First Steps, much of the discussion was centered around culture war issues. Chief among them was the movie’s decision to make the Silver Surfer a woman when people are used to the Surfer being a man.

Fantastic Four: First Steps marks the first time the Silver Surfer has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was a bit jarring for some that Julia Garner was cast as the surfer and that they were a woman instead of a man. However, there’s a possible explanation for why this is different from the comics and previous Fantastic Four movies.