, I kind of wish they weren't going Galactus/Surfer for the new movie. I also wish they weren't going Doom either. Personally, being a fan of the idea of the FF as explorers, I'd rather see them do some kind of journey to the center of the earth, or the savage land, or the negative zone or something that involves going and exploring, vs fighting a CGI space giant and his zippy friend.

Let’s see.
- Firelord would have trademark issue with Nickelodeon due to certain ruling title in Avatar.
- I don’t think Air Walker appear much at all outside of early comics.
- Wish they use Frankie Ray’s Nova (no relations to Nova Corps)…but would share the first (even if it’s same company) and second.
Even most adaptations (especially the series and Fantastic 4) tend to focus more on Silver Surfer with Fantastic 4 90’s cartoon having Frankie Ray.
Dr. Doom is a Romani, at least more people being aware of his origin (assuming if going “faceless”, like using first person or obscuring his face on flashback)…also not sure if Prisoner of Xander/ Tin Tin style Balkans and Eastern Europe might be that relevant to generations more exposed to Eastern Promises, Brat Russian movie, and GTA 4. Also being associated with “mediocre” Fantastic Four and reviled F4 might not help.
Moleman might share issue since people might connect him with Underminer from Incredibles…also not sure if there are good underground locale movies similiar to Jules Vernes lately.
Annihilus, maybe save it for grand galactic conflict like Annihilation Wave.

[Mordar]

Moleman might share issue since people might connect him with Underminer from Incredibles…also not sure if there are good underground locale movies similiar to Jules Vernes lately.

Wait, Mole Man and Underminer are supposed to be similar?!? And people link two family-oriented family of super heroes properties?

While I still like my previous layout for a 3-part arc...I think Terrax could be a good herald option, and does lead to the Frankie Ray Nova.

- M