Who Is Shalla-Bal? The Female Silver Surfer In The Fantastic Four Movie Explained

It was recently announced that the MCU’s version of the Silver Surfer will be introduced in The Fantastic Four and that this version of the character will be a woman named Shalla-Bal. This member of The Fanstastic Four‘s cast is a different person entirely from the more well-known Silver Surfer in Marvel Comics, Norin Radd, who appeared in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. While Shalla-Bal is not the traditional choice for the Silver Surfer, she does have a rich history in Marvel Comics and is closely tied to Norrin Radd.

The Shalla-Bal version of the Silver Surfer will be played by Julia Garner. Garner has won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series thanks to her work on Ozark. Marvel picking an accomplished dramatic actor may imply that they are looking for Shalla-Bal to have a very emotional story in the MCU. This not only tracks for typical depictions of the Surfer, but also fits Shalla-Bal’s complicated history from Marvel Comics.

Shalla-Bal’s Marvel Comic History Explained

Shalla-Bal First Appeared In Silver Surfer #1 (1968)

When Shalla-Bal was first introduced in Marvel Comics, she was the love interest of Norrin Radd, the first Silver Surfer. She and Norrin lived on the planet Zenn-La before Norrin became the Silver Surfer and the Herald of Galactus to protect his people. Shalla-Bal would later be taken to Earth by Mephisto, and have her memory of being from Zenn-La erased for some time. During this time, Shalla-Bal’s home world was absorbed by Galactus, though he spared the people living there.

Shalla-Bal was eventually returned to Zenn-La and given a portion of the Power Cosmic, which gives the Silver Surfer his powers. Shalla-Bal used her new abilities to restore life to Zenn-La and was made the leader of her planet as a result. She led her people during a war between the Skrull and the Kree and eventually helped negotiate its end.

In Silver Surfer #2 (2016) by Dan Slott, Mike Allred, and Laura Allred, Shalla-Bal returned as a new villain: Keeper of the Great Truth. Shalla-Bal led Zenn-La in an interplanetary campaign to replace the culture of different planets with that of Zenn-La with a device called the Illuminatrix. This brought her into conflict with Norrin Radd who was living on Earth, and ultimately led to the destruction of the Illuminatrix and all of Zenn-La.

MCU’s Shalla-Bal Casting Creates Several Interesting Possibilities

Marvel Comics Features Multiple Versions Of Shalla-Bal

Like many Marvel characters, Shalla-Bal doesn’t just exist in Marvel’s main Earth-616 continuity but also in alternate realities. In one such alternate reality, both she and Norrin Radd were heralds of Galactus, and both were Silver Surfers. Marvel may be drawing on this version of the character for the MCU’s inspiration.

This opens up several possibilities for the MCU. The Fantastic Four may take place in an alternate universe where Shalla-Bal is the Surfer before later joining the main Marvel Universe. This would allow the MCU to have its unique version of the Silver Surfer, so both Shalla-Bal and Norrin Radd could exist.

That said, having The Fantastic Four take place in an alternate universe may be a bit too convoluted of a plot line just to explain why Shalla-Bal is the Silver Surfer instead of Noran Radd. After all, casual audiences likely don’t have much knowledge of the Silver Surfer outside of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. It seems entirely possible that the MCU will just be using Shalla-Bal as its version of the Silver Surfer and either having Norrin also exist as a Silver Surfer or just not play a big role in the MCU.

The idea of White Vision acting as the Silver Surfer has also been floated around. By having Shalla-Bal be the more traditional version of the character, Marvel would leave the door open for Vision to also fill this role at some point. Shalla-Bal could share some of the Power Cosmic with Vision, allowing him to also be a Silver Surfer.

Shalla-Bal’s Comic Connection To Galactus Makes The Fantastic Four Way More Exciting

Marvel Has Not Officially Announced Galactus For The Fantastic Four (2025)

Whether Shalla-Bal will be based on the alternate reality version of herself or will simply be the MCU’s Silver Surfer in place of Norrin Radd, one thing is true of both versions of the character: she will have ties to Galactus. The Silver Surfer serves as Galactus’ herald, letting worlds know in advance that Galactus will be arriving to consume their planet’s life force. Shalla-Bal appearing in The Fantastic Four likely means that Galactus is somehow involved in the story.

This is big news for The Fantastic Four, as Galactus’ involvement in the project had not yet been officially confirmed. However, if the Silver Surfer is going to be in the movie, it is very clear that Galactus will have something to do with the film’s story. What role Galactus will play in The Fantastic Four is still yet to be seen, but it is still exciting to see the MCU introducing two of Marvel’s iconic characters.