Shalla-Bal
Encyclopedia
Shalla-Bal is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe
.
, Zenn-La
(in the Deneb System, Milky Way Galaxy), and was the lover of Norrin Radd. When the planet-eating Galactus
came to their planet, Norrin Radd volunteered to become the herald of Galactus in exchange for sparing Zenn-La. Norrin Radd was given the Power Cosmic and became the Silver Surfer
, thus separating him from Shalla-Bal for a long time.
Eventually, the Surfer rebelled against Galactus, who trapped him on the planet Earth
as a punishment
. The demon Mephisto
who desires to defeat the Surfer and steal his noble soul, sensed the anguish of this separation within him, and used Shalla-Bal as a pawn in his conflict with the Surfer. As part of a conspiracy Mephisto replaced the consciousness of Shalla-Bal so that she believed herself to be a regular citizen of Latveria
named Helena, and Doctor Doom
organized a false marriage celebration with her in order to make the Surfer fight the Fantastic Four
.
Meanwhile Galactus consumed the life energies and ecosphere of Zenn-La because of Silver Surfer's betrayal, but spared the lives of its people by warning them of his coming beforehand, allowing them to return to the lifeless husk afterwards. When Mister Fantastic
freed the Surfer from his imprisonment, he returned to Zenn-La to find it in this state and learned that Shalla-Bal had been abducted by Mephisto. Finally understanding the conspiracy Surfer returned to Latveria to find Shalla-Bal meanwhile imprisoning himself once again on the Earth
. The Surfer bestowed a portion of his Power Cosmic
to Shalla-Bal while Mephisto was sending her back to her planet, and she was able to use this power to restore the life on Zenn-La. She was thus accepted as an Empress by her people. However the responsibilities of her office made Shalla-Bal refuse marriage with the Surfer when he eventually broke free from Earth for good, and he told her that their romance was over. However, she was then held hostage by the Elders
, but was rescued by the Silver Surfer.
Shalla-Bal later met the Kree
leader, Nenora. Shalla asked the Surfer to protect Zenn-La from the Obliterator
. Shalla made an alliance with the Skrull
Empress S'byll against the Kree Empire. She was informed by the Cotati
that Nenora was actually a disguised Skrull. Shalla was captured by Nenora's Kree Sentry
, but freed by the Cotati. She told S'byll and the Surfer about Nenora's true nature, and was returned to Zenn-La by the Surfer.
Shalla was later taken captive by the Enslavers, and was then reunited with the Surfer. Shalla was seen in flashback telling Norrin Radd about his father's suicide. She was seen in flashback again at her first meeting with Norrin Radd when they were children. Shalla-Bal was later abducted with the planet Zenn-La by the Great One. Shalla was briefly reunited with the Silver Surfer, but disintegrated along with the Great One's pocket universe. The Surfer later sought to return her to life.
After years of rejection, Shalla-Bal once became romantically involved with Fennan Radd - a man who claimed to be the Silver Surfer's half-brother by his father. Fennan claimed to have been born after Norrin's mother Elmar committed suicide.
Shalla-Bal was once able to restore life to Zenn-La's ecosphere due to a fragment of the Silver Surfer's power cosmic
that he placed within her. Apparently she can still cause plant life to grow wherever she walks.
Shalla-Bal is accomplished in administering government.
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
Fictional character biography
Shalla-Bal is the Empress of her utopian planetPlanet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
, Zenn-La
Zenn-La
Zenn-La is a fictional planet in the Marvel Universe, located in the Deneb System in the Milky Way galaxy, approximately 3,000 light years from Earth. It is best known as the homeworld of the Silver Surfer...
(in the Deneb System, Milky Way Galaxy), and was the lover of Norrin Radd. When the planet-eating Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
came to their planet, Norrin Radd volunteered to become the herald of Galactus in exchange for sparing Zenn-La. Norrin Radd was given the Power Cosmic and became the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
, thus separating him from Shalla-Bal for a long time.
Eventually, the Surfer rebelled against Galactus, who trapped him on the planet Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
as a punishment
Punishment
Punishment is the authoritative imposition of something negative or unpleasant on a person or animal in response to behavior deemed wrong by an individual or group....
. The demon Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
who desires to defeat the Surfer and steal his noble soul, sensed the anguish of this separation within him, and used Shalla-Bal as a pawn in his conflict with the Surfer. As part of a conspiracy Mephisto replaced the consciousness of Shalla-Bal so that she believed herself to be a regular citizen of Latveria
Latveria
Latveria is a nation in the . It is an isolated European country ruled by the supervillain Doctor Doom, supposedly located in the Banat region. It is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, and also borders the Symkaria to the south. Its capital is Doomstadt.-Publication history:Latveria first...
named Helena, and Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
organized a false marriage celebration with her in order to make the Surfer fight the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
.
