5 female ‘Fantastic Four’ villains Anya Taylor-Joy could play instead of Silver Surfer

If you believe the casting rumors the Fantastic Four may have found its surprise villain in the form of Anya Taylor-Joy. Ask the internet, and there’s only one role she could be playing: a gender-switched Silver Surfer.

This is due to claims that Taylor-Joy is being eyed to play a female antagonistic role in Matt Shakman’s reboot of Marvel’s First Family, news that is following just days after it was similarly rumored that there will be a female Silver Surfer in the film. So, sure, this could well be what happens, and going by social media reactions, there’s nobody the fandom would prefer as feminine variant of Norrin Radd (Nora Radd?) than Taylor-Joy, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

There are actually a few other female characters in the Fantastic Four canon that could make for fascinating alternate roles for The Menu actress outside of the bold choice to have her be the MCU’s Silver Surfer — each of whom would have a big impact on the franchise in their own ways.

5. Medusa

Hey, Anson Mount’s Black Bolt returned — against all the odds — in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so it’s entirely possible Marvel could reboot the Inhumans in the MCU someday. And if that was to happen anywhere it would make sense to do it in Fantastic Four as the Inhuman species debuted in the pages of FF comics. At first, Inhuman queen Medusa, with her prehensile hair, was a villain for the team, something that could be easily replicated in the upcoming 2025 movie.

4. Darkchylde

Let’s not forget, though, that Taylor-Joy already has history in the Marvel multiverse — she played Illyana Rasputin/Magik in Fox’s ill-remembered The New Mutants. Given that X-Men spinoff’s poor reception, it’s unlikely Marvel would want to resurrect it in any way, but it has to be said that Taylor-Joy was perfect casting. And they just brought Kelsey Grammer back as Beast after X-Men: The Last Stand, so who knows? One way to resurrect Magik would be in her demonic, villainous Darkchylde persona. Have her show up in Fantastic Four and then pit her against Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Secret Wars or something!

3. Victorious

What’s one way of revamping Doctor Doom for the MCU to differentiate him from the Fox versions? How about giving him a bride? A recent addition in the comics, Zora Vukovic is Doom’s loyal lieutenant that he imbued with the energy of the Power Cosmic so she could become Latveria’s own superpowered champion, Victorious. The pair fell in love and were to be wed, before Zora slept with Human Torch the night before their wedding. Imagine this superhero soap opera playing out in the MCU!

2. Nova

Talk of a female Silver Surfer has led to some wondering if we’re at crossed wires here and what’s really happening is that we’re getting another Herald of Galactus who is female. If that is the case then Frankie Raye aka Nova would be the most obvious option. As a frequent love interest to Johnny Storm, Frankie is usually an ally to the FF, but her role as one of the World Devourer’s Heralds naturally puts her at odds with the group on occasion. With her own pyro powers, she could certainly be reimagined for the MCU as an antagonist counterpart to Johnny.

1. Valeria Von Doom

With Pedro Pascal likely our Mr Fantastic, this has led to speculation that Reed and Sue Richards’ children, Franklin and Valeria, will be introduced into the MCU right away. If that is the case then Taylor-Joy would be perfect as Valeria. While Franklin, perhaps the most powerful individual on Earth-616, usually grabs all the attention, his sister is an intriguing character in her own right as she was originally raised by Victor Von Doom. Fantastic Four could pull off its own Star Wars-style twist if Doom is depicted as having a daughter, only for her to pull her mask off and reveal she’s the Richards’ long-lost child.