Silver Surfette - M-SHE-U and GASLIGHTING

Greetings everyone,

I felt compelled to pen down my thoughts on a recent piece of news that has been quite irksome, not so much for the news itself, but the plethora of excuses and the degree of denial surrounding it.

As you've gathered from the thumbnail, it concerns the casting of Julia Garner as the MCU's Silver Surfer. This decision has left me with one question, why? It's a question that incessantly buzzes on various projects, yet is seldom met with a satisfactory response. The usual retorts include, "Why not?" or "Why does it matter?"

The justifications I refer to are typically along the lines of, "Well, it happened in the comics." Conversely "the MCU isn't a direct reflection of the comics", or "it's an alternate universe."

Granted, Shalla-Bal was the Silver Surfer in the comic Maxi series, Earth X. My memory might be a little hazy, but I recall her appearing in a mere two pages before meeting her demise.

Director Matt Man, a self-proclaimed comic book enthusiast and Fantastic 4 fan since childhood, has expressed his decision to look to the comics for inspiration. Despite this, he opts to use a derivative, blink-and-you'll-miss-it version of a beloved character who has been a fundamental component of the Marvel Universe since 1966.

The argument for a female Herald in the MCU is understandable, but why not consider characters like Nova or Stardust? Instead, they chose to gender-swap the Silver Surfer. I do acknowledge that Shalla-Bal is a character in her own right and became a herald called Starglow, but this decision seems to be an excuse to justify what is simply gender swapping.

The "alternate universe" argument suggests that what we see doesn't matter, that the lore, the entire character, and the story are inconsequential. It suggests there are no real stakes in the Multiverse as there are countless versions out there. So, why should we care?

Introducing an iconic character like the Silver Surfer as a derivative version will only diminish the impact when Norrin Radd, the actual Silver Surfer, appears. I understand that not everyone shares this sentiment, which is perfectly okay.
However, the gaslighting and disingenuous excuses need to stop.

The decision to have a female Silver Surfer stems from Kevin Feige's ideology to have more female heroes than male ones, he stated this himself. This ideology often comes with poor writing, weak character development, and dubious morality. It's time for some honesty. We need to recognise this for what it is and understand the reasons behind it.

I'm curious to know if you share my frustration, not only about the gender swapping but also about the irrational excuses we keep hearing.

Thank you for reading, and if you found this article interesting, please like and subscribe. Until next time, peace out.