Silver Surfer
| Silver Surfer | |
|---|---|
| File:ANNSILV002.jpg | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Fantastic Four #48 |
| Created by | Jack Kirby Stan Lee |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Norrin Radd |
| Team affiliations | Galactus, Defenders, Secret Defenders, Star Masters, The Order |
| Notable aliases | Silver Savage |
| Abilities |
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The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966).
The Surfer was originally Norrin Radd, a young astronomer of the planet Zenn-La. He agreed to serve as herald to the god-like entity Galactus in order to save Zenn-La from the world devourer's insatiable hunger. Granted enormous cosmic powers (the Power Cosmic), a silvery appearance and a surfboard-like vehicle — all of which were modeled after a childhood fantasy of Radd — the Silver Surfer roamed the cosmos, searching for new planets for Galactus to consume.
In the classic “The Coming of Galactus” story arc in Fantastic Four #48-50 (1966), the Silver Surfer encountered Earth's Fantastic Four and betrayed Galactus, who doomed him to exile on Earth. In tune with a counterculture of the era, the Surfer explored his new home planet in a heavily philosophical late 1960s spin-off series. Another, more cosmically themed series with a freed Surfer was published from 1987 until 1998. A third series followed in 2003, lasting only a year.
The character was featured in adaptations of “The Coming of Galactus” in both the 1960s and 1990s Fantastic Four animated series. He starred in a short-lived solo animated series in 1998, which blended cell and computer animation.
A sequel to the 2005 Fantastic Four film, scheduled for 2007, will be called Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer. Early promotional materials indicate it will be a loose adaptation of the “Coming of Galactus” with the Surfer more of a central villain.
Publication history
The Silver Surfer is a unique product of the Marvel system of comic creation. Unlike in the full scripts employed elsewhere, Lee and Kirby would discuss general storylines or plots initially but leave the specific story elements to the penciller (this was especially so in the case of Kirby). Reputedly, Kirby created the character of the Silver Surfer reasoning that a cosmic predator of planets should have some sort of herald. Lee was surprised by this creation but, taken by the noble features of the new character that Kirby had penciled, scripted him, adding to his characterization.
Though Kirby seems to be the primary creator of the Silver Surfer, Lee enjoyed the character and decided to feature him in his own comic magazine. Kirby was unavailable and penciller John Buscema was chosen as the artist for the brief run (18 issues). The Silver Surfer comic and character allowed Lee to script some of his most thoughtful and introspective stories. Thematically, the stories dealt with the inhumanity of man as observed by the noble yet fallen Surfer. After his own comic was cancelled, the Surfer continued to make sporadic appearances as a guest star or antagonist in other comic books. A personal favorite of Lee's, a number of specials and graphic novels featuring the character have been published over the years.
After a one-shot published in 1982, he was given a chance at a solo, ongoing title for the second time in 1987, where he finally managed to escape the confines of Earth and left for the spaceways. This series was originally written by Steve Englehart and illustrated by Marshall Rogers, and later written by Jim Starlin and drawn by Ron Lim. Starlin was later replaced by Ron Marz as writer; later in the series' publication, George Perez and J. M. DeMatteis had brief stints at writing the series as well. Other artists included Tom Grindberg, Ron Garney, and Jon J. Muth, as well as periodic guest spots by the aforementioned John Buscema. Although the title experienced great initial success, and continued to be buoyed by tie-ins to Infinity Gauntlet and other crossovers, this second ongoing series was ultimately cancelled in 1998 after 146 issues, due to low sales and a change in Marvel's editorial direction.
A new Silver Surfer series began in 2003, focusing on the character's alien nature and messianic allegory, but only lasted fourteen issues. He later made an appearance in Cable/Deadpool, where he was the final line of defense against an overpowered Cable. He has twice been reunited with the superhero group he took part in, The Defenders. He also appeared in Marvel Zombies in his original role as a Galactus herald. He is curently appearing in a self-titled, four-issue miniseries linked to Marvel's cosmic event, Annihilation.
