What is the “M-SHE-U?” How gender-bending Silver Surfer exposes deep issue with Marvel fans

MCU fans are up in arms over the news that the Silver Surfer will be played by a woman, but is this gender-swapping such a bad thing?

The MCU has finally cast its Silver Surfer, Julia Garner reportedly set to take on the role in a version of the character never before seen on the big screen. Garner, who is best known for her award-winning performance in the Netflix series Ozark, will play Shalla-Bal.

However, initial reception to the casting has been less than pleasant, with some Marvel fans slamming the company for gender-swapping the character.

Thus once against bringing forth the age-old debate of female representation and sexism in the realm of popular culture and the comic book world.

Of course she is, because M-She-U

— Tebow (@MinEffPodcast) April 3, 2024

As a woman who has grown up on comics and the MCU, this backlash is less than surprising. However, it does not make it any less disappointing. After all, I don’t believe there is any merit to those who are now calling the Marvel Cinematic Universe the “M-SHE-U.”

What is Gender-swapping and why has it caused such backlash in the MCU?

Gender-swapping is when a character who is typically presenting as a certain gender, be that male, female, or non-binary, is then reimagined as another gender. The phrase gender-bent is often used throughout the cosplay community as well.

Exactly. It's going to bomb.

Silver Surfer is iconic. Audiences are going to see this as more message driven nonsense and checkout. Should have been an easy win.

— Tar Heel Joe (@FormerModerate) April 4, 2024

Previously, the MCU has dabbled in gender-swapped characters. The likes of Ghost, Mar-Vell, Flag-Smasher, and Taskmaster are all typically male-presenting figures in the comics that were then portrayed by women in the live-action. 

And while these decisions were met with online backlash, Garner’s casting as the Silver Surfer has been hit with a whole new wave of sexism online. 

Of all the characters to be gender-swapped in the MCU, The Silver Surfer is certainly the most well-known and popular. As a core member of the Fantastic Four comics, the Silver Surfer has been part of the Marvel family since Fantastic Four #48, published in 1966.

Can you even gender-swap a character that isn’t human?

In the comics, the Silver Surfer isn’t even a human character. While their silhouette and appearance may indicate such, they are typically presenting as a humanoid alien with metallic skin.

As such, is casting a man the most important aspect to the Silver Surfer? Or should the casting be based on which actor best represents the identity and essence of their inner workings and motivations?

Chris Evans was praised as Captain America. As to was Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark. While physically the two do resemble their comic book counterparts, one could argue that the reason fans praised their casting is because of how they captured the core identity of their characters. 

Evan’s successfully portraying the virtue and loyalty of Cap while Downey Jr channeled the witty and at times arrogant nature of Stark.

As such, if Garner is able to encapsulate the core of the Silver Surfer character, what difference does it make if she’s a woman? As previously explained, the Silver Surfer isn’t even a human.

Are there too many women in the MCU?

When the MCU was first established, it introduced Marvel fans to what then became the original Avengers team of the live-action universe. Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Hulk and Black Widow.

Of these original six characters, only one was a woman and even then, Black Widow was only given a standalone feature film after the character was killed off in Avengers: Endgame. While Iron Man also met his fate in this culminating battle, the character was still treated to a whole solo trilogy and various other appearances in Spider-Man and more.

Even then, the new and revamped Avengers team moving forward still includes Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Shang-Chi, Captain America, and Thor. All men. Sure, we now have Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and Kate Bishop, but that doesn’t mean the MCU is becoming an all-female endeavor for Disney.

While the MCU has closed the gap between male and female representation in recent years, those who say women are dominating the universe are plain wrong. Prior to Phase 4 of the MCU, the original Black Panther film had the highest percentage of screen time taken up by female characters with 40%.

In the original Captain America: The First Avenger, only 14% of the film featured a female character. Thus, is the MCU being taken over by female characters or is it simply just still working to make it a more even split?

And even if recent Marvel films have been more female-driven, it’s not as if they now only include male characters for 14% of the film. This backlash begs the question, why can’t MCU fans get on board with equality on screen?

As a woman who loves the MCU, I don’t want it to be dominated by women. I just want balance and variety. Is that too much to ask for?

Given the backlash surrounding the Silver Surfer’s casting, it appears it may well be.