Currently 20th Century Fox is having no problems with expanding its lineup of X-Men movies, as along with the next main entry, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, arriving in November, spinoff projects like Deadpool 2, The New Mutants, Gambit, X-Force and more are either on the way or in development. However, these aren't the only Marvel properties that Fox has at its disposal, and supposedly the studio is looking to take advantage of the Silver Surfer.
It was reported last week that along with the Doctor Doom-centered movie from Legion showrunner Noah Hawley, Fox is developing a Silver Surfer movie. The character has been one of Marvel's important superheroes for over five decades, and while he's already been adapted for the big screen once, he is certainly deserving of shining in his own cinematic adventure. It will probably be many years before a Silver Surfer movie gets off the ground, but regardless, here are the reasons why this particular project is a good idea.
The Character Deserves Another Shot On Screen
Silver Surfer debuted in the Marvel comics universe when he came to Earth on Galactus' behalf, and that scenario was replicated for 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, with Doug Jones physically portraying the character and Laurence Fishburne voicing him. Like its predecessor, Rise of the Silver Surfer wasn't particularly well received, but the Surfer himself was handled decently (if not entirely faithfully). Nevertheless, Silver Surfer deserves a second chance to shine on the silver screen; one where his power set can be properly realized and he doesn't have to share the proverbial stage with Marvel's First Family.
That's not to say that it wouldn't be cool to see this new Silver Surfer cross paths with a different iteration of the Fantastic Four, but he's also an interesting enough character that he doesn't require other superheroes to support him. Imagine how much more invested we would be in him coming to Earth after having at least one movie where he was fleshed out. Which brings us to our next section...
He Has A Great Origin Story
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer briefly touched upon how Silver Surfer became Galactus' herald so that he could save his world from being destroyed, but because the movie's action was set on Earth and there weren't any flashbacks, we never learned about his life on Zenn-La before he was traveling the cosmos on a fancy surfboard. For those unfamiliar with the Silver Surfer's backstory, he was originally known as Norrin Radd, and while Zenn-La had become a utopia, all but Norrin had lost the will to explore the rest of the galaxy. When Galactus came to Zenn-La to consume the planet (his favorite activity), Norrin offered to become the entity's herald in exchange for keeping Zenn-La safe. Galactus agreed to this offer and turned Norrin into the silver, cosmically-powered being we know best.
For years Silver Surfer traveled the universe and found other worlds for Galactus to consume, but after his time with the Fantastic Four, he rebelled against his master. A movie telling his origin story would need to be changed so that the Fantastic Four aren't the catalyst for his rebellion, but it would still be interesting to see the events that led to Norrin becoming this powerful being and why he eventually decided to leave Galactus' side and use his powers for good everywhere.
It Opens The Door To Other Corners Of The Marvel Cosmic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been delving into Marvel's cosmic mythology through the Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor movies, but the fact of the matter is that there are certain alien elements that still belong at 20th Century Fox because they're tied to the X-Men and/or Fantastic Four. Admittedly, this won't be an issue if Disney's purchase of Fox is finalized, but for the sake of argument, let's assume that the Silver Surfer movie exists separately from the MCU. X-Men: Dark Phoenix will feature cosmic elements (it's rumored Skrulls will show up), but a Silver Surfer is the best way to fully throw open the door to this mythology.
As mentioned earlier, Galactus is integral to Silver Surfer's origin, but the world-eater is also one of Marvel's most important cosmic entities. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer did Galactus a disservice by turning him into a giant cloud, so the character is in dire need of redemption. Give us the giant man wearing the purple armor and ridiculous helmet! Beyond Galactus, other cosmic characters/species that would be worthy of introducing a Silver Surfer movie include Annihilus, Terrax, Tyrant, the Badoon, and Galactus' previous heralds.
It Has A Great Writer Attached
According to the report that claimed Fox has a Silver Surfer movie in the works, Brian K. Vaughan is penning the script. If the name doesn't ring a bell, Vaughan's comic book resume includes numerous X-Men titles, Runaways, Swamp Thing, Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina (not related to the same-named movie) and the ongoing Saga. The man knows his way around superheroes, and while he hasn't written any other movies, he did write episodes of Lost and developed the TV show Under the Dome.
While part of me is still interested to see what a James Gunn-written Silver Surfer movie would look like, Brian K. Vaughan is one of the best comic book writers in the business, and if there's anyone who stands a good chance of making such a character appealing in a standalone cinematic story, it's him. Obviously there are other factors that will play into ensuring a Silver Surfer movie is successful, like who would direct it, play the eponymous protagonist, etc. But having Vaughan write the script is a good start, so ideally this is one of those projects that eventually gets off the ground rather than lingers in development hell.
