Warning: Contains a preview for Silver Surfer: Rebirth#2
In a preview for the newest issue of Silver Surfer: Rebirth, the shiny wielder of the Power Cosmic is forced by the powers of the Reality Stone to relive the most important moment of his life: his defiance against his former master, the Devourer of Worlds, Galactus.
Norrin Radd once lived on the peaceful planet of Zenn-La. He was a scientist, a pacifist, and an observer of the mysteries of life and the cosmos, which set him aside from the aimless hedonism that had come to dominate Zenn-La’s utopian society. Longing for adventure, challenge, and struggle, Norrin would come to regret these desires when the colossal spaceship of Galactus loomed over the skies of Zenn-La. The Devourer had come to feed, and Zenn-La, stuck in its pacifist, hedonistic ways, had no means to repel or avoid this fate. Norrin, however, saw this as the opportunity of his lifetime. He offered to become Galactus’ herald and seek out new worlds for him to feast upon in exchange for sparing Zenn-La. So, the Silver Surfer was born, and for decades he would roam the cosmos and offer inhabited planets to his master, until the day he found Earth and his life changed once again.
When Galactus transformed Norrin, he manipulated his mind to remove the sense of guilt for the destruction of the planets he would “offer” to the Devourer. On Earth, however, Surfer discovered his humanity again, thanks to a fateful meeting with Alicia Masters, and by witnessing the heroism of the Fantastic Four in repelling his master. Silver Surfer rebelled against Galactus, and as punishment, he was trapped on Earth for a time, but after that he was free to roam the universe again and became one of his most stalwart and heroic protectors. In Silver Surfer: Rebirth #2 by Ron Martz, Ron Lim, and Don Ho, however, the Cosmic Wanderer is forced by the powers of a stolen Reality Stone to confront the worst part of his past, and face Galactus once again. Check out the preview pages for the issue below:
Silver Surfer: Rebirth is set in the past of current Marvel continuity, at a time when the Infinity Stones (then called Gems) were distributed amongst individuals who would act as guardians. One of these guardians was Thanos, who was going through a contemplative, non-genocidal phase, and he was tasked with guarding the Reality Gem. Someone, however, did the impossible and stole the powerful artifact, forcing Thanos to enlist the help of Surfer to retrieve it. The mysterious thief, however, is already using the powers of the Gem to cause havoc. In the previous issue, Surfer met Mar-Vell, a Kree hero and a friend who died long before, briefly summoned by the reality-altering powers of the Gem. Now, Silver Surfer has to face someone much worse: Galactus, taken from a moment in the past when Surfer was still his herald. The Devourer demands his thrall find another world to feast upon, and Surfer will have to challenge his creator once again.
The guilt for his actions while serving as the herald of Galactus is a fundamental part of Surfer’s moral compass. Silver Surfer’s whole life is a journey of redemption from those past sins, and finding himself once again in service of his former master is a cruel turn of events. To see how will Silver Surfer fare when the Reality Stone forces him to confront his past and his fearsome master Galactus, readers should check out Silver Surfer: Rebirth, available from March 30.
