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Confirming what fans have suspected since her casting was announced, Julia Garner has confirmed that she isn’t just playing the Silver Surfer in this summer’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps — she’s also playing Shalla-Bal, the long-standing character who traditionally has been the love interest of Norrin Radd, the traditional comic book Silver Surfer, who takes Radd’s place in the MCU.

Garner talked about her meeting with director Matt Shakman with Entertainment Weekly. “We met up at some restaurant in Burbank or something, I don't even remember, but I knew it was for the Fantastic Four. And then I was confused because I was like, ‘Wait, isn't the Silver Surfer a man?’ I was just like, ‘Okay, well, I'll play anything,’” Garner said, laughing.

The Ozark actress continued, “I was a very big fan of Matt's, so there was already, in my mind, like, ‘I should probably meet with Matt Shakman because he's a very smart director and I love his work.’ And then he was explaining to me that it's actually Shalla-Bal and that whole thing.”

Asked about Shalla-Bal’s role in the movie, she said, “All I can say is that she works for Galactus and that she's mysterious, and the character will unfold more towards the end of the movie. That's all I can say. I know it's a very Marvel tease, but also it's like a real tease. I haven't seen the movie myself!”

Why the switch up? It might simply be to allow more roles for women in the traditionally male-dominated Fantastic Four mythos, or because the idea of having a space surfer is ridiculous enough even before you add in that their name is 'rad' with an additional D for emphasis. Who can tell? 

Although Shalla-Bal has been the love interest (and occasional enemy, because comics) of the Silver Surfer in Marvel lore, there is a version of the character where she becomes the Silver Surfer herself — the Silver Surfer that shows up in Earth X, an alternate reality series of miniseries — Earth X, Universe X, and Paradise X — that ran from 1999 through 2003, and was later revived as Marvels X in 2020. Given that Fantastic Four: First Steps is itself set in an alternate reality to the regular MCU, it only makes sense that we’ll see an alternate Silver Surfer… but does this leave room for a different Silver Surfer to appear in later Marvel movies?

We’ll find out more when The Fantastic Four: First Steps is released July 25.

Want more? Make sure you've read our list of all the best Marvel Comics stories of all time, and get ready for all the free Marvel comics coming as part of this year's Free Comic Book Day / Comics Giveaway Day events.