A Silver Surfer graphic novel was written by Lee and Kirby; another was entitled The Silver Surfer: Parable (originally serialized in two parts in 1988-1989) was scripted by Stan Lee and drawn by Moebius. Both feature an alternate Silver Surfer from a parallel Earth [1]
Character history
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In the very earliest stories, Kirby envisioned the Surfer as a semi-divine being created by the godlike Galactus, immeasurably powerful yet lacking the most basic understanding of good or evil. Clearly drawing inspiration from Rousseau, Lee's script allowed this completely amoral entity to develop a sense of compassion through contact with the gentle Alicia Masters, a blind sculptress somehow capable of perceiving the surfer's innate nobility.
Lee and Kirby continued this theme through a series of subplots where the Surfer encounters negative human traits such as jealousy (the Thing, driven to rage by the Surfer's relationship with his girlfriend, Alicia); deception, evil and cruelty (de-powered and imprisoned by Doctor Doom, then tortured by Doom's brutal henchmen), despair and hopelessness (languishing in a Latverian dungeon while Doom uses the power cosmic to conquer the world); and finally a thirst for revenge (destroying Doom's castle - along with his sadistic captors, presumably - when he finally escapes).
At the same time, the Surfer continued to evolve as an individual, slowly groping his way to a knowledge of his own humanity. No mention, however, was made of any life or existence prior to the Surfer's arrival on Earth, lending credence to the idea that he was a whole-cloth creation of his world-devouring master. Significantly, during this early period, both Galactus and the Surfer fed in precisely the same manner - converting matter directly into energy - suggesting Galactus created the Surfer in his image.
The Surfer's background was retconned with the release of Silver Surfer #1, providing the character with a previously undisclosed existence, revealing that the character had a life as an ordinary being before he became the Silver Surfer. According to a number of sources, this overhauling of the character's history was one of the disputes which led to Jack Kirby's resignation from Marvel. [citation needed]
In the revised version, the Surfer was born Norrin Radd on the idyllic planet Zenn-La, home to an ancient and advanced civilization that had lost the will to strive or explore; leaving Norrin Radd restless and yearning for something more than the idle pleasure pursued by his fellows. Faced with the total destruction of his world by the planet-consuming Galactus, Radd struck a deal with the omnipotent space god to serve as his herald in return for the safety of Zenn-La and of his lover, Shalla-Bal, at the same time satisfying his desire to discover new worlds and adventures beyond the limits of his home. Galactus accepted the young mortal's sacrifice and imbued him with a portion of the Power Cosmic, transforming him into the Silver Surfer. He served Galactus for an unspecified amount of time, unable to return to Zenn-La or Shalla-Bal, until he came to the planet Earth.
In yet later versions of the story, it was explained that the Zenn-Lavians were an offshoot of the Kree, a scientifically advanced, galaxy-spanning, alien race first created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the Fantastic Four.
On Earth, the Surfer encountered a number of individuals whose nobility and honor touched him, such as the Fantastic Four and their companion Alicia Masters. The Surfer chose to rebel against Galactus and attempted to prevent his master from consuming the Earth. Galactus was eventually driven off, but as punishment for his rebellion, Galactus confined the Surfer to Earth by creating an invisible barrier which affected only him (deprived him of his space-time powers in the original version - the "Great Barrier" first appeared in the Doctor Doom story arc the following year).
Doctor Doom imprisoned Radd and stole the Surfer's power for himself but lost his new might when he collided with Galactus' barrier and the Surfer's powers returned to their true master. Increasingly pessimistic about humanity, the Surfer attempted to befriend fellow outcast the Hulk, but was driven away by his violent temper. Next, the Surfer took pity on the Mad Thinker's abandoned sentient computer Quasimodo and gave it humanoid form, but he was forced to petrify his new creation after it proved to be criminally insane. Convinced by now that humanity was a savage race that could only survive and evolve if the planet were united against a common foe, the Surfer decided to become that foe; he terrorized the world with his cosmic powers until the U.S. military struck him down with an experimental power-draining "Sonic Shark" missile based on technology developed by Reed Richards. Humbled by the incident, the Surfer resumed his wanderings. His powers were diminished, though they returned to their original levels when he was finally able to return to space.
