Doug Jones Says He’d Return as Silver Surfer in the MCU, but He Has One Condition

Back in 2007, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer gave fans their first live-action big screen take on Norrin Radd, and it was Doug Jones who physically brought the cosmic icon to life.

Now, nearly two decades later, Jones is open to riding the surfboard again in the MCU… but only if Marvel lets him finish what he started.

In Rise of the Silver Surfer, Jones embodied Galactus’ Herald on set, delivering the movement, the presence, and even the voice during filming. However, in post-production, the voice was replaced by Laurence Fishburne, who would later join the MCU as Bill Foster in Ant-Man and The Wasp.

With Marvel Studios diving headfirst into Multiversal storytelling in projects like Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the idea of past Marvel actors returning to their roles isn’t far-fetched.

Just look at Deadpool & Wolverine, which brought Wesley Snipes back as Blade in his early 60s. So when CBM sat down with Jones to talk about his new comedy Operation Taco Gary's, the conversation naturally drifted toward the Silver Surfer and whether he’d suit up again.

Jones didn’t hesitate.

"Well, I would love to voice myself. Yes," the actor said of a possible return to the role. "In fact, I did do the voice on set with all my actor co-stars and was voiced over in post-production.

“So I love Laurence Fishburne. He's a brilliant actor. But I would love, if offered the role again, I would love to take on the entire thing."

That’s the condition. If he comes back, he wants the full package this time.

It’s hard to argue with that. Jones is famous for disappearing into elaborate prosthetics and creature roles, from Hellboy to countless other genre projects. Silver Surfer was another example of that transformative work.

And while Fishburne’s voice added gravitas, there’s something appealing about the idea of Jones fully owning Norrin Radd from performance capture to final line delivery.

Still, the actor is realistic about Marvel’s likely direction.

"But I just have a feeling that at my age and with their plethora of younger actors they have to choose from now that they'll probably go with someone a bit younger," Jones acknowledged.

"And I'm okay with that because I've moved into a new category where I'm playing saucy, interesting, colourful old guys. And I love it."

When we last saw his Silver Surfer, the character had broken free from Doctor Doom’s control, confronted Galactus, and seemingly sacrificed himself to save Earth.

A mid-credits scene revealed he survived, setting up a third film that never happened. Fox eventually rebooted the franchise in 2015, shifting the focus back to Doom and leaving Norrin Radd in limbo.

More recently, we saw the Shalla-Bal version of the character appear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, signaling that Marvel Studios is clearly interested in exploring the cosmic mythology surrounding Galactus and his Heralds.

That makes it feel almost inevitable that a new Norrin Radd will surface at some point in the MCU, possibly after Secret Wars reshapes the franchise’s timeline.

Whether Marvel calls Jones or opts for a fresh face, the door is clearly open. And if the studio decides to tap into its Multiverse playbook again, there’s a ready-made Silver Surfer waiting to reclaim his board.

Honestly, seeing Doug Jones glide back into the MCU, this time with his own voice echoing across the cosmos, would be pretty awesome.