Hank McCoy (Before the Fur)

You know who I think deserves a second chance? Silver Surfer.

Remember that whole thing, where there was a movie in the works on the heels of the second FF? Didn’t Lawrence Fishburn do the voice (and likeness)? I love that. Could you have picked somebody better for this part?? Unlikely.

I’ve already mused a bit about the FF movies. They aren’t bad, really, and the casting was spot on. They just don’t quite ‘launch’ the way you hoped they would, you know? Luckily, we are living in the age of superhero movie forgiveness. Believe it or not I’m kind of interested in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. I don’t think Cage is bad for the role, really.

An array of the Marvel movies have fallen into that dangerous zone of mediocrity. That is, they aren’t outrightly bad, but they also aren’t outright great either. The problem with this is that it’s tough to get either a re-launch or a sequel going. It just sort of fizzles.

Marvel kind of opened up a new door with Incredible Hulk. The movie isn’t sort of a relaunched sequel. It somehow kind of straddles that line, I think. I suspect Ghost Rider will do the same and, hopefully, do something right.

I want an independent Surfer film. We’re reaching a point where comic book stories are moderately tapped out for the big screen (excluding DC, most of whose characters may never successfully see the light of Hollywood, I fear). Batman, the Avengers, Spidey and the X-Men…what’s left here?

A Silver Surfer movie could really be worth going to see. I mean it’s one of the last superhero stories left that would really just be DIFFERENT than what you’ve seen before, you know? I sort of think of a good Silver Surfer movie as something akin to E.T.…touching. Moving. Emotional.

I mean sure, we’re all interested in seeing the Surfer use his near God-like power to blow &%$# up if that’s what he’s gotta do. And the prospect of seeing Galactus in a movie is enticing to say the least. Think of all that cosmic destruction on the big screen. WOW. That would be some special effects, right?

But the essence of the Surfer’s story is his inherent peacefulness. His power grants him such connection with the universe and the world around him that it’s like he sees so much more harmony than the human senses could ever possibly comprehend. Getting to KNOW the Surfer, in that sense, would be at the core of the movie I think. He has so much power, but he prefers to not enforce it on other beings unless he absolutely has to.

That’s how MUCH the Surfer values life, harmony, etc. You know how people love Star Trek because it’s this vision of the future where the human race got better not worse? See, I think the Surfer is a brilliant character for that kind of reason. They always say power corrupts and absolute power absolutely. But…that isn’t the case, with the Norrin Radd.

It’s sort of like the culmination of having such power collected into one being is actually enlightenment. The realization that all things are interconnected and that there is a grand, cosmic design at play. The Surfer wields the power to manipulate the fundamental forces of creation itself. But with that power comes an understanding of the universe that we couldn’t possibly begin to glimpse in the same way.

There’s a kind of perfect-ness to him; there’s something that goes BEYOND human nobility and compassion. I always like it when comics books and their movies have a chance to delve into more than just blow up the bad guys. And in this case, I think a Silver Surfer movie could segue nicely into issues related to faith and spirituality.

The Surfer’s comic history is a bit scattered. He is often featured as a recurring character in numerous Marvel ‘events’ (remember that page when he just misses taking the Gauntlet off Thanos’ hand by THAT much!?) but only rarely has his own series. I know at one point the Surfer was literally exiled to Earth, trapped there by some sort of cosmic force that only he was aware of. Almost no one on the planet even knew the Surfer was among them (making him a kind of UFO conspiracy theorist sighting kind of deal), but this story arc did give him a chance to have more contact with the mainstream cast of the Marvel Universe.

Other series have him drifting from solar system to solar system, just sort of experiencing the universe. This kind of storytelling tends to get really out there, leading the Surfer to cross paths with cosmic entities like Death and Eternity (literally personifications of aspects of existence) among others. It’s a tough call. The first kind of story makes the Surfer more relatable, but the latter gives the hardcore Surfer fans a chance to see planets and alien races that were center stage in his own comic.

Of course, a three movie deal might give some wiggle room for this…