Fantastic Four General News & Discussion Thread (TAG SPOILERS)

[Cap2024]

My understanding of the leaks to date is that while yes this is an alternate universe, these characters will be folded into the main MCU universe by the end of the film, so there is no real version to come so to speak. Julia is your Silver Surfer in the MCU, and will have the relationship with FF/Galactus that we're invested in. Not Norrin Radd.

I've been on board for all the casting and leaks so far, but this is the first bit of news that has me uncertain now. I could understand the need for a change up if Norrin Radd has been overused in live action, but this isn't the case. It feels like someone has taken this movie to the roulette table and gone all in, I hope they've gotten it right because they really need to.

Even if they were to merge - that would likely just mean that in the new world Shalla-Bal and Norrin Radd both are Silver Surfers. They're entirely different people and lovers, thus one replacing the other wouldn't make sense.

It's like if the DC Universe merged and Hawk Girl replaced Hawk Man rather than there still being two of them.

If Norrin Radd and Shalla-Bal were the same person (like female Loki) that would be one thing, but they're lovers and two separate people. Thus, at most - it would be lovers reuniting if she crosses over with the F4.

 

[misjuevos]

Well if this is indeed Shalla-bal then that is an interesting twist. So instead of Norrin Radd, she joins Galactus. They could've created a new Herald for the movie, if they really wanted to change things up. The possibilities of heralds and their powers are vast. Galactus can make any kind of herald. He just takes someone and bestows the power cosmic to them.

Any word on the plot direction? They going Kirby, Hickman, or something else?

 

[Lily Adler]

Yeah, I'm hoping that Mole Man will be the villain. It would make sense seeing as how he's the first villain the F4 ever faced.

It's like it was an homage or something.

 

[Lily Adler]

I wonder if we will get this even though The Eternals was a bust. I can see The Celestials stepping in because there's literally one sticking out of the Earth.

 

[psylockolussus]

Regardless of the character they've used, I'm eXcited to see the Silver Surfer again in the movies. 2007 feels like ancient times now.

 

[Silvermoth]

What?! This is outrageous! Talk about woke casting!

She’s not even actually silver! Bring back Josh trank!

Nah I’m just kidding. Just excited to see casting announcements happen

 

[Albright]

I‘m more concerned on wasting one of the greatest Marvel villains of all time in the first movie.
I was hoping Galactus being a villain like Thanos

 

[misjuevos]

I‘m more concerned on wasting one of the greatest Marvel villains of all time in the first movie.
I was hoping Galactus being a villain like Thanos

Galactus isn't really a villain, he simply just is. He consumes planets to live, no malice. Some of his heralds might choose sides, but Galactus has only one goal. Think of him more like a blackhole or a hurricane. He is just a cosmic entity or a force of nature.

I'd rather see Galactus sooner than never. So even if the movie is dumb at least I can see a Galactus on screen. Seeing the Silver Surfer in the old F4 movie was cool even if the movie wasn't.

 

[Zarex]

That’s an interesting point.

The story may be partly true in terms of who she was cast as but wrong regarding her actually being the Surfer.

I’m not violently opposed to the whole idea, but it seems like a random and unnecessary change, if true.

The last MCU gender bending of a major Marvel cosmic hero was Mar-Vell in Captain Marvel. Fleck and Boden made the point that it made sense for Carol’s mentor to be a woman, and I thought that reasoning was sound and the change worked. Maybe Shakman has an equally strong argument for rebooting the Surfer as a skinny white women, a Kosmic Karen if you will. But at the moment I would agree this change is unnecessary and I have no idea what the upside is of swapping out Norrin for his gal pal.

 

[Drizzle]

The last MCU gender bending of a major Marvel cosmic hero was Mar-Vell in Captain Marvel. Fleck and Boden made the point that it made sense for Carol’s mentor to be a woman, and I thought that reasoning was sound and the change worked. Maybe Shakman has an equally strong argument for rebooting the Surfer as a skinny white women, a Kosmic Karen if you will. But at the moment I would agree this change is unnecessary and I have no idea what the upside is of swapping out Norrin for his gal pal.

Still not the same thing. Mar-Vell was a man in the comics and they switched the character to a woman in the MCU. Norrin Radd has not been gender-swapped. He wasn't the only herald of Galactus in the comics and some of them were women, including Shalla-Bal.

Would I have preferred Norrin Radd to be the first Surfer introduced in the MCU? Sure, but the uproar over this is insanely stupid. If there's any concern that I have, it's starting out with Galactus as the villain for the first F4 MCU movie. That's a pretty big swing.

 

[GoblinScrier]

Well Surfer is a fave of mine, Norrin Radd but at the end of the day, it all starts and ends with what they do with Doom...we are talking about Marvel's and probably comicdoms UBER villain...if they do ANYTHING (race, gender, etc) that is controversial because they can and feel it's better then what came in the comics, it may be the breaking point for me and be done with the MCU

 

[Zarex]

Still not the same thing. Mar-Vell was a man in the comics and they switched the character to a woman in the MCU. Norrin Radd has not been gender-swapped. He wasn't the only herald of Galactus in the comics and some of them were women, including Shalla-Bal.

