The Marvel Cinematic Universe is ripe for plenty of fan theories, especially after the ending of Avengers: Infinity War. But here’s one that I think may actually be true.
First off, this article contains spoilers on all things Marvel, including the events of latest Avengers release. You have been warned.
A Quick TL;DR on Marvel Lore
We know that the upcoming Captain Marvel movie will involve the Kree-Skrull war. In the comics, the Kree-Skrull war involved Silver Surfer’s homeworld.
So, it stands to reason that the next Avengers may, in fact, include the Silver Surfer. Except that there’s that whole annoying studio copyright issue between Fox and Disney/Marvel.
This is why the X-Men are not yet involved in the MCU. In fact, Spiderman is just “on loan” to Disney from Sony. It may seem like we might get a real-life Green Goblin hoverboard before we get an X-Men/MCU crossover movie.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Silver Surfer won’t be involved. Could Vision get turned into some weird Silver Surfer-esque character?
Before we get into the tinfoil hat theory, let’s discuss the respective comic book and MCU histories of both Vision and Silver Surfer.
Vision – Movies vs Comics
Paul Bettany portrays the MCU iteration of Vision; the mind stone bedecked android created by Ultron and Helen Cho.
If you recall, in the movies, Tony Stark creates Ultron who also uses J.A.R.V.I.S., himself, parts of Stark and Bruce Banner, and the Mind Stone to create Vision.
But, it’s important to note that the comic book character differs from the Disney version. In the comics, Dr. Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, creates Ultron who then creates Vision to fight Pym.
In the comics, Vision doesn’t have an infinity stone like in the MCU films. He has a “control crystal” created by Ultron.
Similarly to the films, Vision does have a relationship with Scarlet Witch. Sadly, his control crystal malfunctions. Earth governments then capture and dismantle Vision. Afterward, they erase his memory.
When the Avengers recover his body, Pym rebuilds and reprograms Vision. Without Wonder Man’s brain pattern records, Vision does not retain his capacity for emotion, including his affection for Scarlet Witch.
Long story short, the person who would become Kang fixes Vision up one more time.
If you think about it, Vision is basically the Humpty Dumpty of the Marvel world.
Silver Surfer Comic Book History
Jack Kirby conceived the character of the Silver Surfer, who first appeared in comics around 1966.
In the comics, the astronomer Norrin Radd from the planet Zenn-La becomes Silver Surfer to save his planet from intergalactic world-devourer Galactus. He serves as his herald, searching space for planets to serve up to Galactus.
He originally encounters The Fantastic Four who help him betray Galactus and save Earth. He also started appearing in The Mighty Thor and Defenders volumes in the 2010s. So there is comic book precedent for Silver Surfer uniting with Avengers’ members.
Fake News and Fan Theories
The Russo Bros., directors of Avengers: Infinity War, signaled that they were open to the idea of including the Silver Surfer in Avengers installments in an April interview. But they didn’t give concrete details and mentioned the IP issues.
News surfaced around April 2018 about a random actor listed as “Silver Surfer” in the Avengers: Infinity War cast list.
But many fans dismissed this given the Russo Bros. commitment to avoiding spoilers.
As mentioned earlier, one of the main obstacles to Silver Surfer appearing in any capacity is Fox’s ownership of the intellectual property. However, Disney continues to push forward with its $52.4-billion deal to purchase Fox over Comcast.
The deal isn’t solidified yet, but there is a precedent for other studios “lending” its characters.
But fans also theorize that Vision isn’t completely dead yet. After all, Wakandan wunderkind Shuri downloaded most of his consciousness before his untimely demise.
Maybe she can create an artificial infinity stone to reboot Vision anew. Of course, he might not even need an infinity stone — we may see the introduction of a control crystal just like in the comics.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s get into the theory that the MCU may transform new Vision into the Silver Surfer.
Wibbly Wobbly Bits Transform Vision Into the Silver Surfer
We know that Captain Marvel will likely introduce the multiverse theory to the MCU. The image above with Tony Stark and Ant-Man features what fans think is the “multiverse device”.
So, if Shuri can create an artificial infinity stone to resurrect Vision, he could use one of those devices to travel the multiverse. Through some kind of time mumbo jumbo, maybe he can’t find his way back to Earth.
Maybe he encounters Galactus trying to devour a planet and wants to save these alien strangers because of the empathetic aspect of his programming. Maybe his name isn’t “Silver Surfer”, but he still acts as Galactus’ herald.
His newfound powers grant him the ability to go back to Earth and maybe intervene with Thanos. Of course, he would still be Galactus’ herald and, inevitably, have to come back to Earth to warn them about the next intergalactic big boy trying to destroy humanity.
The best part of this whole theory is that an entirely new actor could play Vision.
In short, Vision could become the Silver Surfer in everything but name.
A fun Theory With Many Holes
My theory about the MCU transforming Vision into a Silver Surfer-esque character is far-fetched for sure. It might be too difficult to reconcile the IP issues AND comic book storylines for both characters in a seamless manner. However, the foundations are certainly there.
Rumors do abound about Avengers 4 setting up The Young Avengers, which could include a younger version of Vision. This theory encounters its own issues in terms of finding an elegant resolution for the current storylines attached to Vision.
But the Russo Bros. never do anything by accident. Since they addressed Silver Surfer rumors, maybe that means that he will be involved in some capacity.
Coming here after watching episode 8 of wanda vision….