Silver Surfer (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Silver Surfer |
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| Created by | Larry Brody |
| Starring | Paul Essiembre Camilla Scott Colin Fox |
| Composer(s) | Shuki Levy |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Stan Lee Avi Arad |
| Production company(s) | Marvel Entertainment Group Saban Entertainment AKOM |
| Distributor | Saban International |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox (Fox Kids) |
| Original release | February 7 – May 16, 1998 |
Silver Surfer, also known as Silver Surfer: The Animated Series, is an exciting animated TV show. It's based on the Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The series aired for one season on the Fox Kids Network in 1998.
Contents
About the Show: Silver Surfer's Adventures
This animated series mixes different animation styles. It uses both traditional cel animation and computer animation. This helps it look like the original comic book art by Jack Kirby.
The show takes ideas from the Silver Surfer comic books. But it also changes some parts of the story. For example, the famous superhero team The Fantastic Four is not in the story where the Silver Surfer first meets Galactus. In this TV version, the Silver Surfer remembers some of his past life as Norrin Radd. He protects Earth from Galactus because it reminds him of his home planet, Zenn-La.
Many other cool characters from the Marvel universe appear in the show. These include The Watcher, Ego the Living Planet, Pip the Troll, Drax the Destroyer, and Adam Warlock. Some of these characters are a bit different from their comic book versions. For example, Adam Warlock is an alien super-soldier. Also, Thanos works for Lady Chaos instead of Death.
The series tells a continuous story, with each episode building on the last. Like the comic books, the show talks about important topics. These include imperialism (when one country controls another), slavery, and protecting the environment. The show also gives nods to classic science fiction stories. It uses episode titles and character names from famous authors like Isaac Asimov and Joe Haldeman.
The show stopped after just one season. There were plans for a second season, but it never happened. The creator, Larry Brody, said it was because of a legal problem between Marvel and Saban Entertainment.
Meet the Voices: Who Plays Who?
Main Characters and Their Voices
| Voice actor | Character |
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| Paul Essiembre | Norrin Radd / Silver Surfer |
| Voice actor | Character |
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| James Blendick | Galactus |
| Colin Fox | Uatu (The Watcher) |
| Gary Krawford | Thanos |
| Camilla Scott | Shalla-Bal |
Other Key Characters
Pip the Troll is a small, close friend of the Silver Surfer. He joins the Surfer on his journey to find his lost home planet, Zenn-La. In one episode, the Kree aliens enslaved the Silver Surfer and Pip's people. They worked together until they fought back and escaped.
Adam Warlock is seen fighting the Kree in a space battle. The Supreme Intelligence sends the Silver Surfer to find him. If there had been a second season, an episode would have shown the Silver Surfer trying to stop the Kree-Skrull War.
Beta Ray Bill appears in the episode "Innervisions." He and his species share a group dream. The Surfer convinces Beta Ray Bill to use his powers to trick Thanos and save their planet.
Nova is a mutant who can find anything she looks for. Galactus gives her powers to become his new herald. She takes the Silver Surfer's place. Her name is Frankie Raye.
Gamora is in the episode "Radical Justice."
Nebula appears in a two-part episode called "Learning Curve." She wants to gain knowledge from the Universal Library. But because she wants knowledge for selfish reasons, she turns into a blob-like creature called a viral.
Mentor also appears in "Learning Curve." He is Thanos's brother in the show. Drax the Destroyer is an android and Mentor's helper.
Episode Guide
| No. | Title | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 1
3 |
"The Origin of the Silver Surfer" | Larry Brody | February 7, 1998
February 14, 1998 February 21, 1998 |
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The Watcher warns that Galactus is coming to eat Zenn-La. Norrin Radd offers to become Galactus's herald. His job is to find planets without life for Galactus to consume. Galactus gives Norrin powers, turning him into the Silver Surfer. But Norrin loses his memories and his sense of right and wrong! The Silver Surfer finds many worlds for Galactus. But he feels troubled by the destruction. The evil Thanos tries to steal Galactus's secrets. This battle brings back the Surfer's memories. He confronts Galactus. When Galactus attacks Earth, the Surfer fights back. He can't hurt Galactus, but he's allowed to return to Zenn-La. He finds his planet is gone, and he is alone! The Surfer promises to find Zenn-La and his love, Shalla Bal.
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| 4 | "The Planet of Dr. Moreau" | Larry Brody, Chris Kane |
February 28, 1998 | |
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The Surfer looks for a Kree colony where a Zenn-La scholar might be. The Kree enslave the Surfer. He works with creatures called "Trolls." The Surfer teams up with Pip the Troll and his girlfriend, Kili. They lead a revolt against the Kree enslavers.
