‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Star Julia Garner Schools Critics of Silver Surfer ‘Genderswap’ – Because Duh, It Isn’t One

For anyone whinging about Julia Garner’s role in “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” the “Ozark” star has a gentle suggestion: Read a comic book. An old one. By Stan Lee and John Buscema.

In a red-carpet interview with the BBC at the “First Steps” premiere in London, a reporter asked Garner about the response from certain … fans … who were upset that the “Silver Surfer” is female. The “Wolf Man” actress gave a gracious response – in which she embedded a savage, blink-and-you-missed it schooling.

“I’m just going to still do my job,” she said. “Also, it’s Shalla-Bal, so it’s different.”

What Garner could have said was: “My character is Shalla-Bal, who first appeared in ‘Silver Surfer No. 1,’ created by Stan Lee and John Buscema in 1968, who, despite going through intense turmoil, manipulation and a forced separation from her beloved Norrin Radd (aka Silver Surfer), becomes a strong leader, diplomat and empress on her home planet of Zenn-La and remained a key character in the comic-book series through the decades.”

And she would have been right.

She could have added something like, “So it’s not a gender-swap, FAKE NERDS, try reading a classic comic book sometime, or maybe let me Google that for you?”

But Garner isn’t like that, apparently, because the only other thing she said, when asked how she felt about the whiplash to a positive reaction after the trailer played, was a lot more forgiving.

“I was just happy that it was resonating with people,” she actually said. “I’m just grateful to be at this stand.”

“Fantastic Four: First Steps” comes out in U.S. theaters on July 24.

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