Shalla-Bal

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caption=
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Shalla-Bal
real_name=Shalla-Bal
species=Zenn-Lavian
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="Silver Surfer" #1 (Aug 1968)
creators=Stan Lee and John Buscema
alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff
status=
alliances=
previous_alliances=
aliases=Helena
relatives=
powers=|

Shalla-Bal is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. She is the Empress of her utopian planet, Zenn-La, 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 on numerous occasions used Shalla-Bal as a pawn in his conflicts 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 and Dr. Doom organized a false marriage celebration with her in order to make the Surfer fight the Fantastic Four.

Meanwhile Galactus consumed the life energies 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 taken 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 thus being 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.

Shalla helped Norrin unravel a Skrull plot against the Kree Empire. ["Silver Surfer" Vol. 3 #30 (Nov 1989)]

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.

Appearance in other media

*Shalla-Bal appeared in the Silver Surfer TV series.
*Shalla-Bal is alluded to in the 2007 movie "", albeit not by name. It is here implied that she bears a resemblance to Susan Storm (played by Jessica Alba).
*Guitarist Joe Satriani has an instrumental track called "Back to Shalla-Bal" on his 1989 album "Flying in a Blue Dream". Satriani also produced a 1987 album, "Surfing with the Alien", and a 2-disc DVD reissue (2007).

References