The MCU is about to welcome the first family when Fantastic 4 finally arrives in 2025, and as we approach this release the cast continues to come together. Most recently we learnt that Julia Garner will be Shalla-Bal, the Silver Surfer. But who exactly is Shalla-Bal?
Who Is Shalla-Bal in Marvel Comics?
Shalla-Bal is a Marvel Comics character known as the empress of planet Zenn-La. She is also widely known as being the love interest and eventual wife of Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer. In the MCU Shalla-Bal will be the Silver Surfer, according to Variety, but this character has only wielded the Power Cosmic for a brief time in Marvel Comics. Typically, she does not have access to these powers.
First appearing in Stan Lee and John Buscema’s 1968 Silver Surfer #1, Shalla-Bal has a rich history intertwined with Norrin Radd and Galactus. This being the case, it makes a lot of sense for her to be making her big-screen debut in Fantastic 4. While initially Norrin left Shalla-Bal to protect Zenn-La from Galactus he would eventually return to marry her to provide the planet protection. During this run, Shalla-Bal is given a portion of the Power Cosmic from Norrin.
It’s not just Silver Surfer, Shalla-Bal has appeared in several other stories across the Marvel universe including a particularly sticky run-in with Mephisto. However, her appearance and backstory have mostly remained the same.
With so few details available it remains to be seen how Marvel Studios will deal with this character in the MCU but it is looking like she will adopt the powers of Silver Surfer and represent that character on the big screen. This shouldn’t be all that shocking given we are deep into the multiverse where anything is possible. With Fantastic 4 more than a year away we should get more information on how this character is being handled soon.
