Does Fantastic Four's Silver Surfer Casting Confirm Galactus' MCU Debut?

The Fantastic Four cast Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal and fans are wondering if her presence in the new movie heralds Galactus. In the comics, her character is one of numerous characters closely associated with the Devourer of Worlds. So, it's natural to assume that wherever a Silver Surfer goes, Galactus must be close behind. Still, with other rumors about the movie swirling, the fan theories about Galactus make a lot of sense. If Shalla-Bal Silver Surfer is in the movie, then MCU fans might need to batten down the hatches, whatever Earth The Fantastic Four is set on will be in trouble.

First, Shalla-Bal was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema in 1968's Silver Surfer #1. In that issue, Shalla-Bal fell in love with Norrin Radd (aka the Silver Surfer that you commonly see in Marvel Comics stories.) The Surfer obtained the Power Cosmic from Galactus and left her home planet of Zenn-La to hopefully saved Shalla-Bal and the rest of those beings. Of course, she comes back into the frame multiple time during crucial moments for Norrin Radd.

Of interest to this particular discussion is one time the Silver Surfer gave her the Power Cosmic to help the woman escape destruction by Galactus. They wouldn't marry, but she becomes a major recurring character. Marvel has numerous stories where she makes use of powers to oppose or help the Silver Surfer. In the Earth X universe, she actually becomes a herald of Galactus like Norrin Radd. (However, this is short lived both due to the nature of that story.) So, it would make sense to have her be the herald of Galactus in The Fantastic Four. (Bonus points if they work Norrin's version in there as well as a surprise.) 

Will The Fantastic Four Really Go Wild With Galactus?

There's another famous Marvel story with Shalla-Bal that involves Franklin Richards becoming Galactus. In this Earth X take on the character, The Fantastic Four character steps into the role of the Devourer of Worlds because Reed Richards turns the former Galactus into a star. That solves the problem of Earth being consumed. But, it causes further damage by destabilizing their universe by removing a key component of keeping balance. (Galactus actually keeps the Celestials at bay.)

Weirdly enough this would call for either a retooling of the story or a wild cameo. This is because The High Evolutionary (MCU fans are more than a little familiar with the character now) ended up amplifying Franklin Richards' mutant powers. This allowed him to warp reality and become the new Galactus because of being around The Silver Surfer. Franklin would then reunite the herald with his love, Shalla-Bal. 

All of this hinges on another big rumor about The Fantastic Four movie coming up. Namely, that Franklin and Valeria Richards are present in the film as kids that existed before we even met the team on-screen. If the kids exist already, then the path toward this wild theory could be paved. (There are also whispers that Marvel's The Fantastic Four is set in a different universe than the 616 one we've come to know and love over the years.) All of that smoke leads some fans to believe that the whole Franklin Richards as Galactus thing is absolutely in play for the 2025 blockbuster. It's hard to imagine such a massive swing. But, Marvel's clearly gunning for a huge surprise with this film.

Will The Fantastic Four Really Live Up To The Hype?

All the talk surrounding The Fantastic Four out of the Marvel side of things has heralded a completely unique approach to this MCU adventure. Including Shalla-Bal and Galactus would fit the bill there. (Even more-so if we're talking about Franklin Richards being the big purple threat!) Needless to say, with the reported swings The Fantastic Four is taking, there's no arguing the fact that Marvel Studios is trying to carve out a cinematic path far different than the two different released attempts to bring the team to the big screen. 

Director Matt Shakman teased just how much effort is being put into Marvel's The Fantastic Four. Collider interviewed the filmmaker and he sounded excited for fans to see just how fresh their take on Marvel's First Family will be next summer. 

"It's different in so many ways," Shakman told the outlet. "I wish I could be specific. I wish I could say more. But we are doing things very differently from a story standpoint, from an approach to the filmmaking standpoint, that really fits the material. I wish I could say more. I would love to, but I can't. But I think it's going to be unlike anything you've seen before, and certainly unlike anything at Marvel that you've seen before."

Do you think Galactus is in this movie? Let us know down in the comments!