Originally Posted by
Tien Long
Interesting ideas here. To voice a counter argument, yes, perhaps only a small percentage of the movie goers are comic book readers. However, would the rest of the audience have felt slighted if a male Norin Radd was chosen as Silver Surfer as some fans are now? Would they have known the difference? The Silver Surfer's story could still be told as it stands now and whichever gender, race, ethnicity, etc. watches could still be inspired by Norrin Radd's story. Because Norrin Radd's story is a great story. And this great story could finally be told within the MCU.
As for the changes, Star Lord's personality or Scott Lang being the main Ant Man are somewhat different then the Marvel comics. But when it comes to race, gender, sexuality, sex, ethnicity, etc., those are big things. They're big markers of identity. People still group ourselves as either this or not this. And they still feel left out when someone is not represented.
These are things to consider where some fans are coming from.
HOWEVER
This isn't the Marvel Universe. This is the MCU. It's different and so there's room for creativity. The MCU has played around with character origins and identities and y'know what? They have been great. Star Lord being more comedic has been iconic. So has Scott Lang as Ant Man. Having Maria Rambeau play Binary instead of Carol Danvers is an interesting twist and I'd like to see where that goes. Moreover, there is precedent for something like this. As I mentioned before in a previous post, there have been What If? and Earth X which had a female Silver Surfer. If more people, girls, boys, whomever, are inspired to learn more about Silver Surfer because of Ms. Garner's performance, that's a good thing. If more fans feel empowered because of this, that's a good thing. Indeed, I see this with a lot of young kids today whenever they wear their Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen t-shirts. It makes me happy to see them read these characters along with their MHA, Demon Slayer, and Jujitsu Kaisen, Furthermore, whenever non-comic book folk watch the movies, they usually ask me about them and I give them a little knowledge of the subject. That makes me happy.
And while fans can still feel deeply attached to their identities, they can also recognize that there are qualities that go beyond identity. If this Silver Surfer can convey that sense of wonder and contemplation of the universe, as well as blast stuff with the Power Cosmic, then I'd definitely support that.
So, ultimately, there are many ideas to consider here. Personally, though I have my preferences, I'm open. When the presentation of the actors for the new slate of MCU films happens at San Diego Comic Con this July or when the new Fantastic Four film comes out, I'll see this new story.
And I'll be willing to defend it too.