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Just as Marvel movie fans are about to meet the Silver Surfer for the first time in this summer’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel’s comic book fans are about to have a chance to read the character’s final appearance in the newly-announced series Death of the Silver Surfer.

Written by Greg Pak, with art from Sumit Kumar, the five-issue miniseries appears to be set in either the future of the current Marvel comic book universe, or an alternate Marvel comic book universe, given that the official description of the first issue mentions the character returning to “defend a war-ravaged Earth.” If this is a non-canonical story, then the Surfer’s death in the story — less a spoiler than the predestined selling point of the entire enterprise — becomes even more of a curio than before; alternate versions of Marvel characters are always dying in such stories. (See, for example, the current Aliens vs. Avengers series, which delights in killing Marvel characters every issue.)

However, it should be noted that the death of this particular Silver Surfer in this series could open the way for Marvel to introduce a new version of the character that could more closely resemble the MCU incarnation of the character, to be played by Julia Gardner and introduced in July’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Just in case, you know, synergy is something that Marvel is thinking about.

Talking to ComicBook.com, which exclusively announced the title, Pak said, “I love the Silver Surfer with all my heart — because he’s entirely heart. And during a time when so many people are in so much need, he’s never been more relevant… Norrin Radd is an alien who’s attacked wherever he goes, and yet always choses to help; a harbinger of doom who serves an abomination, but who always fights for life. His fantastical stories have always been about the contradictions and complexity of the real world, about the terrible price and infinite rewards of actually caring for others.”

Marvel's official description of the first issue reads, “The SILVER SURFER returns to defend a war-ravaged Earth, but Norrin has a galaxy-sized target on his back. A new enemy will stop at nothing to steal away everything the Surfer is or ever will be. A single human life may be all that decides the Surfer’s salvation…or damnation. If the Surfer falls, who then wields the awesome Power Cosmic? And what of the Surfer’s old master, Galactus, Devourer of Worlds?! Guest-starring: The Fantastic Four! GREG PAK (PLANET HULK, DARTH VADER) pens the Sentinel of the Spaceway’s next tragic epic with superstar illustrator SUMIT KUMAR (WEB OF SPIDER-VERSE, SPIDER-MAN: BLACK SUIT & BLOOD)!”

Death of the Silver Surfer will be released June 4. The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be in theaters July 25.

Keep up to date on Popverse's Marvel coverage, with these highlights:

• The MCU needs Anya Taylor-Joy's Magik in it (and not just for the X-Men connection)
• How Disney+'s What If...? is the moonshot for the next 50 years of Marvel Studios & the MCU
• Marvel Studios has accidentally created a new Phase that predates Phases 1 - 6: the MCU Phase Zero
• Overgrown children of the atom: Marvel's X-Men can't evolve past their '90s commercial peak
• The biggest outstanding questions of the Marvel Studios' movies & TV shows
• Donald Trump is the landlord for Marvel's House of Ideas
• Marvel Studios swapping out Doctor Doom for Kang offers the chance to jettison the Multiverse Saga
• What Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is saying (and not saying) about the MCU X-Men franchise says a lot about the future of the Mutant Saga
• If Marvel is going to bring Loki back for Secret Wars, it's time to give him an upgrade
• In 2021, Sony's boss said people won't miss Spider-Man in its Spider-adjacent movie. Turns out, they do.