Why the Silver Surfer Matters*

*Matters to Me, Anyways

One of the many Surfer cards I’ve owned over the years, from the Fleer 1992 Marvel Masterpieces set.

I don’t like reacting to current news. I have tried to avoid this in my Substack. But if I’m going to comment on the present, then I’d prefer for it to be on items of no real import. Thanks to the relative unimportance of this topic, a brief response to the news this week coming out of Marvel seemed appropriate. A “Marvel Insider” Jeff Schneider announced on a podcast that “Yes, you can expect to see a female Silver Surfer.” My initial reaction was one of frustration, way too serious of a response for something so minor. After I had taken a deep breath, I realized that besides being or little significance, this news could absolutely prove to be false. The movie has not even cast all the characters, so what will end up happening is anybody’s guess. Since, my weekly post this past Wednesday was about how DC could get back on track with their films if they learned from the past, consider this really just an extension of that argument.

In short, here’s my hot-take: gender-swapping the Surfer would be a mistake for Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. This isn’t just because the character is my favorite amongst the Marvel heroes, but because it shows a basic failure to grasp the source material. If actually implemented, it would mean that a character with a 57-year history was only a cog in the Disney-movie-machine, rather than a character whose story is worth telling.

Like my point about DC, this shows that there are larger cultural implications for Marvel’s ability to tell a story rather than to chew everything up into marketable commentary.

My History with Norrin Radd

I first encountered the Surfer in 1991. He was one of the cards in my cousin’s collection of the Impel Marvel Universe Series II set. The image fascinated me, with its mixtures of silvers and yellows and oranges against a black background. I didn’t know much about the character, but my curiosity was piqued. I tried the NES game, but that was a disaster. My access to Surfer comics was limited until 1994. I can earnestly say I became a lifelong fan while sitting in a grocery store. I still remember the cold, tile floor of the Food World where I sat while my mother shopped for groceries. I read Silver Surfer #101 from cover to cover, completely enthralled though I did not know the backstory. I didn’t have to know everything to get the gist of that particular story, but it was the first comic that made me want to know what had happened before, to understand how the character had gotten to this point. I went to the local comic store that same week and bought my first Silver Surfer comics, issues #97-99 (#100 was out of my meager allowance budget).

One of the very first Surfer comics I ever bought, Silver Surfer #99 (1994)

I was hooked. I started collecting Surfer comics from across the three runs at that point and still have those issues, which my boys have now had the opportunity to read. I’ve added more over the years, reading limited-runs like this year’s Ghost Light series and the Surfer’s participation in the Annihilation saga (wherein the Surfer’s role was too small, in my opinion). Norrin Radd is one of the few fictional characters who has travelled with me through the years. And while I would not put him on the same level of influence as Beowulf, Don Quixote, Rat & Mole, or the Pevensies, there is no doubt that Norrin Radd has helped shape my imagination. That is why it matters to me that Marvel gets his story right in the next incarnation, since both of their previous attempts were poorly executed (the bizarrely fascinating 1998 Silver Surfer cartoon and the terrible 2007 film Rise of the Silver Surfer). I’m not suggesting that I’m the ultimate arbiter of Radd’s emergence in the MCU, but I am suggesting that a good story can be ruined by playing fast and loose with the source material. This has also plagued Beowulf, Rat & Mole, and might end up happening to the Pevensies before it’s all said and done.

So here are a couple of alternative storylines that Marvel could tell, still meeting whatever representation quotas they have set for themselves, while honoring the material they’re trying to adapt.

Nova (aka Frankie Raye)

My first choice might create problems in terms of code names, but Nova is the best option. Marvel should consider making this cosmic lady the primary focus of the upcoming Fantastic Four film. Here’s a couple of reasons. First, Nova was originally the earthling Frankie Raye. Her ties to Earth could easily be emphasized and Marvel has already established the idea that Terrans are scattered across space in the Guardians trilogy. Since this would not be the first alien entry, how Frankie became a herald of Galactus could help explain what brings her back to Earth. Second, she also helps set up the introduction of the Silver Surfer (from whom she learned much in the comics) and the devil figure Mephisto (who could help bridge the storyline gaps with Doctor Strange). Third, she’s a powerful figure, but imminently more likeable and more balanced than Captain Marvel.¹ Given the kinds of plot line problems Marvel has created, introducing Raye and presenting her as having a connection to Earth would make it much easier to bring in the rest of the cosmic pantheon necessary to tell the Fantastic Four stories well. And fourth, Nova would be visually stunning if done right on the big screen.

But if she is a little too similar to the Surfer for the powers-that-be at Marvel, there is another option they should consider.

Stardust

The more recently created character Stardust might be a better choice than Nova in a few ways. First, as a being of energy who fed her own people to Galactus when he was hungry during the Annihilation saga, Stardust is a powerful female character who is highly committed to the World Devourer. That unflagging loyalty (something Nova never had) is probably what the filmmakers want in Galactus’s first appearance. Second, she has no love for Earth which could make for an interesting tension. Having Stardust bring Galactus to the home world of the FF could set up the introduction of the Surfer as a defender of Earth, pairing him with his Terran friends. This could also set up the Surfer’s imprisonment on Earth for a time. This punishment from Galactus would make for a great mini-series concept, with six episodes dedicated to the Surfer learning about humanity (as he did in the Series 1 comics run during the 1960s). Vol. 1 was easily some of the best Surfer storylines and writing, giving Marvel a lot of interesting options.² Third, Stardust also has some of the least developed backstory in the comics (compared to some of the other heralds of Galactus, like Terrax or Firelord). This would give Feige a wide-berth in determining how to shape the character for the big screen. And fourth, like Raye, Stardust would be quite visually interesting to adapt to a live action setting.

Either of these options would be a better route than trying to recast the Surfer into some cultural-momentary-zeitgeist-type image. And they could do that while still honoring the source material, which is apparently worth adapting to the big screen. Things that are worth adapting tend to be worth adapting faithfully.

Get the Word Out

A single fan’s voice in the infinite void of the internet has a statistically zero percent chance of making a dent. But I do think its worth trying to put better ideas out there so that maybe Marvel will steer the Surfer’s introduction into a strong performance. So if anybody has Feige’s ear or knows how to reach Matt Shakman, let me know. I’d be happy to do a free consultation if it means getting it right.

1. The problems facing the Captain Marvel movies has always existed in the comics as well (i.e. Carol Danvers is unlikeable, Captain Marvel is inconsistently too powerful).

2. This could also serve as a chance to do right by Jack Kirby’s designs, given The Eternals (2021) was such a disaster.