Silver Surfer
Series, 1998, The late '90s, Set in The cosmos
Silver Surfer is #18 of 22 in release order and #18 of 22 in chronological order in the Fox Kids Classics.
The story
The adventures of the cosmic wanderer as he seeks his lost home after rebelling from his master.
Silver Surfer recap
Silver Surfer (1998) follows Norrin Radd, the silver herald of the planet-eating Galactus, as he crosses the cosmos searching for his lost home world, Zenn-La. Larry Brody developed it from the Marvel character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and Marvel and Saban produced one season of 13 episodes for Fox Kids, airing from February 7 to May 16, 1998, in a mix of cel-shaded and computer animation drawn in Kirby's style. The Surfer (Paul Essiembre) has had part of his memory as Norrin Radd restored by Thanos (Gary Krawford). In the opening story, adapted from the Galactus Trilogy without the Fantastic Four, he defends Earth from Galactus (James Blendick) because it reminds him of Zenn-La. From there the series is serialized, with the Surfer searching for Zenn-La and for Shalla-Bal (Camilla Scott), the woman he loves. Marvel's cosmic characters fill the episodes, including the Watcher, Ego the Living Planet, Pip the Troll, Drax the Destroyer, Adam Warlock and the Kree, many of them reworked; to meet Fox's standards, Thanos serves Lady Chaos rather than Death. Episodes deal with imperialism, slavery, non-violence and environmental damage, and several titles come from science fiction novels, including Isaac Asimov's The End of Eternity and Joe Haldeman's The Forever War.
Silver Surfer ending explained
Silver Surfer ends with "The End of Eternity," aired May 16, 1998, on a cliffhanger. Eternity and Infinity summon the Surfer and warn him that Thanos has found a way to make time flow backward, which will end the universe. The Surfer races to stop him as the universe contracts around him, and he appears to die in the battle, leaving Eternity and Infinity to wonder whether all is lost. Eight scripts were written for a second season, but production shut down, which Larry Brody blamed on a legal dispute between Marvel and Saban, so the cliffhanger was never resolved.
Where to watch Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer is streaming on Disney+ in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 7.1/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Godzilla: The Series, before Digimon: Digital Monsters.
- Chronological order: after Godzilla: The Series, before Digimon: Digital Monsters.
Cast
- Paul Essiembre as Silver Surfer (voice)
- James Blendick as Galactus (voice)
- Tara Rosling as Nova (voice)
- Camilla Scott as Shalla-Bal (voice)
- Elizabeth Shepherd as Infinity (voice)
- John Neville as Eternity (voice)
- Gary Krawford as Thanos (voice)
- Marc Strange as Lord Glenn (voice)
- Robert Bockstael as Pip the Troll (voice)
- Colin Fox as Uatu the Watcher (voice)
- Norm Spencer as Drax the Destroyer (voice)
- John Stocker as Ivar (voice)
Created by Larry Brody.