I Was Disappointed By Silver Surfer’s MCU Look, But Julia Garner’s Story Comments Made Me Excited For The Fantastic Four Movie All Over Again -

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has revealed the first look at Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer, and while I was not a fan of it, I think that her comments about the movie’s story balance it nicely, making me excited for the Marvel Cinematic Universe film despite the character’s unimpressive visuals. I’m happy that we are finally getting to see what Marvel’s First Family looks like under the MCU, with the first of the Fantastic Four movies to come from Marvel Studios set to debut in a few months. Some impressive characters will play a role in the film.

That includes the core cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as well as characters like Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson’s Galactus. So far, Marvel Studios has only revealed snippets of the latter, with the first full look at Galactus likely reserved for when fans are seated in theaters for the 2025 MCU movie, which I think makes sense. However, the latest trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally showcased Silver Surfer, showing us how the CGI character looks and how her design compares to another Marvel movie, which I found to be disappointing.

I Think Silver Surfer’s CGI In The Fantastic Four: First Steps Looks Off

Galactus’ Herald Is A Hard Character To Get To Look Right

As we have come to know, with superhero movies, bad CGI can be a project’s downfall. That has happened in the past few years, with 2023’s The Flash from DC being the perfect example of how not to handle VFX in superhero films. Not only did many of the movie’s backgrounds look fake, but key sequences, such as The Flash‘s major multiverse moment, were botched by graphics that seemed to come out of a PS2 game. I don’t think the CGI in the Fantastic Four movie trailers is anywhere as bad as it was in The Flash.

However, as the DC movie got criticized for its visual effects, I have to do the same here when I find something to be disappointing. That is the case with the first look at Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer. I have absolutely no problem with the fact that the MCU’s Silver Surfer is a woman. In fact, it makes perfect sense based on how The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place in another universe. However, with Shalla-Bal came the decision to add hair to the Silver Surfer, which I think added to the uncanny valley look of the character.

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I don’t think The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ Silver Surfer looks good. I do find the character’s design to mostly work when she is in motion or at a distance, but close-up shots or static looks appear to be somewhat off. My main problem with the design is just how uncanny the character’s face looks when we are up close with her, and it can prove distracting in a film where the Silver Surfer appears to have a key role. Getting the chrome look right is tricky, and I think the MCU still needs to make it feel natural.

I’m Convinced Silver Surfer Looked Better In Live-Action 18 Years Ago

The Previous Fantastic Four Movies Got Some Characters Right

One of the main reasons why I was so disappointed by how Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer looks is the fact that Fox managed to get the character to look much better almost two decades ago, and it happened in a movie that is not even close to the best Marvel live-action adaptations. The film in question is 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which featured Doug Jones as the physical actor playing the Norrin Radd version of the Silver Surfer, while Lawrence Fishburne voiced the character. Silver Surfer looked pitch-perfect in the movie.

I think the two main points that have me favoring the original Silver Surfer movie design over the MCU’s are the face and the hair. I think Norrin Radd looked more natural and had less of an uncanny valley feel to his face than Shalla-Bal does. Adding to that, the hair on the MCU’s Silver Surfer looks off and adds another complex reflective surface to the character. I felt like the bald look of Fox’s Silver Surfer was more uniform with the character’s design, proving itself easier to get right in motion and static shots.

Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer Story Tease Makes Up For The Character’s Divisive Design

Shalla-Bal Will Not Be A One-Note MCU Character

Two Silver Surfers, Norrin Radd and Shalla-Bal, in Earth-X in Marvel Comics

While I might not be a fan of how Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer looks in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, I’m still interested in seeing her in action and discovering Shalla-Bal’s story. To that end, I became more excited about the film after I heard Garner’s latest Silver Surfer story comments (via Entertainment Weekly). While the actress was cryptic about what role she plays in the movie, Garner revealed that Silver Surfer has an “ambiguous energy going on of whether she’s good or not,” and fans will be left questioning whether he is really siding with Galactus or following orders.

MCU Fantastic Four Member	Actor
Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic	Pedro Pascal
Sue Storm/Invisible Woman	Vanessa Kirby
Johnny Storm/Human Torch	Joseph Quinn
Ben Grimm/The Thing	Ebon Moss-Bachrach

The MCU actress also commented on the character’s mysterious nature by claiming that Silver Surfer’s mysteries will slowly be unraveled throughout The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ story. While I might not find the MCU Silver Surfer’s CGI perfect, I’m a fan of the backstory Shalla-Bal has in the comics, and based on Garner’s comments about where her character lies and Silver Surfer’s many mysteries, I feel like we could see that origin story play out through flashbacks. In the comics, Shalla-Bal became Galactus’ herald to save her planet, Zenn-La, and find her love, Norrin Radd, but had her memories stripped.

I’m Hopeful Silver Surfer Will Look Good In The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Marvel Studios Has Done Right By Another CGI Character In The Movie

Julia Garner's Silver Surfer in space fending off Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four First Steps (2025)

While I might not like how Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer looks at the moment, there is a chance that her final look for the movie will be better than it is right now. The reason for that is due to how Marvel Studios continues to work on polishing CGI up until the studio’s projects are released. The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25. As such, there are still roughly three months left for the MCU movie to premiere, which gives enough time for the Silver Surfer’s complex CGI to look more polished.

The latest trailer for the film eased my concerns, making Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm look pitch-perfect.

When the first trailer for the MCU’s Fantastic Four reboot was released, I also did not fully like the way the Thing was depicted. I felt his CGI needed work to make him look good in motion. However, the latest trailer for the film eased my concerns, making Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm look pitch-perfect. Based on that situation, I think that all Marvel needs is time to make sure that Silver Surfer looks as good as possible in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, so I remain hopeful that with three months to go, the CGI will look great in theaters.