Out of all the films the Marvel Comics franchise has released in recent years, none has garnered as much worldwide acclaim as Iron Man, the Spiderman trilogy, and The X-Men trilogy. It seems the lesser of Marvel’s films have been both Punisher and Incredible Hulk movies, as well as The Fantastic Four I and II. The latter saga attempted to redeem itself when The Fantastic Four II: Rise of the Silver Surfer hit theatres nationwide on June 15, 2007. The film, however, failed to explore the deeper origins of the Surfer and thus disappointed many diehard fans of the original comic series. Where did Marvel directors and producers go wrong?
The Silver Surfer, drawn by legendary Marvel artist Jack Kirby, appeared in the 1960s issues of The FantasticFour and looked nothing like the California cliche his name suggested. In fact, he appeared to be more of an angelic being, soaring through the cosmos aboard a galactic surfboard of sorts, one with its own intelligence. Emotionless and cold, the Surfer was the messenger of Galactus, a vengeful god filled with wrath, whose sole purpose was to devour the “life force” energy of every planet throughout the universe. Issues #48-50 in the Fantastic Four series were known as The Galactus Trilogy.
However, the Surfer had not always been a prophetic doomsday herald. Known by the name Norrin Radd, he was first a young astronomer, forced to make a bargain with the almighty Galactus in order that his home-world might be saved from certain destruction. Galactus accepted the offer and imbued Radd with a tiny amount of his own cosmic power, thus forever enslaving him in servant hood. Galactus fashioned a surfboard-like craft out of pure cosmic energy as the vehicle by which he would send Radd on missions throughout the vastness of the universe. The Surfer’s sole purpose was to scope out new planets for his master Galactus to devour. But upon coming to Earth, the Surfer encountered the heroic Fantastic Four, who befriended him and showed him his potential for dignity and justice. Radd would eventually turn on his master, abandoning his life of destruction in pursuit of heroic deeds.
The Silver Surfer had garnered much attention from fans after appearing in the Fantastic Four. His increased fame prompted writers and editors to move him into his own series in 1968, where legendary Marvel writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema evolved his persona in ways unprecedented in the comic book genre of the day. Jack Kirby had originally cast the Surfer as an alien, god-like being, almost robotic in mannerisms, attempting to become more human. Instead, Lee turned the story on its head and sought to develop the Surfer’s alter ego and former identity, Norrin Radd. In playing on the surfer’s angelic qualities, Lee and Buscema pitted him against other-worldly enemies such as the demon Mephisto, who had, “unceasingly sought to reduce the Surfer to despair and submission.” (Sanderson, Peter. The Marvel Universe, 166. Harry N. Abrams Inc. Publishers).
For several years, the Surfer storylines were completely bound to the confines of planet Earth. However, in the mid-1980s, writer Steve Englehart did away with this idea and decided to transplant the hero to outer space, a staple which continues to this day. Here in the vast expansion of the universe, the Surfer could intervene in intergalactic wars between planets, combat the evil schemes of the death-worshipping cosmic villain known as Thanos, and even fall in love with the beautiful Shalla Ball, who eventually became the Queen of Zenn-La. It seems the pondering, philosophical Surfer of the early sixties was out of touch with the more mainstream, violent, emotion-filled comics of the mid to late eighties.
After the mediocre performance of Fantastic Four II and its resounding disappointment throughout the Marvel Comics fan base, it seems a Silver Surfer feature film may salvage the character’s impending demise. Award winning American writer Michael J. Straczynski recently spilled the beans about his forgotten Silver Surfer screenplay, which is currently hanging in limbo due to the poor revenues of the Fantastic Four films. According to rumors from www.comicbookmovie.com, Straczynski had a script ready to go even before the official release of Fantastic Four II. And according to the famed writer himself, “Whether or not it ever gets made I don’t know because they were kind of disappointed in how Fantastic Four 2 did. And given how this will be a subset of FF2 in terms of marketing strategy, I think there is a hesitation about putting it forward. The script is pretty good, I like it, but whether or not it goes into production, I have no idea.” (Interview with AMC).
As recent Marvel films have shown us, certain characters must be handled with a high degree of finesse, in order to avoid the utter failures that occurred with the Punisher saga and The Incredible Hulk 1. Despite such setbacks, it seems Marvel Film directors and producers are determined to continue moving forward with more hero flicks, much to the approval of the American movie-going public. Whether or not the Silver Surfer makes his “silver screen” debut has yet to be seen. But there is certainly no doubt that his extensive comic book history will provide more than ample amount of storylines and subplots.
