Silver Surfer Almost Looked Way Different In the MCU (Photos)

The MCU's Silver Surfer almost looked far different upon her debut in Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The MCU took a massive step forward with its first Fantastic Four movie, particularly with its inclusion of Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer. Considering the visual uniqueness of this movie due to its alternate timeline setting, the look for characters like this was a vital part of how much this film would succeed.

Multiple pieces of concept art showed a version of the Silver Surfer from The Fantastic Four: First Steps without hair. Marvel broke the mold with a female Silver Surfer, bringing the Shalla-Bal version of Galactus' herald from the pages of Marvel Comics. During the development process, Marvel went through countless options for how she would look in her big-screen debut.

Shared by concept artist Wesley Burt, Shalla-Ball is seen hovering in front of Ralph Ineson's Galactus, with only the big bad's mouth and nose visible in the image. 

This image of the Silver Surfer depicts her as bald with a scowling look on her face, standing tall on her surfboard in front of Galactus' lips. She also has less defined eyes, which can barely be seen under her furled brow.

Rodney Fuentebella posted another image of concept art on Facebook, pitting the Silver Surfer against the core team of Fantastic Four heroes. Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm is also holding the baby Franklin Richards in her arms, who will eventually become a power player in his own right.

Here, the Surfer is also bald. She can be seen flying on her board and blasting energy towards Sue while Johnny Storm flames behind her.

Originally shared by Noir Animation (via @dailycosmicmarvel on Threads), Shalla-Bal floats on her board before an astonished Reed Richards, forming a light-based energy in her hands.

Along with the energy in her hand and a bald head, this Silver Surfer boasts a pair of entirely white eyes, giving her a more terrifying look visually as she stares down at Reed.

Another piece of art, courtesy of Richard Bennett, highlights the Surfer blasting forward in space on her board as she chases the Fantastic Four on their ship.

The Fantastic Four stand tall on Galactus' ship in a piece of art from Pablo Dominguez, which includes the Surfer floating in the middle of the image.

This image also seems to depict her without hair, although it is much more ambiguous than the previous pictures.

The movie's final cut gave Julia Garner's Silver Surfer a full head of hair, slicked back and flowing down to the bottom of her neck. The character also had defined eyes with a blueish hue, giving her a more human look than in previous concept art.

The hair on her head did not move like normal human hair, but instead stayed fairly conformed to her skull as she zoomed through the air on her board.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is Marvel Studios' first release of Phase 6 and the MCU's 37th movie overall. Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, the team kicks off four years into their run as heroes when Galactus and the Silver Surfer threaten the safety of their world. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now available for digital purchase.

When Will the MCU's Silver Surfer Return After The Fantastic Four?

Marvel Studios' first use of the Silver Surfer made waves across the MCU, especially with a fully-realized take on Galactus to accompany Julia Garner's performance. However, following the movie's end, the big question is when they will be back in action.

While neither is dead, the Fantastic Four blasted the duo through a portal leading to the other end of their universe, stranding them there for the foreseeable future. This means Galactus will have to figure out a way back to that corner of the galaxy to exact revenge on the titular quartet, which may not happen for a few movies in the MCU.

For now, the Four are on their way to teaming up with the Avengers and legacy X-Men to fight Robert Downey Jr.'s Victor von Doom, one of their other major villains, in Avengers: Doomsday. This is sure to put Galactus on the back burner for now, with the fate of the multiverse at stake thanks to Doom's undisclosed motives.