Meanwhile Galactus consumed the life energies and ecosphere of Zenn-La because of Silver Surfer's betrayal, but spared the lives of its people by warning them of his coming beforehand, allowing them to return to the lifeless husk afterwards. When Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
freed the Surfer from his imprisonment, he returned to Zenn-La to find it in this state and learned that Shalla-Bal had been abducted by Mephisto. Finally understanding the conspiracy Surfer returned to Latveria to find Shalla-Bal meanwhile imprisoning himself once again on the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. The Surfer bestowed a portion of his Power Cosmic
Power Cosmic
The Power Cosmic is a fictional type of cosmic energy that appears in comic books published by Marvel, most commonly mentioned in stories involving the cosmic entity Galactus and his heralds...
to Shalla-Bal while Mephisto was sending her back to her planet, and she was able to use this power to restore the life on Zenn-La. She was thus accepted as an Empress by her people. However the responsibilities of her office made Shalla-Bal refuse marriage with the Surfer when he eventually broke free from Earth for good, and he told her that their romance was over. However, she was then held hostage by the Elders
Elders of the Universe
The Elders of the Universe are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Collector was the first Elder to appear, and featured in Avengers #28...
, but was rescued by the Silver Surfer.
Shalla-Bal later met the Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
leader, Nenora. Shalla asked the Surfer to protect Zenn-La from the Obliterator
Obliterator (comics)
The Obliterator is a fictional character, an alien supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is one of the Elders of the Universe, a foe of the Silver Surfer.-Fictional character biography:...
. Shalla made an alliance with the Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
Empress S'byll against the Kree Empire. She was informed by the Cotati
Cotati (comics)
The Cotati are a fictional alien race in the Marvel Universe. They are a highly intelligent species of telepathic plants. Long ago, the Cotait were humanoid in form, with branches which served as rudimentary limbs which allowed them to slowly travel, and a torso topped by a distinct head with a...
that Nenora was actually a disguised Skrull. Shalla was captured by Nenora's Kree Sentry
Sentry (Kree)
Sentry-459 is a fictional character that appears in the . It is one of series of giant humanoid robots built by the alien race the Kree. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four vol. 1, #64 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
, but freed by the Cotati. She told S'byll and the Surfer about Nenora's true nature, and was returned to Zenn-La by the Surfer.
Shalla was later taken captive by the Enslavers, and was then reunited with the Surfer. Shalla was seen in flashback telling Norrin Radd about his father's suicide. She was seen in flashback again at her first meeting with Norrin Radd when they were children. Shalla-Bal was later abducted with the planet Zenn-La by the Great One. Shalla was briefly reunited with the Silver Surfer, but disintegrated along with the Great One's pocket universe. The Surfer later sought to return her to life.
After years of rejection, Shalla-Bal once became romantically involved with Fennan Radd - a man who claimed to be the Silver Surfer's half-brother by his father. Fennan claimed to have been born after Norrin's mother Elmar committed suicide.
Powers and abilities
As a member of the race of aliens known as Zenn-Lavians, Shalla-Bal has an extraordinarily long life span. Hence, Shalla-Bal has lived for centuries although she is still physically a young woman.Shalla-Bal was once able to restore life to Zenn-La's ecosphere due to a fragment of the Silver Surfer's power cosmic
Power Cosmic
The Power Cosmic is a fictional type of cosmic energy that appears in comic books published by Marvel, most commonly mentioned in stories involving the cosmic entity Galactus and his heralds...
that he placed within her. Apparently she can still cause plant life to grow wherever she walks.
Shalla-Bal is accomplished in administering government.
Television
- Shalla-Bal appeared in the Silver SurferSilver Surfer (TV series)Silver Surfer, also known as Silver Surfer: The Animated Series, is an animated television series based on the Marvel Comics superhero which aired on the Fox Kids Network in 1998.-Overview:...
TV series voiced by Camilla ScottCamilla ScottCamilla Scott is a Canadian actress and television host.-Biography:Scott's first job was a cashier at the Canadian grocery chain Dominion when she was age 15...
.
Film
- Shalla-Bal is alluded to in the 2007 movie Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver SurferFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver SurferFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a 2007 American superhero film, and the sequel to the 2005 film Fantastic Four. Both films are based on the Fantastic Four comic book and were directed by Tim Story...
, albeit not by name. It is here implied that she bears a resemblance to Susan StormInvisible WomanSusan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...
(played by Jessica AlbaJessica AlbaJessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
).
Music
- GuitaristGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Joe SatrianiJoe SatrianiJoseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
has an instrumental track called "Back to Shalla-Bal" on his 1989 album Flying in a Blue DreamFlying in a Blue DreamFlying in a Blue Dream is a 1989 album by instrumental rock solo artist Joe Satriani. It is his third studio album .-Album information:...
. Satriani also produced a 1987 album, Surfing with the AlienSurfing with the AlienSurfing with the Alien is the second album by instrumental rock guitarist Joe Satriani, released in 1987. Surfing with the Alien contributed greatly to establishing Satriani's reputation as a respected rock guitarist....
, and a 2-disc DVD reissue (2007). The Silver Surfer and Galactus both appear on the front and back of the album cover, respectively.
External links
- Shalla-Bal at Marvel Wiki