Aided by the Fantastic Four, the Surfer resisted attempts by Galactus to regain his services; he also faced foes such as the alien Badoon, the demonic Mephisto (who became obsessed with breaking the Surfer's spirit), Asgardian trickster god Loki (who manipulated the Surfer into battling his brother Thor), the alternate-future Overlord, mad scientist Ludwig von Frankenstein, the ghostly Flying Dutchman, rogue Zenn-Lavian scientist Yarro Gort (who coveted Shalla-Bal for himself and died trying to destroy the Surfer), the occultist Warlock Prime, the monstrous Abomination, and the robotic Doomsday Man. One of the Surfer's few true friends during these early adventures was physicist Al B. Harper, who sacrificed his life to help the Surfer save the world from the enigmatic Stranger.
Several times during this period, the Surfer was briefly reunited with Shalla-Bal, who was used as an unwilling pawn against the Surfer by foes such as Mephisto and Gort; but circumstances always forced the lovers apart, sending Shalla Bal home each time. Increasingly frustrated by his situation and disgusted by man's inhumanity to man, the Surfer, secretly influenced by Psycho-Man, became more hostile, battling Spider-Man, Human Torch (Johnny Storm), S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Inhumans.
The Surfer formed a temporary alliance with the Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner to oppose a new weather technology that threatened to destroy the world; these "Titans Three" completed their mission despite the misguided interference of the Avengers, and even toppled a minor hostile dictator along the way. Namor, Hulk and Doctor Strange soon formed a more enduring heroic alliance as the Defenders, saving the world from Yandroth; they tried to recruit the Surfer for their first mission, but he was recovering from a collision with Galactus' barrier at the time. After aiding Thor against Loki's minion Durok the Demolisher, the Surfer helped the FF defeat Galactus' latest herald, the Air-Walker android. The Surfer soon fell under the mental sway of Calizuma and his Warrior Wizards, agents of the demonic Undying Ones; freed from their influence by the Defenders, the Surfer helped defeat the wizards and became one of the Defenders' earliest recruits, aiding the team against foes such as the Nameless One, Attuma and the Red Ghost. At one point, a quest to restore the petrified Black Knight (Dane Whitman) led the Defenders into a conflict with the Avengers orchestrated by Loki and Dormammu. In the end, the villains were defeated, though the restless Surfer soon left the Defenders.
Tricked into helping Doctor Doom create the deadly Doomsman android, the Surfer helped the FF neutralize this menace, then clashed with the vampire lord Dracula. Later, the Surfer was present at an Avengers-Defenders gathering ineffectually attacked by mind-controlled heroine Jewel (Jessica Jones). After another clash with the Hulk, the Surfer aided the Defenders against the demonic Six-Fingered Hand and their hellish masters, including Mephisto. After aiding the Avengers against the Molecule Man, declining an offer of Avengers membership, attending the funeral of seemingly deceased Defenders teammates Nighthawk (Marvel Comics) and Valkyrie, and participating in another Avengers-Defenders clash orchestrated by alien menaces Nebulon and Supernalia, the Surfer finally pierced Galactus' barrier with the aid of Reed Richards and escaped Earth; but he discovered Zenn-La had been devastated by a vengeful Galactus, barely capable of supporting life. Worse yet, Shalla-Bal had been abducted back to Earth by Mephisto. Though it meant trapping himself on Earth again (since Reed's escape method would work only once), the Surfer returned to Earth and defeated Mephisto, who sent Shalla-Bal back to Zenn-La, though not before the Surfer endowed her with a portion of his cosmic power which she used to revitalize their ravaged homeworld.
