The Fantastic Four will introduce the MCU’s version of the Silver Surfer, and hopefully, Marvel has learned some important lessons from the last one.

It was recently announced that the MCU would be getting a new version of the Silver Surfer in The Fantastic Four, and Marvel has hopefully learned some lessons from the last time they adapted the character for live-action. The first live-action version of the Silver Surfer appeared in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Though the movie had a host of issues, from a messy plot to thin characters, the movie’s handling of the Surfer and Galactus stands out as a major missed opportunity – and one the MCU timeline can make up for.

Now, years after Disney re-acquired the rights to use The Fantastic Four in a movie, Marvel is set to try again. The MCU’s version of the Silver Surfer will be played by acclaimed actor Julia Garner. Unlike the previous incarnation, Garner will be playing Shalla-Bal instead of the conventional version of the Surfer: Norrin Radd. Marvel has had a long time to examine the issues with the previous live-action Silver Surfer, so expectations are high that they will have taken some notes on what did and didn’t work in the previous version.

10. Silver Surfer Would Benefit From Feeling A Little More Human

The Issue From Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer

The previous live-action Silver Surfer was mainly framed in a very inhuman way. From his demeanor to just some of the ways he moved or was framed served to create a sense of otherness about him. While this makes sense in as far as establishing the overall characterization of the character, this bled into scenes where more emotion or authenticity would’ve allowed the audiences to connect more with the character, and potentially be more invested in the events of the film.

Even when he was connecting with Sue Storm or other members of The Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer did so in a cold and stilted way that felt more like a robot trying to emulate human emotions than a truly sentient being with his own thoughts and feelings – which would now also risk veering too close to White Vision’s current story were the MCU to mirror this approach identically. It also didn’t help that any attempt to humanize Silver Surfer came later in the movie.

How The MCU Can Learn From This

Although the Surfer was originally portrayed as very alien in Marvel Comics, Marvel would arguably benefit from trying to humanize the character more in the MCU. Since the character’s debut, the Surfer has grown to be a more compassionate character and one who cares deeply for the well-being of others. The MCU has already proven its ability to make non-human characters have just as much emotional depth as human ones, as evidenced by characters like Rocket Raccoon. Marvel should continue this trend with Silver Surfer instead of sticking with the 1960s framing of the character from the original comic.

9. Silver Surfer And Galactus Should Share A Scene Together

The Issue From Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer

Galactus may have been the main antagonist in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but it’s hard to say the character was actually in the movie. Instead of a living being who spoke and interacted with other characters, Galactus was just a giant smoke cloud that sent tendrils into planets to drain them. While the Silver Surfer and Galactus were technically on screen together several times, there was no real sense of their relationship due to the way the movie chose to portray Galactus.

How The MCU Can Learn From This

It seems pretty unlikely that the MCU will go the same route of making Galactus just a cloud of smoke. This is especially true if Marvel wants Galactus to stick around as a part of the wider MCU, not just a part of The Fantastic Four. Apart from just making Galactus an actual character, Marvel could also benefit from including a scene between Silver Surfer and Galactus to help establish their relationship and why Silver Surfer would be willing to turn on Galactus.

8. Silver Surfer’s Power Shouldn’t Come From Her Board

The Issue From Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer made the creative choice that the Silver Surfer’s powers would come from contact with his board. This had the unfortunate side effect of limiting the possible action sequences involving the Surfer, as he would no longer have powers if separated from the board itself. As is, the movie largely involved scenes of characters chasing the Surfer while he was on his board.

This issue would only be compounded in the MCU where the Silver Surfer will presumably stick around for several projects. It’s not hard to imagine that Marvel would start to run out of creative ways to utilize the character in action scenes if she is stuck to her board. It would also leave the character with a pretty glaring weakness that the MCU’s variety of villains could easily exploit.

How The MCU Can Learn From This

Marvel Comics already has a solution for this issue, since the board isn’t typically the source of the Silver Surfer’s powers. The Surfer is granted access to something known as the Power Cosmic by Galactus which is what allows him to serve as Galactus’ herald. While the board should still be an important tool used by Shalla-Bal in the MCU, Marvel should also make it possible for her to be effective without it to allow for a wider variety of scenes.

7. Silver Surfer’s Actions Need To Hint At Redeeming Qualities Earlier In The Movie

The Issue From Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer

The earlier scenes of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer don’t give much indication that the Silver Surfer is anything more than a willing participant in Galactus’ destruction of worlds. Though this is fine to start, the Surfer’s eventual redemption feels a little rushed when he suddenly takes a liking to Sue Storm after showing no signs of empathy beforehand. This comes after scenes of the Surfer causing destruction across the globe that very nearly results in innocent peoples’ deaths, and him almost killing the Human Torch by dropping Johnny from the stratosphere.

How The MCU Can Learn From This

Though the Silver Surfer will likely start as some form of antagonist, that doesn’t mean her face turn needs to be as abrupt in the MCU. Marvel can have Shalla-Bal showing a bit more compassion earlier, hinting at the fact that she isn’t happy about the job she has to do for Galactus. This would help lay the groundwork for her eventual redemption, instead of it happening simply because someone reminds her of a former love interest.

