Fantastic Four's Julia Garner Says Johnny & Silver Surfer Are "A Rom-Com"
“She's charmed.”
The Fantastic Four: The First Steps has everything you’d expect from a Marvel superhero movie: otherworldly powers, apocalyptic villains, eye-catching costumes, and nonstop action. But there’s a soft center that gives the romance girlies something to fawn over as well. At the heart of the MCU’s latest story, a flirtatious relationship already has shippers going wild — and Julia Garner is here for it.
Aside from the sweet marriage between Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), there’s something going on between the Silver Surfer (Garner) and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn). In a Fantastic Four teaser, the Human Torch says he “had a moment” with the metallic alien after Garner’s character comes to Earth to herald Galactus. During the Fantastic Four press junket in Los Angeles, Garner jokes with Elite Daily, “This is a rom-com.”
Fans online have already started to see the spark between these two characters. “This is my new favorite Marvel ship,” one wrote on TikTok, while another pointed out that this horny energy makes Quinn’s portrayal the most “biblically accurate Johnny Storm.” Anyone familiar with the Human Torch knows he’s a bit of a charmer.
I think she's amused by Johnny, but she's not sure yet.
In 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, it’s Sue (Jessica Alba) who has a close relationship with the male version of Silver Surfer (Laurence Fishburne/Doug Jones). The decision to have the chrome-like character be a woman, aka Shalla-Bal, this time around allows for Johnny to connect with Silver Surfer instead. “I think she's amused by Johnny, but she's not sure yet,” Garner says. “But then maybe by the end of it, she's charmed.”
Whether it’s intentional or not, Quinn and Garner’s scenes in the film do have romantic comedy elements like a not-so-meet-cute, humorous banter, and of course, palpable tension against the backdrop of Earth-saving action sequences.
Even before the film’s July 25 release, scenes from the trailers have been used to create Silver Surfer and Johnny Storm fan edits on TikTok. When asked if there might be more for these two later on in the MCU, Garner says, “Maybe if the rom-com continues. But yeah, I would love to do something else.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theaters now.