The Surfer helped the Defenders liberate the Squadron Supreme's alternate Earth (Earth-S,Earth-712) from the control of the demonic Null the Living Darkness, then celebrated the Hulk's brief public acceptance after gaining Bruce Banner's intellect; but the Surfer and his fellow senior Defenders Hulk, Namor and Strange were hoaxed into disbanding after the alien Tribunal convinced them their continued teamwork was fated to cause Earth's doom. The Surfer, meanwhile, helped the FF defeat the cosmic-powered Tyros (formerly Galactus' herald Terrax) and locate a missing Reed Richards, helped Earth's heroes neutralize the threat of the near-omnipotent Beyonder, and teamed with the Molecule Man to undo much of the damage done to Earth by the Beyonder.
Piercing Galactus' barrier again (this time by using the Thing's simple suggestion of trying to pass through it without his surfboard), the Surfer made peace with Galactus by rescuing his current herald Nova (Frankie Raye) from the Skrulls, after which Galactus finally ended the Surfer's long exile. Radd revisited his homeworld, but Shalla-Bal had become empress of the rejuvenated Zenn-La and was not free to renew their romance. The Surfer became embroiled in fresh hostilities between the interstellar Kree and Skrull empires, and intervened in a series of plots by the Elders of the Universe, who planned to destroy Galactus, and the universe with him-- in order to become the supreme powers of a new universe. The Surfer thwarted the Elders with the aid of his new love interest Mantis, the Earth-born cosmic heroine also known as the Celestial Madonna, but she seemingly died in the process; though she would later return, she never fully renewed her romance with the Surfer. Romantic sparks developed between Nova and the Surfer, whose influence gradually led Nova to question the morality of her role as a herald. Galactus finally replaced her with the far more ruthless Morg, who killed Nova during a conflict with the Surfer and most of the other ex-heralds.
The Surfer has repeatedly battled space-born menaces such as Reptyl, Ego the Living Planet, Super-Skrull, Midnight Sun, Nebula, Tyrant, and perhaps most notably Thanos, a death-worshipping mutant Eternal who wiped out half the life in the universe using the omnipotent Infinity Gauntlet. The Surfer has been allied with cosmic adventurers such as Jack of Hearts, Ganymede, Genis-Vell and Adam Warlock's Infinity Watch, who helped the Surfer restore Shalla-Bal to life after she sacrificed herself to save Zenn-La from the supremely powerful Great One. The Surfer also partnered with Quasar, Beta Ray Bill, Morfex and Xenith to form the short-lived Star Masters team, and began participating in occasional Defenders reunions, the Tribunal's hoax having been exposed. During his travels, the Surfer also met his long-lost brother Fennan. However, Zenn-La and its people later seemingly vanished, and the Surfer came to discover that his homeworld was destroyed in the 1940s by the mysterious, all powerful entity known as the Other. The Zenn-Lavian world and people he had encountered since his leaving the service of Galactus were "re-creations" of the originals. Galactus, after finding Zenn-La utterly decimated by the Other, recreated the planet and its inhabitants in every detail so when the Surfer left his service, as he knew he one day would, he would have a home to return to. So accurate was this new Zenn-La that the Surfer, Skrull, Kree, the demonic Mephisto and even the Celestials never came to realize it wasn't the original planet or people. Why the "new" Zenn-La dissolved was never made entirely clear but it was likely the result of Galactus' temporary absence from the main universe due to being caught in the Ultimate Nullifier's blast.
Losing his capacity for emotion again, the Surfer returned to Earth, eventually regaining his personality during a time travel adventure and sharing a romance with Alicia Masters. They ultimately parted as friends after many adventures together, one of which pitted them against Galactus' new herald Red Shift and led to the temporary destruction of Galactus himself. When a Gaea-powered curse from a dying Yandroth mystically forced Surfer, Namor, Hulk and Strange to assemble in response to any and all threats to the Earth, the ongoing stress of this situation coupled with the subtle emotional influence of the curse itself gradually drove the four senior Defenders mad, and they attempted to rule the world as the Order in the belief that this was the most efficient way to protect the planet. Their fellow Defenders Hellcat, Nighthawk, Valkyrie and Clea teamed with other heroes-- including Ardina, a cosmic-powered woman they mystically created from a portion of the Surfer's own energy-- to oppose the Order and return them to their senses, just in time to prevent the curse from rendering a resurrected Yandroth all-powerful.
