In 1961, the world was introduced to The Fantastic Four, a team of explorers who embarked on a dangerous spaceflight and were forever changed by cosmic radiation. Gaining extraordinary abilities, they collectively agreed to use their powers to serve humanity as heroes. Among them was Johnny Storm, better known as The Human Torch.
While the name “Human Torch” had previously belonged to an android hero from Golden Age Marvel comics, Johnny adopted the moniker as a tribute. He has appeared in two different film adaptations of The Fantastic Four and had a small role in Deadpool & Wolverine. Now, Johnny Storm is set to make his full MCU debut in Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The Birth and Rebirth of The Human Torch
Johnny Storm Was a Hothead Before He Became The Human Torch
Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm lived a fairly normal life on Long Island with his sister Sue and their parents. Tragedy struck when their mother died in a car accident, and their father, Franklin, a doctor, fell into a deep depression, turning to alcoholism and gambling. His downward spiral ultimately led to him accidentally killing a loan shark, landing him in prison. With their father gone, Johnny and Sue went to live with their aunt Marygay.
As the older sibling, Sue took on a surrogate mother role for Johnny. Despite the chaos he often caused growing up, he deeply loved and appreciated all she did for him. During his adolescence, Johnny developed a passion for cars and became a skilled mechanic. By the time he was a teenager, he was capable of overhauling a transmission.
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In his youth, Johnny Storm was nearly chosen as the host for the demon Zarathos after heroically saving his friends from a burning building, with the help of archaeologist Max Parrish. Years later, he joined Sue, her fiancé Reed Richards, and their friend Ben Grimm on a space expedition that would change their lives forever. Exposure to cosmic radiation granted Johnny incredible powers over fire and flight, leading him to adopt the name The Human Torch.
The Human Torch’s Relationships and Lovelife
Johnny Storm Has Had Plenty of Romantic Interests
Like his pal Ben Grimm, Johnny has had quite a few relationships throughout his time in Marvel Comics. Officially—and this list is by no means exhaustive—he has dated a civilian named Dorrie Evans, Frankie Raye, a herald of Galactus, Namorita Prentiss, cousin of Namor, Rogue of the X-Men and Medusa of the Inhumans. He was also married to a Skrull impersonating Ben’s former partner, Alicia Masters, and had a long-term relationship with Medusa’s sister, Crystal.
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After Johnny’s wife was revealed to be a Skrull named Lyja, things ended badly, and Lyja was killed while saving Johnny’s life. Later, she was resurrected and claimed to be pregnant with Johnny’s child, but it was eventually revealed that the supposed child was actually an artificial implant and a weapon designed to kill the Fantastic Four.
The Human Torch Has Incredibly Destructive Powers
There’s Much More to Johnny Storm Than Fireballs
Johnny’s powers go far beyond simply setting himself on fire and throwing fireballs. He actually envelops himself in a fiery plasma that doesn’t harm him, activating it at will with his signature phrase, “Flame on!” In this form, The Human Torch can fly by generating flames behind him to create thrust, which allows him to propel himself through the air.
His fire manipulation extends to shaping flames into various forms, including creating fiery duplicates of himself. The Human Torch can also absorb heat and plasma at incredible levels, an ability he often uses strategically in battle. For example, Johnny has absorbed flames to shield others from fire.
Johnny’s most powerful attack is what he calls “Nova Flame,” an omnidirectional energy blast at the highest temperatures he can generate. Nova Flame is said to reach one million degrees Fahrenheit and covers an area of approximately 900 feet in diameter. However, using this ability completely drains Johnny’s energy for a day, aside from what he needs to survive in his normal form, and it can take up to 12 hours for him to fully recover.
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These temporary bursts of weakness aren’t the only limit to The Human Torch’s powers. Johnny’s superheated plasma only turns into flames in oxygenated environments, so being cut off from oxygen can severely limit his abilities. However, other factors, like water, aren’t usually much of a threat to The Human Torch. It takes massive amounts of water to extinguish his flames, and in most situations, Johnny can turn any water that’s thrown at him into steam.
