She said the name! Julia Garner‘s Silver Surfer namechecks her world-devouring boss, Galactus, in the just-released final trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
It’s the first time we’ve heard that name uttered onscreen in any of the advanced marketing materials for the Marvel Studios production, which opens in theaters on July 25. And it’s only appropriate that Garner is the one to put a name to the intergalactic giant’s looming shadow given that the Silver Surfer is Galactus’ herald.
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While we previously heard Garner’s Surfer voice in the first First Steps trailer, the character has more — much more — to say here. “I herald his beginning,” she says as she descends from the heavens above to the Earth below. “I herald your end. I herald… Galactus.”
That’s not news that the First Family — whose ranks include patriarch Reed Richard (Pedro Pascal), his better half, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), her hothead brother, Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and their mutual friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) — wants to hear.
Charged with protecting their particular corner of the Marvel multiverse, the quartet waste little time leaping into action to defeat this latest foe. The latest trailer features additional looks at their various skill sets, from Reed’s stretchy agility to Ben’s clobbering skills. Just don’t make him angry by asking him to say his catchphrase — you’d wouldn’t like him when he’s angry. (Also, that catchphrase is only associated with his cartoon self as the trailer confirms that a charmingly retro Fantastic Four animated series is canon to both their universe and ours.)
But — as we know from the post-credits scene that closed out Thunderbolts — that fight doesn’t go as expected. The destruction wrought by Galactus is going to have MCU-altering consequences that will play out across the next two-part mega-crossover, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Garner’s Silver Surfer will play a vital role in the multiverse’s response to Galactus as well and this final trailer indicates that she’s got the voice — and the moves — to be a formidable warrior. But there are still some quarters of MCU fandom that aren’t on board with her casting. Following the first full trailer drop in April, the internet lit up with complaints about the movie being part of Disney’s “woke agenda,” for replacing the male surfer that heralded Galactus’ arrival in the vintage comic book storyline with a female counterpart.
But comics artist Max Brooks smartly pushed back against that line of argument on social media. “Silver Surfer is a mantle, not an individual,” he wrote, referencing the fact that Garner’s alter ego, Shalla-Bal, has been part of comics continuity for decades. “Anyone reacting negatively due to her sex hasn’t read and doesn’t understand comics or the FF lore.”
Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25.
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