More recently, fearing a prophesied apocalypse, the Surfer worked with the alien Annunaki race to gather and protect some of Earth's most extraordinarily gifted children; in the end, one of those children, Ellie Waters, saved Earth from the godlike Marduk entity, preventing the apocalypse and reordering reality as if the Marduk crisis had never happened, though Ellie apparently retains her memories of these events. The Surfer has resumed his interstellar wanderings, but remains ready to aid his adopted homeworld should Earth ever need him.
Currently, he has banded together with the other heralds of Galactus who are being hunted by the forces of Annihilus's Annihilation Wave for an unknown purpose. In the course of this, Galactus requested the Silver Surfer's help to defend against the coming onslaught of Tenebrous, of the Darkness Between, and Aegis, Lady of All Sorrows, two beings presumably as old as the universe itself who weild vast cosmic power and to a lesser extent, Annihilus and his Seekers. Given the current crisis, Silver Surfer has gained back his position as herald of Galactus, and in return, Galactus has enhanced the Silver Surfer's power and restored his will to fight, remolding his mind into a calculating, cold and wrathful persona in the process. [2]
Powers and abilities
The Silver Surfer possesses vast power known as the "Power Cosmic," gained when Galactus restructured his former body. He has the ability to channel ambient cosmic energy into his body at will, and expel it violently as concussive force or gently as a means to restructure molecules according to his mental design. The Surfer can generate beams of energy with sufficient destructive force to destroy a planet or, by contrast, generate such subtle amounts of energy to restructure the molecules of the natural pigments within a plant to change its color. The Surfer can rearrange the molecules of matter to create other configurations and can even directly transmute elements. While he can use his power to revitalize life energies and heal the wounded, there is no proof that he can create life from nothingness or return the dead to life.
The Surfer possesses vast superhuman strength. Additionally, the Surfer can use the Power Cosmic to amplify his physical strength to a level at least rivaling that of an enraged Savage Hulk. In addition, his body can move and react at superhuman velocities, he routinely navigates asteroid fields and attacks entire armadas of starships at near light speed while maintaining surgical precision.
The Silver Surfer has certain cosmic energy-enhanced perceptions which enable him, through concentration, to become aware of the patterns of energy which surround him. Accordingly, he can sense great concentrations or deployments of energy at a great range, the extent of which is undetermined but is at least on an intra-galactic scale. He has a special affinity for the life energies of living beings, and can use his cosmic powers to augment them to a certain degree. The Surfer's other senses are also thus enhanced: he has demonstrated the ability to see as far as a light year while concentrating and without obstructions to his line of sight. Although the Surfer's senses are superhumanly keen, his sometimes detached and introspective nature occasionally leaves him unaware of his surroundings.
The forces binding together the molecules making up the silvery material that composes the Silver Surfer's "skin" are so great that there are few known forces in the universe great enough to overcome them. The inner portions of his body have also been restructured to be highly resistant to injury. Thus, the Surfer is invulnerable to most forms of physical harm. He can easily withstand great extremes of temperature caused by the build-up of friction within atmospheres, the vacuum of space or the intense heat found within stars. He has flown through the cores of stars and even soared through a supernova explosion on at least one occasion. He can survive without difficulties in the vacuum of outer space and hyperspace, and his body can withstand the stresses of travel at near-light speeds in regular space and of even greater speeds, in hyperspace. He has maintained that he is no longer in fact "mortal", but this is most likely an inference that he now has very little in common biologically with humans, rather than an assertion that he cannot be killed. It is likely that the Surfer does not age; his counterpart in the future timeline of the Guardians of the Galaxy is over a thousand years old and is at least as powerful as his present-day counterpart. The Surfer's mind has also been restructured so that he has considerable resistance to telepathy and other mind control methods. He has the ability to communicate with various alien species regardless of their native language, and to speak to others in the vacuum of space, possibly through a limited form of telepathy.
