More recently, Shalla-Bal played a major role in Dan Slott and Mike Allred’s delightful Doctor Who-inspired run on Silver Surfer. There Shalla-Bal became the Keeper of the Great Truth, a cultural dictator on Zenn-La. As the Keeper, Shalla-Bal threatened to conquer other planets and enforce Zenn-La’s more “enlightened” ways. Although she’s stopped by the combined efforts of the Silver Surfer and the Fantastic Four, Shalla-Bal enacts her revenge by revoking the Surfer’s Zenn-La identity.
Shalla-Bal and Marvel’s Silver Surfer
Given that brief history of two characters, it’s clear that Kevin Feige is making major lore changes for the Fantastic Four movie. But, of course, we already knew that. From the initial casting announcement for the movie, it’s been clear that the film would take place in the 1960s that initially inspired the team. Given what we know about the mainline MCU Earth, that could mean that the Fantastic Four takes place in an alternate reality—which is a theory more than a few fans have speculated on.
In that context, it could make sense that Shalla-Bal would be the Silver Surfer for the FF’s earth, as the MCU has made similar changes in the past. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels have given us examples of Maria Rambeau living a life that doesn’t involve her working for S.W.O.R.D. and eventually dying of cancer, as she becomes Captain Marvel in one reality and Binary in another.
But while the various lives of Maria Rambeau amounted to little more than cheeky nods to the comics, Shalla-Bal’s Silver Surfer adventures might point to a much bigger plot point, one that’s been oft-theorized.
Obviously, the FF won’t stay in their separate universe and will make their way to the mainline universe eventually. Initially, it seemed that this reality shift would occur in relation to the incursions mentioned in Multiverse of Madness. As seen in the 2015 comic book storyline Secret Wars, incursions occur when two realities collide into one another, which puts the Illuminati, including Reed Richards, on a desperate mission to save their universe.
However, by emphasizing the Silver Surfer, and a very different Surfer than we’ve seen before, Fantastic Four may be showing how the team will come to the prime Earth much sooner. After all, the Silver Surfer is the Herald of Galactus, and Galactus is rumored to be the main villain of the film. Could, perhaps, the Fantastic Four come to the main MCU Earth after theirs gets destroyed by Galactus, killing Shalla-Bal in the process?