When the news broke that Marvel Studios planned to introduce a female Silver Surfer in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, many fans weren't happy. After all, there had been a huge amount of excitement to finally see a comic-accurate take on Galactus and Norrin Radd in the MCU.
Now that we've watched the movie, it's safe to assume that the classic Surfer is being saved for the post-Avengers: Secret Wars MCU. As for Julia Garner's Shalla-Bal, the character made her mark and looked phenomenal in action.
Thanks to The Artbook Collector, we have a first look at the...Golden Surfer? Here's an excerpt from Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps – The Art of the Movie that better explains what's going on with these alternate designs for Galactus' Herald.
Concept Illustrator Jana Schirmer experimented with the idea that the impact of the Surfer using her energy abilities might change her appearance. 'I thought, maybe there's some kind of oxidation going on,' Schirmer says. 'Maybe she turns old, or if you look at the exhaust pipes on a motorcycle, they change colors because of the heat. which I thought would look cool.'"
"Schirmer looked at multiple hairstyles for her 'Gold Surfer,' as well as depicting her flying with an energy trail, in a way more reminiscent of a subsequent herald of Galactus in Marvel Comics, the Earth-woman Frankie Raye, known as Nova."
Frankie Raye was Johnny Storm's girlfriend and ended up receiving almost identical powers to him after being doused in the chemicals once used to create the original android Human Torch. Later, she volunteered to be Galactus' herald to explore the universe, and when she met the Silver Surfer, they fell in love.
A mashup of Shalla-Bal and Nova might have received a warmer response, but many fans seemed to come out of The Fantastic Four: First Steps satisfied with its take on the Silver Surfer. When and where she and Galactus will return is TBD.
You can see more concept art by following the link in the X post below. We've also included some newly surfaced photos of Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman.
In our review of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, we concluded, "The Fantastic Four is an exceptional introduction to the MCU’s First Family, and thanks to a Jack Kirby-infused feel that’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, it proves to be a quintessential superhero movie with Marvel Studios at its brilliant best.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.
Also appearing are Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman, Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder/Mole Man, Sarah Niles as Lynne Nichols, and Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert. John Malkovich was set to play Red Ghost, but was cut due to time constraints.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson and Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer.
The movie is now available on Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Disney+.