Human Torch

Human Torch is the codename of two Marvel Comics superheroes: Johnny Storm, a founding member of the Fantastic Four, and an earlier World War II-era android hero whose name Storm later adopted in tribute.

Johnny Storm

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Johnny Storm debuted in Fantastic Four #1 (1961) as the younger brother of Sue Storm. He gained his powers alongside Sue, Reed Richards, and Ben Grimm after the four were bombarded by cosmic rays during an experimental space flight; Johnny's abilities let him wrap his entire body in flame, fly by jet-like propulsion, and control fire within range of his concentration, though the effect weakens without oxygen or in water. Characterized as quick-tempered and impetuous even before gaining powers, Johnny adopted the "Human Torch" name as a tribute to the earlier wartime hero of the same alias.

The original android Human Torch

Decades before Johnny Storm, Timely Comics introduced an android version of the Human Torch: Jim Hammond, built in a Brooklyn laboratory by the fictional Professor Phineas Horton and bursting into flame on exposure to oxygen during his public unveiling. Hammond became a founding member of the wartime superhero team the Invaders alongside Captain America and Namor, battling Hydra and the Red Skull. Though largely eclipsed in popularity by Johnny Storm since the 1960s, Hammond predates him as Marvel's first character to use the Human Torch name.

See also

• Fantastic Four
• Marvel Comics
• Stan Lee
• Jack Kirby
• Namor
• Captain America