The Silver Surfer does not need to eat or breathe since he absorbs life-maintaining cosmic energy directly through his skin. Although his body does not require sleep, his mind must still rest occasionally in order to give it an opportunity to dream.
By using his board to exceed 99.9% of the speed of light (186,000 miles per second), the Surfer can shift himself into hyperspace, a dimension in which velocity is not limited by the speed of light. The Surfer can also compress his own bodily matter so as to shift himself into a so-called microverse. Additionally, he can phase his body's molecules to pass through solid matter or energy. The Surfer has demonstrated his ability to manipulate "temporal" or "chronal" energies and thus has proven himself capable of travelling to the past.
Despite these vast powers, the Surfer is not completely unstoppable. He has in the past been wounded by vastly powerful forms of magic and by other users of the Power Cosmic, such as Galactus and his other heralds. He is not completely immune to psionics or other forms of mental attack or manipulation, although his willpower, spiritual strength, and Galactus' mental and spiritual tampering provide him with a great deal of resistance to mind control and psionics.
Paraphernalia and weapons
In flying the Silver Surfer usually makes use of an object known on Earth as his "surfboard" , which was created by Galactus and is constructed of the same unknown substance as the Surfer's body; therefore, it too is virtually indestructible. Even when it was destroyed, the Surfer was able to easily reconstruct it.
The surfboard is psionically linked with the Surfer's mind, to the extent that damage that is somehow dealt to the board also causes the Surfer duress or pain. Apparently only a being possessing the Surfer's cosmic powers can cause the surfboard to fly, and its movement is controlled mentally (possibly telekinetically) by the Surfer. When he requires the board, he can call it to himself, usually calling it to himself by crying "To me, my board!", although this is not necessary. The surfboard apparently taps ambient cosmic energy in much the same way that the Surfer himself does. Although the Surfer can utilize his cosmic power to fly without it, the surfboard enables him to fly with greater maneuverability and without the expenditure of his own energy.
The Silver Surfer can utilize the surfboard to attain multiples of the speed of light, but seldom exceeds Mach 10 (ten times the speed of sound) within the outer layers of a planet's atmosphere, and Mach 5 within the inner layers.
In addition, the Surfer and the Fantastic Four realized that Galactus' means of imprisoning the Surfer on Earth was linked to the board since the entity knew that his former herald would not think of leaving the planet without it. Putting the idea to the test, the Surfer left the board planetside and the Four transported him off the planet in their spacecraft. Once he realized he was free of Earth, the Surfer remotely converted the board to energy, recalled it to him and reformed it in space. Then the Surfer met up with Galactus and did him a favor by rescuing his current herald, Nova, from the Skrulls. In return, Galactus fully freed the Surfer and he could once again travel the universe in search of Zenn-La.
Other versions of the Silver Surfer
One possible future of the Silver Surfer was seen in the Guardians of the Galaxy series from the early 1990s. There, almost a thousand years in the future, Galactus stripped the Silver Surfer of the Power Cosmic and banished him outside of the universe. Norrin Radd is saved by one of the Watchers, who taught him that the Power Cosmic was not given to him by Galactus, but was always within him. Norrin Radd became the Silver Surfer once more. He somehow acquired the Quantum Bands (wielded by Quasar and, previously, by Marvel Boy in the modern Marvel Universe), and became the "Protector of the Universe" under the tutelage of Epoch, the offspring of Quasar's original mentor Eon. Eventually, it is realized that Surfer himself can satisfy Galactus' need for energy with the cosmic power and quantam bands. Thus the two form a symbiotic relationship, presumbably for the rest of time.