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| 5
6 |
"Learning Curve" | Larry Brody (part 1 & 2), Andrea Lawrence (part 1) |
March 7, 1998
March 14, 1998 |
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The Surfer and Pip join Mentor and his helper, Drax the Destroyer. They search for the Universal Library of the Watchers. Mentor wants to stop his crazy brother, Thanos, from taking over the universe. The Surfer just wants to find Zenn-La. Also, Eternity and Infinity warn the Watcher. The Universal Library is full of viral blobs. Mentor learns how Uatu became the last Watcher. The Silver Surfer, Drax, and Pip leave the planet, but Mentor stays behind.
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| 7 | "Innervisions" | Larry Brody, Alan Swayze |
April 4, 1998 | |
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The Surfer finds planets destroyed by Thanos. He rushes to warn the next planet, Harmony. The Surfer was going there to learn about Zenn-La. But the people of Harmony live in a constant dream. They don't know Thanos is coming. The Surfer enters their dream. He convinces their hero, Beta Ray Bill, to help defeat Thanos. But how can they stop Thanos when all he wants is Lady Chaos's love?
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| 8 | "Antibody" | Larry Brody, Michael Steven Gregory story by Harlan Ellison |
April 11, 1998 | |
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Galactus is dying. His new herald, Nova, asks the Surfer for help. The Surfer and Galactus make a deal. The Surfer will help Galactus if he gets information about Zenn-La. Galactus agrees. The Surfer enters Galactus's body to destroy what's killing him. Nova defends Galactus from attacking ships. The Surfer learns Galactus doesn't know where Zenn-La is. Galactus threw the planet so far away that even he can't find it.
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| 9 | "Second Foundation" | Larry Brody, Michael Steven Gregory |
April 18, 1998 | |
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Nova feels torn between her duties to Galactus and her loyalty to the Silver Surfer. She finds a young planet with energy Galactus needs. She then helps the Surfer try to find Zenn-La. They end up on the old Skrull homeworld. There, they join a Skrull revolution. They must protect a royal egg that will become the next leader of the Skrulls.
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| 10 | "Radical Justice" | Larry Brody, Brooks Wachtel |
April 25, 1998 | |
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Lord Glenn and the Wanderers capture the Surfer. They put him on trial for Galactus's crimes. The Surfer loses his powers and becomes Norrin Radd again. He fights to survive on a planetoid with robot traps. Two stars near the planet start to collapse, forming a black hole. Norrin Radd must get his Silver Surfer powers back to save those who sentenced him to death.
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| 11 | "The Forever War" | Larry Brody, Mark Hoffmeier |
May 2, 1998 | |
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The Surfer asks the Kree's Supreme Intelligence for help finding Zenn-La. But first, he must do a task for them. He gets swallowed by a space anomaly. Inside, Adam Warlock is in a never-ending battle with the Kree. The Surfer frees Warlock. They both return to the Kree Home World. They discover the Supremor has evil plans for Warlock. The two heroes escape. Warlock learns about his people's destruction. The Surfer asks Warlock to join him. But Adam Warlock chooses to return to the anomaly. He wants to fight his "forever war" and live with honor.
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| 12 | "Return to Zenn-La" | Larry Brody | May 9, 1998 | |
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The Surfer finally finds Zenn-La! He reunites with his beloved Shalla Bal. But things seem strange. Shalla Bal acts very odd and dangerous. The Surfer soon realizes he hasn't found his home at all. He has found Ego the Living Planet again, who wants to get back at the Surfer!
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| 13 | "The End of Eternity" | Larry Brody, Dallas Barnes |
May 16, 1998 | |
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Eternity and Infinity call the Surfer. They warn him that Thanos has found a way to make time go backwards. This will end the universe! As the Surfer rushes to stop Thanos, the universe starts to shrink. When it looks like the Surfer dies fighting Thanos, Eternity and Infinity wonder if everything is lost.
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Where to Watch: Home Release and Streaming
In the U.K., the full series was planned for release on DVD in 2008. But the company closed down, so it was cancelled. Another company, Clear Vision LTD, released the set in 2009.
Today, Disney Enterprises owns the rights to this show. This is because Disney bought Marvel Entertainment in 2009. They also acquired parts of Saban Entertainment and Fox Kids. Even with Disney owning the rights, there are no plans to release the full series on DVD in North America.
However, in September 2019, it was announced that the complete series would be available to stream on the Disney+ service.
See also
In Spanish: Silver Surfer (serie animada) para niños
