Julia Garner has been cast as Silver Surfer in the Fantastic Four, and everyone is being very normal (Marvel Comics/ Getty Images)
Julia Garner’s comic-book accurate casting as a female version of Marvel’s Silver Surfer in the latest film version of The Fantastic Four is already incurring the ire of internet misogynists.
Marvel’s superhero quarter first hit the big screen in 2005 – featuring Chris Evans topless and literally-smoking – but despite a sequel in 2007 sequel and a (deplorable) reboot, starring Miles Teller and Jamie Bell, eight years later, the quartet have never joined the wider, interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
An announcement in 2019 revealed that was set to change, and another earlier this year the casting was confirmed.
The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal will play Reed Richards (Mr Fantastic), with The Crown‘s Vanessa Kirby to play Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach cast as Ben Grimm (The Thing), and Strangers Things star Joseph Quinn to be Johnny Storm (The Human Torch).
Further casting and plot details have been a well-kept secret – until now.
Deadline has reported that Ozark star Garner will join the film as Shalla-Bal, a female version of popular ally or foe – depending on the day – the Silver Surfer, a cosmic entity that has both resisted and aided the four in various storylines spanning the comics and films.
Little is known about Shalla-Bal’s role in the new film, but her comic book origins trace her as a love interest of a male version of the character, Norrin Radd, voiced by Laurence Fishburne in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
It’s been left to social media users, then, to have their say.
Right-wing commentator “Alpha Male” Nick Adams, who describes himself as a best-selling author endorsed by Donald Trump, has already called for a “complete and total boycott” of the film, asking his followers to show Marvel that they can “make movies without the wokeness or go broke”.
Another person added: “Woke MCU strikes again,” while plenty more lamented the fact that a comic book character is set to appear in a big-screen version of the comic-book heroes.
M-She-U 🤦🏻♂️
— Derrik Behler (BEE-Ler) (@DPGBehler) April 3, 2024
Why are they going female???????????
— Vinny Talks’ ERA (@vinnytalks_) April 3, 2024
Others have reminded those losing their minds that Garner’s casting is simply building on a long-established comic character, and that the announcement of her involvement hasn’t negated the chance of a male Silver Surfer being involved as well.
there’s a female silver surfer in the comics literally this post has her. People will call this woke and not know the source material
— Eddie (@OHMYDIAZ) April 3, 2024
The Fantastic Four is due to be released on 25 July 2025.