6. The Power Cosmic Needs To Be Well Defined

The Issue From Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer

The Silver Surfer’s powers were pretty ill-defined in Rise of the Silver Surfer. This isn’t necessarily a huge problem for an older superhero movie like this that is meant to serve more as a standalone story, but this type of loose explanation would be a disservice to the MCU. Having a better understanding of how the Silver Surfer, and by extension Galactus, have their powers and what they can do would give audiences a better indication of how they stack up in the wider Marvel Universe.

How The MCU Can Learn From This

The Fantastic Four can solve this problem by giving a quick explanation of the source of Silver Surfer’s powers: The Power Cosmic. The Power Cosmic is a source of cosmic energy that is held by Galactus. Galactus grants some of this power to his heralds, who in turn also have the power to give others a portion of the power. In Marvel Comics, this is how Shalla-Bal originally gained some powers from the original Silver Surfer, Norrin Radd.

5. The Silver Surfer Needs Appear As The Original Shalla-Bal At Least Once

The Issue From Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer

The previous live-action Silver Surfer missed out on an easy way to help humanize Norrin Radd a bit more: showing his original form. Although Norrin is from another planet, he originally looked very human, and it was only after being given the Power Cosmic that he turned into the Silver Surfer. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer opted not to show Norrin’s original form, even though he should have reverted to it when being separated from the Power Cosmic in the movie.

How The MCU Can Learn From This

While a character doesn’t need to look human for audiences to connect with them, this is an easy way to show there’s more to the Silver Surfer than the character’s shiny silver facade. Showing Shalla-Bal’s original form could help audiences begin to sympathize with her more after she does some seemingly villainous things earlier in the movie. This would also give Julia Garner a chance to be a bit more expressive in her performance than may be permitted by a shiny silver exterior.

4. Silver Surfer’s Motion Capture And Voice Acting Is Best Done By The Same Actor

The Issue From Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer split acting duties for the character between two performers. Laurence Fishburne provided the voice, while Doug Jones did the on-screen work for the character which was supplemented by CGI. Though the MCU has had success with this technique, with characters like Rocket being played by both Sean Gunn and Bradley Cooper, this presents more risk of cognitive dissonance for a non-anthropomorphic character.

While watching the previous live-action Silver Surfer, it’s hard not to feel some cognitive dissonance when hearing what is clearly Laurence Fishburne’s voice come out of what is clearly Doug Jones’ face, which can make the performance feel a bit disjointed. It also likely left both actors having to do their own separate interpretations of the character’s feelings in each given scene, and the editors the unenviable task of finding takes that best matched.

How The MCU Can Learn From This

The MCU could easily fix this in The Fantastic Four by simply having Julia Garner play Shalla-Bal on set. This is likely the route Marvel will go, seeing as they did the same with Josh Brolin for Thanos. This will let Garner more fully embody the role, instead of simply having her voice come out of another person’s mouth, or having to try and match up with the voice of another actor.

3. Silver Surfer Being Able To Kill Galactus Doesn’t Make Sense

The Issue From Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer

How Galactus is ultimately defeated in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a complicated topic. When Silver Surfer decides he will help Earth defeat Galactus, he doesn’t need any help from the movie’s heroes. Instead, he simply flies up into the big Galactus cloud and explodes. While it initially seems like a sacrifice by the Surfer, the post-credits scene reveals that he survives, having defeated Galactus. This raises the question of why the Surfer wouldn’t have just immediately turned on Galactus to keep his people safe, or why Galactus would give Norrin enough power to defeat him.

How The MCU Can Learn From This

This issue probably has the easiest solution in the MCU, as the solution is simply to not have Silver Surfer kill Galactus. If Galactus is going to be defeated, it should be a joint effort between The Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer, or potentially an even bigger group involving other factions. The MCU should probably also avoid having Galactus be killed by the heroes, to prevent losing another major MCU villain after just one appearance.

2. The MCU Silver Surfer Needs More Personality

The Issue From Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer

The characterization of the entire cast in Fantastic Four (2005) and its sequel left a lot to be desired. When even the main characters felt pretty thin, it wasn’t a surprise that the Silver Surfer, who got significantly less screen time, was even less of a fully realized character. If anything, the Surfer felt more like a plot device for most of the movie, with a scant attempt at fleshing him out thrown in near the end.

How The MCU Can Learn From This

Because the MCU will likely keep the Silver Surfer for multiple projects, her character must be better fleshed out. However, the MCU also has a huge advantage in this department. The Fantastic Four won’t be solely responsible for fully exploring Shalla-Bal – instead, all it needs to do is effectively introduce her and set the stage for where her character can go next. Then, her personality can be further explored in a future project, instead of having to squeeze everything into one movie.

1. The Silver Surfer Needs Better Defined Physical Features

The Issue From Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer

Many of the kinks of CGI were still being hammered out back when Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer came out. This left the Surfer looking a little too smooth, and probably also a bit too reflective. That combination made it difficult for him to have defined facial features, meaning it was hard for Doug Jones to convey any strong emotions as part of his performance, and subsequently making it slightly more difficult for audiences to connect with the Silver Surfer.

How The MCU Can Learn From This

Technology has come a long way since 2007, but that doesn’t mean Marvel still don’t have to be careful with the look of the Silver Surfer. The Silver Surfer is already a character that could be at risk of looking a little too smooth or shiny because of the nature of the original design, and not just because she will need to be created with VFX. Marvel will need to make sure it allows for there to be enough of Julia Garner’s features visible on the Silver Surfer, so her performance in The Fantastic Four isn’t hindered by the character’s design.