Ultimate Silver Surfer
Warren Ellis' Ultimate Galactus trilogy originally insinuated that the Ultimates ally the Vision was the Herald of Galactus, as a robotic probe who travelled through space, warning civilizations of the coming of Gah Lak Tus. However, in the final mini-series of the trilogy; Ultimate Extinction, the ultimate version of the Silver Surfer is introduced, though not named as such.
The Ultimate Silver Surfers are silvery humanoids, with the ability to grow wings, morph into an ovoid or take an intermediary form, where they glide on the oval surface like it was a surfboard. The silver beings have shown the ability to manipulate large quantities of energy, and also possess a mouth with several rows of teeth that they can open extraordinarily wide - possibly as an application of a vaster set of metamorphical abilities. In general, though never stated as such, they resemble nanomorph entities of fiction such as Terminator 2's T-1000.
Many of those entities have been sent to the Earth by Gah Lak Tus to start mass suicides, in order to reduce the population's resistance and save energy used by Gah Lak Tus to exterminate and break down the planet into useful energy. Suicide cults founded by the creatures appear all across the world as Gah Lak Tus draws near.
Appearances in other media
Television
The Surfer's first animated appearance was in "Galactus," an episode of the Hanna-Barbara 1967 Fantastic Four animated series which closely followed the Marvel comic series. He put in several appearances in the 1994 Fantastic Four animated series that was part of the Marvel Action Hour, voiced by Robin Sachs, which also adhered closely to the original comic book story, recounting his and Galactus's coming to Earth, and Doctor Doom's theft of his powers.
The Silver Surfer then briefly had his own cartoon series on the FOX Network in 1998. Among the first to feature computer graphics, blended with cel animated rendered in the style of Surfer creator Jack Kirby, the FOX Kids series diverged from the comic in various ways - although accurately retelling the Surfer's origin on Zenn-La, the method by which he regained his emotions and memories was altered to not involve the Fantastic Four, and while further adventures included appearance by many characters from Marvel's "cosmic" stable such as Thanos, the Watcher, Ego the Living Planet, Mentor, Drax the Destroyer, Pip the Troll, Nebula, Beta Ray Bill, Gamora, Nova, Adam Warlock and the Kree and Skrull empires, their portrayals and roles often differed from their comic book incarnations. Possessed of an unusually serious tone compared to Marvel's other animated projects, with frequent maudlin musings by the Surfer and episode resolutions which were often downbeat, the series was cancelled after only one season of thirteen episodes. Eight further episodes for the next season were written, but never animated.
The Surfer makes an appearance on the cover of the Joe Satriani album "Surfing with the Alien."
Film
The Surfer will appear alongside the Fantastic Four in the 2007 sequel to the 2005 film, entitled "Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer" (title name from the billboard at the 2006 NYC Licensing Expo).
Video games
The Silver Surfer video game, developed by Software Creations, Ltd., debuted on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. Though many of the classic characters and enemies from the comics made appearances, the gameplay was severely lacking and unbalanced. It was unfortunately just another unsuccessful attempt at taking a well-known comic franchise into the world of video games. On the upside, the game featured amazingly well-written music, considering the limitations of the NES's sound chip.
The Surfer will appear in the upcoming Marvel: Ultimate Alliance as a NPC, but he will be playable in some selected missions. In this videogame he will have all his comic powers.
References to Silver Surfer in other media
- In the movie Crimson Tide, Denzel Washington's character breaks up a fight between two crewmen. The fight was over a disagreement about which Silver Surfer was better, the Jack Kirby Silver Surfer or the Moebius Silver Surfer. This scene was written by Quentin Tarantino in an uncredited rewrite of the script.
- In the Quentin Tarantino film Reservoir Dogs, a scene taking place in Mr. Orange’s apartment features a poster of the Silver Surfer on the wall.
- In the movie Breathless, Richard Gere's character reads, and comments on, an issue of a Silver Surfer comic. In a stirring moment, he compares his own alienation with the Surfer's profound cosmic aloneness.
- In his song "Darkside of Aquarius", Bruce Dickinson gets help from the lonely Silver Surfer in keeping the Wheel of Dharma moving.
