The Fantastic Four: First Steps star Julia Garner chimes in on Silver Surfer casting

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will mark the arrival of a fresh new take on Marvel's First Family joining the MCU, and with it will come Julia Garner as the herald of Galactus, aka the Silver Surfer. When the Emmy-winning Ozark star was announced to be joining the project, though, the unsurprising outrage began over the idea that (gasp) the Sky-Rider of the Spaceways was being genderswapped. Now, following a recent interview with the BBC, Garner has shared her thoughts on the reaction, while highlighting one crucial detail about her shiny alter-ego.

“I said, ‘I’m just going to still do my job,'" she explained when the internet got all in a tizz over the idea of a female Silver Surfer touching down on Earth to warn Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), The Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), The Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) what's coming. “Also, it’s Shalla-Bal, so it’s different.”

Garner's exactly right. In the comics, Shalla-Bal was the love interest of Norrin Rad, the Silver Surfer from Earth-616, where the usual universe-shattering catastrophes happen. However, a hop, skip, and a surf over to Earth-9997, and that reality saw Shalla-Bal ride the board instead.

There's no confirmation that the world the Fantastic Four are in is indeed 9997, but whatever reality she's in, Garner is simply glad to be there, particularly after the growing positive reaction fans have given with the more they've seen of her character in the trailers. “I was just happy that people are resonating with it, just like any other project,” Garner admitted. “I’m grateful to be at this dance, to be completely honest with you.”

We'll see how she finds her footing while surfing through the air when The Fantastic Four: The First Steps heads into theaters on July 25, 2025. For every other MCU movie and show headed your way, check out our list here.