The Silver Surfer’s story is far from over in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After her pivotal role in Fantastic Four: First Steps, this cosmic powerhouse has unlimited potential for future MCU appearances. Here’s everything you need to know about where the Silver Surfer could appear next and why Marvel isn’t done with this character.
How Does Fantastic Four: First Steps Set Up Silver Surfer’s Future?
The Silver Surfer’s redemption arc in Fantastic Four: First Steps perfectly positions her for solo adventures. At the movie’s climax, Sue Storm and the Fantastic Four attempt to push Galactus into a teleporter that will send him millions of miles away from Earth. Reed Richards explains this journey would take Galactus millions of years to return, given his parade-like speed through the solar system.
Just when it appears Galactus might escape, the Silver Surfer makes a crucial decision. She knocks her former master into the portal, choosing humanity over her cosmic duty. This moment mirrors the classic comics storyline from Fantastic Four issues 48-50, where the Silver Surfer learns about humanity’s goodwill and turns against Galactus.
In the comics, this betrayal led to severe consequences. Galactus created an energy barrier around Earth that trapped the Silver Surfer on the planet, forcing her to have earthbound adventures until she eventually found a way to escape without her surfboard in Silver Surfer issue 1.
Why Galactus Will Seek Revenge Against Silver Surfer
The portal scene creates a fascinating dynamic between these cosmic characters. Both Galactus and the Silver Surfer are now stranded millions of miles from Earth, but their situations are vastly different.
The Silver Surfer moves faster than light, making her escape relatively simple. Galactus, however, moves through space at a much slower pace. He’ll need to summon his ship and feast on whatever planets he can find while plotting his next move.
This scenario sets up inevitable conflict. While Galactus typically doesn’t involve himself with emotions as a force of nature, being betrayed by his herald would likely trigger his desire for a new herald and punishment for the Silver Surfer.
Could Galactus Recruit New Heralds from the MCU?
Galactus has employed over 20 different heralds throughout Marvel Comics history. After losing the Silver Surfer, he’ll need a replacement to scout suitable planets for consumption.
Previous heralds in the comics have included both heroes and villains. Nova and Firelord became heroes after their service, while Air Walker, Terrax, and Morg turned to darker paths. The Herald Ordeal storyline even featured all heralds teaming up to stop the rogue herald Morg from misusing the Power Cosmic.
Which MCU Characters Could Become Galactus’s New Herald?
Several established MCU characters could potentially receive the Power Cosmic and become Galactus’s herald:
Gamora – If Zoe Saldana returns, Gamora’s warrior background makes her an ideal candidate for cosmic empowerment.
Mantis – Her comic book destiny as the mother of a celestial savior could be fulfilled through herald status.
War Machine – With limited Earth-based storylines remaining, James Rhodes could find new purpose in space.
She-Hulk – Another underutilized character who could benefit from cosmic adventures.
The Power Cosmic transformation would provide fresh directions for characters whose Earth-based stories have reached natural endpoints.
How Will Secret Wars Affect Silver Surfer’s MCU Future?
The upcoming universe reset after Avengers: Secret Wars creates both opportunities and complications for the Silver Surfer’s future. Kevin Feige has confirmed a universal reset is coming, though the extent remains unclear.
Fantastic Four: First Steps establishes that this version of the team exists in an alternate 1960s retrofuturistic universe, separate from the main MCU timeline. The 2015 Secret Wars comic collapsed all realities into one combined universe, which could happen in the MCU as well.
What Universe Reset Options Exist for Fantastic Four?
Several possibilities exist for integrating the Fantastic Four into the main MCU:
Complete replacement – Similar to how the DCU will replace the DCEU
Soft reboot – Some original universe elements remain while others change
Time displacement – The Fantastic Four disappeared in the 1960s and reappear in modern times
Modern-day placement – The Galactus fight occurs in the current MCU timeline
Regardless of the approach, Marvel will ensure the story remains accessible to new viewers. The reset’s purpose is simplifying the universe so audiences don’t need extensive homework before watching new movies.
What Are the Three Most Likely Paths for Silver Surfer’s Return?
Three distinct possibilities exist for the Silver Surfer’s next MCU appearance, each offering unique storytelling opportunities.
Option 1 – Silver Surfer Solo Movie
A solo Silver Surfer film would be expensive due to rendering Julia Garner’s space-faring character throughout an entire movie, but the storytelling potential is limitless. The Silver Surfer is a cornerstone Marvel character who has sustained solo comic series and even had her own animated show.
Classic storylines perfect for adaptation include:
Parable by Stan Lee and Moebius – Galactus arrives on alternate Earth and convinces people he’s a benevolent god
Silver Surfer by Dan Slott and Mike Allred – Features Dawn Greenwood, a small-town woman who travels the cosmos with the Surfer, creating a Doctor Who-style dynamic
The character’s cosmic nature allows for adventures across dimensions, alternate realities, and otherworldly realms. Potential villains include Mephisto (now played by Sacha Baron Cohen), Nightmare, and various evil heralds of Galactus.
