Silver Surfer isn't A Marvel Hero, And He Never Will Be
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Silver Surfer: Rebirth #1
The Silver Surfer has worked tirelessly to become a hero since he was introduced as a Herald of Galactus, but the truth is he isn’t a Marvel hero and he never will be. Silver Surfer is responsible for the deaths of trillions of lives as he assisted Galactus in the consumption of countless planets all to save his home world. While his reasons for joining Galactus were heroic, his participation in the cosmic being’s mission of death and destruction is something Silver Surfer can never be free of, no matter how much he has changed since helping the Devourer of Worlds.
In Silver Surfer: Rebirth #1 by Ron Marz and Ron Lim, a Kree ship is in danger of being sucked into a black hole, and Mar-Vell’s son, Genis-Vell, comes to its rescue. Unfortunately, Genis-Vell isn’t powerful enough to stop the ship from being sucked into the black hole and strains to try to save everyone on board as well as himself from impending doom. When all hope seemed lost, the Silver Surfer arrived and used his Power Cosmic to save everyone from the black hole and brought them to safety.
After the Silver Surfer saves the day, Genis-Vell comments on the Surfer’s heroism. Silver Surfer downplays his heroic deed by saying it was simply something that had to be done and he was there to do it. The reason Silver Surfer saved that ship was to make up for the horrors he was responsible for in the past, saying that since he stopped working for Galactus, he travels the cosmos and saves anyone who might need his help. While the Silver Surfer is doing everything he can to be a hero, he simply will never be one, not because he doesn’t prove himself to be a hero but because he will never see himself as a hero.
Based on his explanation, the Silver Surfer doesn’t save people because it is the right thing to do but because he is trying to make amends for the evil of his past. Silver Surfer feels so guilty about working with Galactus that he will never forgive himself for his participation in the destruction of countless planets.
Every attempt at becoming a true hero is overshadowed by the deaths Silver Surfer participated in. The Silver Surfer has more than proven himself to be a true hero within the Marvel Universe, from sacrificing his freedom to save his planet to turning on his master to save the Earth. However, the Silver Surfer isn’t a Marvel hero and he never will be, unless he learns to forgive himself and save people because it is the right thing to do and not out of guilt and repentance for the actions of his past.