Recently, Kevin Feige and Co. scored another gender diversity win for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Julia Garner of Ozark fame is cast as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer for the new Fantastic Four movie headed by Marvel Studios in 2025. The reception to Marvel’s casting decision is mixed. Some toxic male demographics in the MCU fandom will be up in arms about a female Silver Surfer. But Disney and Marvel are still committed, regardless of who or what they are to be seen and heard. Here are a couple of reasons why.
1. Marvel is No Stranger To Being Diverse
Since its inception, Marvel created heroes to represent any race, gender, or character traits regular people exhibit. Black Panther was the black superhero for black audiences who wanted to be heroic. There are two Captain Americas featuring Steve Rogers; the original and Sam Wilson who is a representation of America’s progressivism and diversity. Ms. Marvel is a representation of people of Muslim-Pakistani descent. Even in the not-well-received 2015 film Fan4stic, Johnny Storm was black due to the casting of Michael B. Jordan. So, there’s no way Feige and Co. are changing their minds because a few people were unsure of why Garner was cast.
2. This Cast Might Be Specific To The “Multiverse Saga” Plotline.
Given that the new Fantastic Four movie is set during MCU’s Multiverse Saga, there might be more than meets the eye with the casting decision. Her being cast as the Silver Surfer heavily implies that Galactus will be the main villain of the film due to the narrative relationship between the two. Or perhaps this movie is set in a different universe adjacent to the universe we are familiar with at this point, but the characters discover that there are other worlds out there due to the discovery of the Multiverse or something like that.
3. Just Leave The Casting Decision Alone And Let Diversity Be.
The simple solution is for people to stop poking the bear and leave it alone. Whenever something progressive happens, we have to find an issue with it. Regardless of what people say or try to change their minds, Feige and Co., and the executives at Disney are not going to adhere to what toxic fandom or critics are saying. This might be another article I’ll write about in the future, but it feels like society is just so negative. Anyway, here’s hoping that Garner does a good job and that the MCU’s Fantastic Four movie breaks this team’s onscreen losing streak.