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Fantastic Four: First Steps is a comic book film that puts the Fantastic Four up against the Silver Surfer and Galactus.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a comic book film that puts the Fantastic Four up against the Silver Surfer and Galactus.

To be fair, there are many differences between the films, but both movies draw heavy inspiration from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s original ‘Galactus Trilogy.’ Doug Jones, who played the Silver Surfer in the 2007 film, attended the premiere for Fantastic Four: First Steps, which felt like a blast from the past.

“It was fantastic. I had a great time,” Jones says during a panel at Tampa Bay Comic Convention. “For those who don’t know, I played Silver Surfer in the old, and I do mean old, Fantastic Four film. Ioan Gruffudd, the Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards from the older movies, was there as well, so we got some photo ops in. It was a really great '60s throwback and a great retro feel. I loved it.”

The Marvel Studios film uses the Shalla-Bal version of the Silver Surfer instead of Norrin Radd, which generated some controversy. The controversy didn’t faze Jones, who thought that Julia Garner absolutely crushed the role.

“There some scuttlebutt over the fans arguing over the female Silver Surfer. That’s an argument I’m not going to be a part of. It would be ungracious of me. But I thought she was great too.”

For Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Jones did the physical work for the character while Laurence Fishburne provided the voice. For Jones, this was a dream come true since he had grown up loving the Fantastic Four.

“It was pre-Marvel Studios. 20^th Century Fox did those movies. I had been in Batman Returns years before that back in the early ‘90s. There’s something about the comic book genre that makes you go [makes excited noise]. When you flip through comic books as a kid, and now you’re in the movie of that thing, it’s like, ‘Are you kidding me.’ I used to watch the Fantastic Four cartoons. As a kid, I remember connecting with Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, because he was stretchy, and I was lanky. I was like, ‘I get him.’”

At the end of the day, the 2007 superhero flick stands out to Jones for one simple reason.

“Best ass I ever had.”

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