Option 2 – Cosmic Team-Up Movies
Team-up films have proven successful for Marvel, as demonstrated by Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok. The latter successfully combined Planet Hulk and Ragnarok storylines while pairing Thor with Hulk for comedic and dramatic effect.
Potential team-up partners include:
Thor – Chris Hemsworth has expressed interest in a fifth Thor movie. Pairing the serious Silver Surfer with Hemsworth’s comedic Thor could create excellent dynamics. Most of Thor’s comic villains have been poorly adapted, making cosmic adventures more appealing than Earth-based stories.
Adam Warlock – The golden character from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is one of Marvel’s most important cosmic figures in the comics. He’s Thanos’s primary archenemy and has wielded the Infinity Gauntlet. His conflict with the Magus and the Universal Church of Truth could work perfectly with Silver Surfer replacing Thanos in the storyline.
Option 3 – Massive Team-Up Movie
The most likely scenario involves Silver Surfer joining a cosmic superhero team, though not the Avengers. Her power level would overshadow other team members, similar to how Thor needed to be nerfed or distracted in Avengers films.
The Defenders – The original comic lineup included Doctor Strange, Hulk, Namor, and Silver Surfer. Imagine the personality clashes: Hulk’s childlike behavior, Namor’s arrogance, Silver Surfer’s aloofness, and Doctor Strange managing these egos. They could face cosmic threats like Mephisto or Nightmare.
New Guardians of the Galaxy – Volume 3 ended with Rocket leading a new team functioning as an official space protection force. However, without James Gunn’s involvement (he wrote Guardians dialogue even for Infinity War), a Guardians return seems unlikely.
The Annihilators – This comic team formed after the Annihilation crossover event and included Silver Surfer, Ronan the Accuser, Quasar, Beta Ray Bill, and Gladiator. The name has better recognition than “Eternals” and offers more personality diversity.
How Could Silver Surfer Continue the Eternals Storyline?
The Eternals connection offers the most compelling narrative potential for Silver Surfer’s return. Despite mixed reception, Eternals ended on one of the MCU’s best cliffhangers, with half the team taken by space gods while the others quest to free them from Celestial control.
The movie’s core strength was its historical epic scope and exploration of belief systems. The Eternals discover everything they believed was a lie and their gods murder billions of people. These moral and ethical debates, combined with stellar performances, created genuine emotional stakes.
Why Silver Surfer Fits Perfectly with Eternals’ Cosmic Story
Silver Surfer’s connection to Galactus makes her the ideal character to continue the Eternals storyline. Galactus serves as the cosmic opponent of the Celestials in Marvel mythology. While Celestials create life, Galactus destroys it.
In the Earth X comics, this relationship is explained as cosmic balance. Celestials impregnate planets with their seeds, but Galactus targets these seeds to prevent overpopulation. This is why he originally targeted Earth.
The storyline potential includes:
- Starfox recruiting Silver Surfer for the rescue mission
- Using Silver Surfer as bait to bring Galactus to fight the Celestials
- Star-Lord regaining his celestial powers at the Celestial Forge
- Formation of the Annihilators team after the conflict
What Makes This Approach Superior to Other Options?
The Eternals continuation addresses several storytelling challenges that made the original film less successful. The “getting the band back together” format dragged because team members lacked personality diversity—they were all immortal space gods with similar traits.
Successful teams like the Avengers, Guardians, and Suicide Squad work because members are opposites who create compelling dynamics. Placing Silver Surfer in a cosmic team where she doesn’t fit creates natural conflict and character development opportunities.
The Annihilators concept provides exactly this diversity: cosmic beings with vastly different personalities, motivations, and backgrounds forced to work together against overwhelming odds.
Why Silver Surfer’s MCU Future Looks Bright
The Silver Surfer represents unlimited storytelling potential in the expanding cosmic MCU. Her betrayal of Galactus in First Steps establishes character agency and moral complexity that audiences connect with. Whether through solo adventures, team-ups, or massive crossover events, the character’s cosmic nature allows for exploration of the MCU’s most ambitious concepts.
Marvel’s commitment to cosmic storytelling, combined with the character’s comic book legacy and fan recognition, virtually guarantees Silver Surfer’s return. The only question isn’t if she’ll return, but which exciting direction Marvel will choose first.
The Silver Surfer’s journey from Galactus’s herald to independent cosmic hero mirrors the MCU’s own evolution from Earth-based adventures to universe-spanning epics. Her next appearance could define the future direction of Marvel’s cosmic storytelling for years to come.
