The Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s heroes aren’t known for being fast. The franchise has a couple of notable speedsters, including Quicksilver from Avengers: Age of Ultron and Eternals‘ Makarri, but they get very few opportunities to show what they’re capable of. All the love goes to the characters who can hit hard, such as Thor and Hulk, and the ones with big brains, like Tony Stark and Shuri. The Fantastic Four: First Steps features its own genius in Reed Richards, who spends his days solving the world’s problems because he’s the only one capable of doing it. However, he discovers one mystery he can’t solve in First Steps.
After a peaceful four years on Earth, the planet gets a rude awakening in the form of the Silver Surfer, who arrives in New York City and begins to warn its inhabitants about Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. Her boss sounds absolutely terrifying, being able to wipe out entire races without breaking a sweat. Well, Galactus’ herald is no slouch, either. In fact, she might be the fastest character the MCU has ever seen and in the same league as DC’s The Flash.
Silver Surfer Gives the Fantastic Four a Run for Their Money in First Steps
As soon as the Silver Surfer delivers her message, she’s ready to leave. She takes off on her board, and Johnny Storm gives chase because he wants some answers. It takes the Human Torch a minute to catch up, but he realizes that his new crush isn’t looking to make small talk. The Silver Surfer disappears, and Marvel’s First Family doesn’t see her again until they arrive on Galactus’ ship, ready to make a deal with the Devourer of Worlds. Negotiations quickly go south when Galactus demands Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman’s baby in exchange for sparing the Earth, which forces the team to make a quick escape. They can’t shake the Silver Surfer, though, as her incredible power allows her to follow them into a wormhole. The only way they get her off their backs is by tossing her into a star.
Having disappointed Galactus, the Silver Surfer returns to Earth as a woman on a mission. She makes her way around the planet in a matter of seconds and destroys a big chunk of the bridges humanity uses to teleport the world. Once that’s taken care of, the Silver Surfer sets her sights on Franklin Richards, and she almost gets to him. Johnny is able to get through to her by sending her a message from her people, who want to thank her for saving them. Pulling at the herald’s heartstrings gets her to turn over a new leaf, which could mean big things in the future.
The MCU Probably Hasn’t Seen the Last of the Silver Surfer
When Galactus arrives on Earth, he shows off his full strength. Despite the Fantastic Four’s best efforts, he doesn’t go through the portal to another part of the galaxy and looks ready to claim Franklin once and for all. Fortunately, the Silver Surfer shows up and knocks her boss through the portal, ending the threat to Earth. She goes through as well, which means she’s probably in for the fight of her life once Galactus gets his bearings. However, if she’s able to survive and keep her board, she’s sure to play a major role in the MCU moving forward. After all, there are very few characters with her combination of speed and strength.
While little is known about the galactic threats that plague the universe in which Earth-828 resides, Earth-616’s galaxy is full of them. Captain Marvel spends decades trying to clean up messes on different planets, and she barely makes a dent. If the Silver Surfer is patrolling the stars, though, things could be very different. She could get to a planet in the blink of an eye and knock a villain out before they know what hit them. The Flash makes a living by doing that in DC Comics, and it’s about time the MCU got a speedster of its own that can turn the tide of a major battle.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theaters now.
Did you take notice of the Silver Surfer’s speed in The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Can she be the MCU’s resident speedster? Let us know in the comments below!
