The Underrated Silver Surfer Series You Need To Watch Before Fantastic Four: First Steps

Marvel Studios' "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is about to bring the Silver Surfer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the movie's alternate universe setting, the silver-skinned Herald of Galactus is Shalla-Bal, who has only briefly served as the Silver Surfer in Marvel's comic continuity. Traditionally, the Silver Surfer has been Shalla-Bal's lover, Norrin Radd. Both Silver Surfers originate from the planet Zenn-La, which was spared by the planet-devouring Galactus when Norrin agreed to become his herald. Transformed into the Silver Surfer when Galactus granted him the Power Cosmic, Norrin sought out worlds for Galactus to consume — a role apparently fulfilled by Shalla-Bal in the MCU.

Norrin Radd's Silver Surfer previously appeared in live action in 2007's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer." In this film, the Surfer was physically portrayed by Doug Jones, while Laurence Fishburne provided the character's voice. Although this was the first time the Silver Surfer had appeared in a live-action Marvel movie, it wasn't the character's first on-screen appearance. He had previously led Galactus across the universe in the 1998 animated series, "Silver Surfer." Darker than most of Marvel's animated output from the 1990s, this oft-overlooked series captured the Silver Surfer's philosophical heart and provided a fascinating look into the pre-MCU Marvel Universe.

"Silver Surfer" came out when Marvel was producing a huge range of animated TV series. "X-Men" and "Spider-Man" were the best known, with "X-Men" recently receiving a Disney+ revival in the form of "X-Men '97." Also among Marvel's 1990s animated series were "Fantastic Four," "Iron Man," "The Incredible Hulk," and "Spider-Man Unlimited."

While "Silver Surfer" hasn't received as much attention as many of its contemporary animated series, tonally and stylistically, it stands out from the crowd. The bolder lines and colors of "Silver Surfer's" unique art style gave the series the look of a Jack Kirby comic book come to life. The use of CGI to realize Galactus imbued the world-eater with a significant presence, particularly impressive to the series' younger viewers.

Beyond its striking visuals, "Silver Surfer" took Marvel's animated series into darker territory. Marvel founder and the Silver Surfer's co-creator, Stan Lee, often said he had treated the character as his philosophical mouthpiece. The series stayed true to the Surfer's philosophical nature and did not shy away from social commentary. Throughout its single season, the Silver Surfer found himself confronting and contemplating systems of oppression, a planet dwelling under blissful delusions, bitter wars, and the moral questions of saving his own deadly enemies. Darker still, at the heart of the Surfer's character was the guilt he felt over having been turned into an instrument of death and destruction by Galactus.

Long before the MCU breathed new life into many of Marvel's more niche cosmic characters, "Silver Surfer" was drawing upon their original comic book depictions to populate its cosmic adventures. Many of these characters have undergone such drastic overhauls in the intervening years that their depictions on "Silver Surfer" might surprise fans of the MCU.

One of the most notable different characters was Drax the Destroyer. While Marvel fans everywhere are now familiar with Dave Bautista's portrayal of Drax as a literal-minded barbaric brawler, the Drax of "Silver Surfer" was a flying android. Though a departure from Drax's comic origins, as a resurrected victim of Thanos, this version of the character was based on his purple-caped comic design. Nebula, Gamora, and Adam Warlock also appeared, all radically different from their MCU counterparts.

Early on in "Silver Surfer," the title hero encountered Thanos, who went on to become one of the series' most prominent villains. Rather than his quest for the Infinity Stones, "Silver Surfer" focused on another key aspect of Thanos' comic book characterization – his quest to be united with Lady Death (renamed Lady Chaos to appease 1990s censors).

The series featured Shalla-Bal as Norrin Radd's love interest in its opening episodes. MCU fans should definitely check it out to see Shalla-Bal's original role in the Silver Surfer's life, before she becomes the Silver Surfer in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."