Would I have preferred Norrin Radd to be the first Surfer introduced in the MCU? Sure, but the uproar over this is insanely stupid. If there's any concern that I have, it's starting out with Galactus as the villain for the first F4 MCU movie. That's a pretty big swing.

I totally get that it's not exactly the same thing, so there is no need to repeat it. The Silver Surfer, who has been depicted as a fella in 99.9% of his comic book appearances and all of his animated and live action depictions, is apparently now a lady in the MCU. Whether she's Shalla-Bal or Norah Radd, that's a gender-swap, period.

Though I have liked the prior MCU FF casting, fans who posted on the award winning Keep Hope Alive! boards back in the day saw similar poor decision making by Kinberg and Trank in the run up to Fan4stik. What if Ben was actually a wee fella instead of a macho pilot and former college athlete? What if Victor went on the mission with the team (sans Sue, of course)? What if Sue and Johnny were adopted siblings who appear to have just met each other? FF fans are being extremely reasonable in questioning if Shakman is making a bad choice by making a significant change to the best designed cosmic comic book character ever created.

Starting out with Galactus also seems like a poor choice, so there's seems to be a pattern here.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Web-Head]

 

[DyeLorean]

Love the black lines, straight out of the comics.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Spider-Fan83]

the rumors of a Female SilverSurfer have been circling for a while, now

so, I've had time to adopt to the concept....

if she is in-fact just the Herald of the alternate Universe (were certain events turned out differently) such as Shalla-Bal becoming the Surfer instead of Norrin Radd I don't really see the big deal

there have been many Heralds {before an after} Norrin

I'm still no convinced that she'll replace Norrin Radd as the Main MCU SilverSurfer, tho

I think once the Four end up in our Universe (thinking they've left the threat of Galactus and the Surfer behind/ or travel here to warn them of Galactus) we'll then discover the main MCU Universe version of the character

there were talks/rumors of SilverSurfer getting some-type of D+ special/origin story

my guess is there saving Norrin Radd for that

 

[Spider-Fan]

As of now, most of why I am still more excited than not despite my concerns about the setting are that I loved both Wandavision and Monarch Legacy of Monsters. Which Shakman did. So I still have faith Shakman sees something I dont

 

[The Caped Knight]

I’m curious to see how they will adapt Galactus appearance .

 

[Spider-Fan]

Right now, I am kind of hoping they connect Doom and the FF somehow like maybe the FF are in this alternate Earth cause Doom did something to boot them out of MCU Earth or something to eliminate Reed from 616 or something.

 

[Venom 1988]

Right now, I am kind of hoping they connect Doom and the FF somehow like maybe the FF are in this alternate Earth cause Doom did something to boot them out of MCU Earth or something to eliminate Reed from 616 or something.

He tricked Franklin into banishing them into his pocket dimension.

 

[Spider-Fan]

He tricked Franklin into banishing them into his pocket dimension.

Oooooh, that's good!

 

[Carlo Comicus]

The poster with Johnny seems to confirm the setting in an alternate universe or world. I'm more and more curious, also because I want to see how they arrive in the official MCU Earth.

 

[Carlo Comicus]

the rumors of a Female SilverSurfer have been circling for a while, now

so, I've had time to adopt to the concept....

if she is in-fact just the Herald of the alternate Universe (were certain events turned out differently) such as Shalla-Bal becoming the Surfer instead of Norrin Radd I don't really see the big deal

there have been many Heralds {before an after} Norrin

I'm still no convinced that she'll replace Norrin Radd as the Main MCU SilverSurfer, tho

I think once the Four end up in our Universe (thinking they've left the threat of Galactus and the Surfer behind/ or travel here to warn them of Galactus) we'll then discover the main MCU Universe version of the character

there were talks/rumors of SilverSurfer getting some-type of D+ special/origin story

my guess is there saving Norrin Radd for that

I'm toally agree with you.

 

[Venom 1988]

Oooooh, that's good!

The more I'm thinking about it, the more I'm hoping it's the case. It's a way for Marvel to have the best of both worlds to introducing the FF. They are originally from the main MCU but due to do whatever shenganians, get written out of reality and are stuck living in an alternate world/pocket dimension, that's essentially a simulation of sorts. They are living in this world thats set in a pseudo-futuristic 60's setting and are the only heroes around (basically a take on Heroes Reborn, I know I know lol). Then maybe over the course of the movie, things aren't starting to jive up right and they slowly realize they are living in a fake world. And maybe that's the reason why Galactus wants to destory it, so they can all escape.

Dang, I like this idea. Now I'm gonna be disapointed if it doesn't happen lol.