Fantastic Four rumored to gender-swap iconic Marvel character

Jasmine Valentine
Fantastic Four character Silver Surfer could be gener-swapped in the movie

After rumors circulated about the live-action Fantastic Four getting a female Herald of Galactus, another character is now touted for the possibility of gender-swapping.

It’s easy to see how Marvel could be in over its head right now, with directors leaving planned movies, potential villain changes, and drastic plot moves being spoken of in order to revive the MCU.

However, one upcoming Marvel movie doesn’t seem to be straying far from fans’ minds, with rumored cast members frequently shooting down questions about their involvement.

What fans of Fantastic Four might not have seen coming is the potential gender swap apparently in the future for one key character.

Fantastic Four’s Surfer could be gender-swapped in movie

According to rumors, Silver Surfer, also known as Norrin Radd, could be gender-swapped in the upcoming Fantastic Four live-action movie.

The news comes courtesy of Jeff Sneider, who has been breaking plenty of critical Marvel news in recent weeks.

“And yes, you can expect to see a female Silver Surfer” came among news that Christopher Abbott and Jamie Dornan were both up for the role of Reed Richards. According to Snieder, both screen tested poorly. Javier Bardem has also been touted as in the running for playing Galactus.

If true, this won’t be the first time that Marvel has chosen to change the gender of one of its characters. For the 2015 adaptation of Jessica Jones, antagonist Jeri Hogarth was changed to a female role, with Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss picking up the gauntlet.

“I’m not complaining but that’s definitely a very interesting choice of character to gender swap, considering Silver Surfer is completely reflective and basically naked,” one fan posted on X/Twitter in response to the news.

“I’m waiting for the casting on the Fantastic Four movie. If the rumors are true and they gender-swap the Silver Surfer, I’m officially out. I’ll be on the James Gunn bandwagon,” commented another.

Speaking to Comic Book in 2021 while still leading the Fantastic Four project, Adam McKay said of the role: “Silver Surfer was tricky. There was something about it, cause we did look into it. I think it’s connected to the Fantastic Four reboot and because of that kind of lives under its own umbrella. But there was something that got in the way of it cause we did look into it a couple of years ago, but I could be wrong.

“I could be misremembering, but there was some reason it didn’t happen or someone else was already working on it. But no, I was definitely into it because that would be a very easy one.”

Fantastic Four is due to release on May 2, 2025. Find everything we know here and check out more superhero hubs below:

Spider-Man 4 | Venom 3 | Deadpool 3 | X-Men ’97 | Captain America: Brave New World | She-Hulk Season 2 | What If Season 2 | Thor 5 | Fantastic Four | Avengers The Kang Dynasty | Agatha Darkhold Diaries

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About The Author

Jasmine Valentine is a TV and Movies Writer at Dexerto. She's the go-to source for all things Young Sheldon, as well as many Netflix originals. Jasmine has also written for the likes of Total Film, The Daily Beast, and Radio Times.