- Guitarist Joe Satriani has made multiple allusions to the Silver Surfer, including:
- Classic art of the Surfer was featured on the cover of the artist's album Surfing With the Alien.
- The song "Back To Shalla-Bal" from his next album Flying in a Blue Dream is a Silver Surfer reference.
- On his 1998 album Engines of Creation, Satriani reprised Surfer references with the tracks "The Power Cosmic 2000" parts one and two.
- The character of Norrin Radd is also used by Bal-Sagoth in "The Scourge of the Fourth Celestial Host", a song from their album The Power Cosmic.
- In an episode of the Nickelodeon animated series, Doug, Doug and his friend, Skeeter, pretend to be superheroes. Doug's character, Quail Man, is accompanied by Skeeter's character, The Silver Skeeter, a clear reference to The Silver Surfer. The criticisms of the Surfer's invincibility are noted here, as Skeeter gives his character powers bordering on omnipotence.
- In book #20 of the Animorphs series, Marco complains about having to morph in a dirty Burger King bathroom, asking why he has to and stating that the Silver Surfer never has to do things like this.
- Clothing company Bathing Ape, or Bape, have a very rare and expensive shoe called the Bathing Ape Limited Edition Silver Surfers, modelled after the Nike Air Force Ones.
- In Kringlan, a mall in Reykjavík, Iceland, an entire wall is covered with The Silver Surfer. The wall was painted by the Icelandic pop artist Erró
- In the "Web" story arc of the television show ReBoot, the surfer character is loosely based on The Silver Surfer (i.e. appears to be telekentically connected with his surfboard; only feels pain when his board is damaged)
- In the cartoon Dexter's Laboratory, there was a side-story cartoon entitled "Dial M for Monkey", featuring a monkey superhero. In the episode, "Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor", it featured a parody of both Galactus and Silver Surfer as Barbequor, a powerful alien and master of cooking that eats planets, and his partner, the Silver Spooner (who rides a giant spoon). This episode was removed from broadcast syndication after complaints were made about the "effeminate" parody of Silver Spooner.
- In the episode of the Fairly Odd Parents called "Might Mom and Dyno Dad", Timmy wishes he can be a Galactus type being to remove his mom and dad's superpowers. His fairy godparents turn into gold versions of the Silver Surfer, but they use skateboards and their crowns are still visible. Cosmo makes a reference to how he's naked. Timmy even calls them "heralds" at one point.
- In USA Today, Jessica Alba (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman) has stated that Silver Surfer would appear in the sequel to the Fantastic Four film as a villain/hero, first reported by Variety. 20th Century Fox is readying the movie for a June 15, 2007 release. The character has evolved into one of Marvel's more sophisticated comic book heroes. The storyline is being finalized, with the studio about to choose between a script by X2: X-Men United scribe Mark Frost and another by Don Payne.
- A Surfer feature has been in Fox's arsenal for a decade, but the studio waited because the project is so ambitiously f/x-heavy and Fox has been busy with other Marvel franchises.
- In an episode of the television series Andromeda one of the characters, Seamus Harper makes a comment about the Silver Surfer, only to be held aghast when no-one knows who he is talking about. On a side note Al B. Harper, one of the Silver Surfer's friends, has the same last name as Seamus.
- A parody of the Silver Surfer was briefly seen in Futurama Comics #2, when the Planet Express crew was soaring through space.
- In the song "Things You Can Do", by the underground hip hip supergroup Deltron 3030, Silver Surfer is mentioned.
- The Silver Surfer appears on the first page of Futurama Comics #23. The Planet Express knocks him off his board.
External links
- MDP: Silver Surfer - Marvel Database Project
- Official Marvel Picture site
- The Complete Silver Surfer Appearance List
- Website about the powers of Silver Surfer.
- Tv.com Silver Surfer episode guide
- DRG4's Silver Surfer t he Animated Series Page
- Knightmare6.com; Silver Surfer FAQ
- Silver Surfer website
- Silver Surfer Message Board