WARNING: The following contains spoilers for King in Black #5, by Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Frank Martin, Jason Keith and VC’s Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
As the final battle for the fate of the Marvel Universe was joined in King in Black, one fan-favorite hero returned from the far reaches of the cosmos for a rematch against Knull, the dark god of symbiotes: the Silver Surfer. After first confronting Knull at the dawn of time, Norrin Radd faces the symbiote villain once again just as the Marvel Universe crowns a new God of Light to counter the eponymous King in Black.
And as the Surfer faces Knull head-on in King in Black #5, a visible change restores Norrin to his classic potential, with the signature silver luster gleaming off the Surfer after sporting a darkened hue for some time.
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Donny Cates and Tradd Moore’s 2019 miniseries Silver Surfer: Black picked up from the opening of Cates’ Guardians of the Galaxy run, which transported the Surfer through a singularity. Stranded in an unfamiliar timeline with Knull awake and poised to plunge the universe into darkness, the Surfer discovered that as he expended the Power Cosmic to keep the shadows at bay, his metallic coating began to appear blackened from the consumption. Norrin was able to triumph over Knull in their initial skirmish and trigger the Big Bang that birthed the universe, with the effort giving him a completely black metallic hue.
The Silver Surfer’s arrival on Earth to battle Knull in the present for an eagerly-anticipated rematch coincided with the arrival of the Enigma Force to christen a prophesied God of Light capable of defeating Knull for good. The Enigma Force was introduced as an ancient energy that served as a natural counterpoint to Knull and his deadly weapon, All-Black the Necrosword. The Enigma Force would go on to fuel the Uni-Power, the omnipotent energy that powers the cosmic superhero Captain Universe, with the Enigma Force selecting Eddie Brock as the latest host of the Uni-Power.
As the Silver Surfer breached the symbiote encompassing Earth, cutting it off from outside support while Knull scoured the planet for Dylan Brock, he freed the Enigma Force from being restrained by the symbiotes. Before the Enigma Force bonded with Eddie, it doused Surfer with its light on the way to imbue a new Captain Universe. In the process, Silver Surfer’s signature sheen has been completely restored, just in time for Knull to fashion a sword from the silver and take on the dark god head-on. Cates later confirmed that it was the exposure to the Enigma Force that restored the Surfer, and not the ultimate defeat of Knull.
King in Black has shaken the status quo for several heroes in the Marvel Universe, most notably including Eddie Brock’s own awe-inspiring ascension. The changes to Silver Surfer appear to be more cosmetic so far, but the restoration of his silver sheen could signal that Norrin is back to his full cosmic potential, with his grasp over the Power Cosmic potentially as firm as ever. With Knull defeated and the Silver Surfer feeling and looking like his old self again, Captain Universe has a silvery ally in tow to save the day.
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