Stan Lee is still the face of Marvel for many fans. This is also due to his appearances in movies. One of his favorite heroes has only appeared once and is more of a sidekick to a powerful villain. However, he holds significant importance for Stan Lee.
Which character is being referred to? One of Stan Lee’s favorite characters is the Silver Surfer. He made his first appearance in December 1965 in Fantastic Four No. 48. He is the herald of Galactus, one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel Universe.
Originally, the Silver Surfer was a mortal named Norrin Radd from the utopian planet Zenn-La. When Galactus threatened to consume the planet, Norrin Radd sacrificed himself to save his family and his people. He offered to find planets for him to consume. Galactus agreed, bestowed cosmic power upon him, and thus created the Silver Surfer.
For over 100 years, he served Galactus until he came to Earth. There, he also regularly acted as a hero. The Silver Surfer is a tragic figure who means no harm. He is fascinated by other planets, ways of life, and people. This is also one of the aspects that Stan Lee appreciates about the character.
The character looked so heroic and so noble.
What does Stan Lee think of the Silver Surfer? In an older interview (via YouTube), Stan Lee explained how the Silver Surfer actually came into being. Jack Kirby, one of the most important artists in Marvel’s history, drew the herald of Galactus because he thought a large and powerful being like Galactus needed a companion to find planets for him.
Stan Lee liked the idea and loved the design. He said of the Silver Surfer: The character looked so heroic and so noble and so dramatic.
Stan Lee recounts that he then named him and made him a philosophical observer of the world and the universe
.
In the interview, he explains that he let him speak in Shakespearean and biblical language. For Stan Lee, the Silver Surfer became a voice for his feelings and views. Stan Lee wanted to use the character as a philosophical figure who grappled with questions like why humans fight when they live on such a wonderful planet.
He also says in the interview that children loved the character.
Has the Silver Surfer appeared in any films? He has not appeared in the large MCU so far. In the Fox film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer from 2007, he was one of the main characters. He also made appearances in various animated series and even had his own short series in 1998.
In the upcoming film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a Silver Surfer is also expected to appear again, as Galactus is set to function as the villain once more. However, this is not the Silver Surfer you know. In this film, the Silver Surfer is the character Shalla-Bal, who also hails from the planet Zenn-La. The new Fantastic Four movie is expected to be released in the USA on July 25, 2025. Stan Lee also had a favorite in the DC universe: Marvel legend Stan Lee had a favorite character from DC that hardly anyone knows
