The character of Shalla-Bal reportedly appears as the Silver Surfer in the comics set in an alternate reality.

Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four is reported to have hired Ozark star Julia Garner in the film. The film already has an ensemble cast in the form of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon-Moss Bachrach. It will be the first depiction of the characters in the MCU and is rumored to be set in an alternate reality. The characters have had two iterations before.

Julia Garner has been cast as the Silver Surfer in the upcoming film, which seemingly has not gone down well with fans. Though it is speculated that she would be playing the role of Shalla-Bal, a female version of the supervillain in another reality, fans seem to be extremely upset with the gender-swapped role and criticized Marvel for the move.

Julia Garner To Play Silver Surfer In The Fantastic Four

A still from the MCU’s The Fantastic Four

The popular Marvel characters Fantastic Four will finally make their MCU debut in Phase Six of the franchise. Titled The Fantastic Four, the film was announced back in 2019 and went through numerous changes before being finally launched earlier this year. While Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts was first tapped to helm the project, WandaVision’s Matt Shakman took charge after the former stepped down.

It was announced earlier this year that Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon-Moss Bachrach would be playing Marvel’s first superfamily. While Pascal took on the role of Reed Richards, Kirby would play Sue Storm, with Quinn and Bachrach playing Jonny Storm and Ben Grimm respectively (via Deadline).

Julia Garner in Ozark

Now, Deadline reported that actress Julia Garner was cast in the film as the Silver Surfer. One of the Fantastic Four’s most formidable foes, Norrin Radd’s Silver Surfer was seen in Tim Story’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Sources reportedly mentioned that Garner would be playing a variant of the character named Shalla-Bal, who is the love interest of Norrin Radd in the comics.

Julia Garner is known for her roles in the crime drama series Ozark, where she played the role of Ruth Langmore. The actress won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series thrice for the role. She also won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for the same. Garner has also appeared in films such as The Assistant, Apartment 7A, The Perks of Being A Wallflower, and the upcoming Wolf Man.

Julia Garner’s Casting Upsets Marvel Fans

A still from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

While the Silver Surfer is usually regarded as one of the Fantastic Four’s greatest villains, the casting of Julia Garner as the character in the MCU seems to have received less fanfare than expected. Marvel fans seemed to be upset about the gender-swapped role of the iconic villain, accusing Marvel of going “too woke” with the decision.

According to Deadline, Garner will be playing a variant of the character, seemingly confirming rumors that The Fantastic Four will be taking place in an alternate reality. In the comics, Shalla-Bal is the empress of Zenn-La and is the lover of the Silver Surfer Norrin Radd. However, in Earth X, Shalla-Bal becomes a Silver Surfer along with Radd.

Marvel has gender-swapped male characters to be portrayed by females in the MCU before. Popular examples include Ghost from Ant-Man and the Wasp, Taskmaster from Black Widow, Ajak in Eternals, and the Flag-Smasher in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. There has also been a female Silver Surfer named Juno in the comics.

I’m sure the internet is going to have a very normal reaction to this.

— RJ (@ResonantJustice) April 3, 2024

you can’t even ride a surfboard anymore, because woke

— Neb | 🏳️‍🌈 (@NebsGoodTakes) April 3, 2024

Female… Silver Surfer? pic.twitter.com/MkjwHoNFKV

— ETIRE (@Etireed) April 3, 2024

Woke MCU strikes again.

— CFChris. (@EmenaIo) April 3, 2024

Shalla-Bal is Similar to the Silver Surfer. Galactus had many female heralds. But why put Norrin Radd on the bench, he is arguably one of the most popular characters Marvel has? Fans want the popular characters. BTW Julia Garner is amazing and a huge get for Marvel.

— Super Talk Podcast (@SuperTalkPod) April 4, 2024

Yall had one job and great opportunity for a great movie pic.twitter.com/deHuPAeWzx

— garçon (@boymolish) April 3, 2024

Though Julia Garner’s casting as the Silver Surfer is true to the comics, fans were reportedly upset due to the swap. If The Fantastic Four is set in an alternate reality, then it would make even more sense to portray Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer.