Human Torch

 In: Characters
 Posted: 2005
 Staff: Dave Sippel (E-Mail)
 Staff: The Editor (E-Mail)
File Photo
Attributes
Eyes:

Blue

Features:

Blond

Hair:

Blond

Height:

5' 10"

Weight:

170 lbs

Powers
Abilities:

Expert driver and pilot, exceptional mechanical and engineering skills.

Equipment:

Fantasti-cars. Other FF equipment.

Limitations:

Somewhat "hot-headed"

Powers:

Can generate and control flame in many different forms, in many different frequency spectra, from glowing warmth to super-nova. Can use projected flame to fly.

Strength Level:

Normal human

Summary
Citizenship:

United States of America

Created By:

Stan Lee

Current Groups:

Fantastic Four

Current Occupation:

Adventurer

Dual Identity:

Public

Education:

College Educated

Former Occupation:

Racing Car Driver, Mechanic

Known Allies:

Countless

Known Confidants:

Spider-Man, Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Susan Storm

Known Relatives:

Susan Storm (Sister), Reed Richards (Brother-In-Law)

Legal Status:

No Criminal Record

Major Enemies:

Countless

Marital Status:

TBD

Place of Birth:

Glenville, Long Island, NY

Real Name:

Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm

Usual Bases:

Fantastic Four Building, New York

Background

Johnny Storm, as stated above, is what you might call "hot tempered." He has plenty of background to justify that temperament. His mother died in a car accident while Johnny was a child and his father fell into alcoholism. Franklin Storm, his father, was eventually killed by thugs. The young man was raised primarily by his older sister, Sue Storm. They were close in age, but miles apart in personality. While Johnny was impulsive, Sue was careful and compassionate.

They were normal human beings, until they joined Sue's boyfriend, Reed Richards and his friend, Ben Grimm, on a test flight into outer space. While in space, the craft was hit by cosmic radiation. After they returned to earth, each of the flight members found that they had new abilities. Johnny's gift was the ability to fly, burst into flame and control fires that were burning around him. The four astronauts called themselves the Fantastic Four.

They became world known adventurers and tried to use their abilities to help mankind. They became the enemies of many people, most notably Victor von Doom, aka Doctor Doom. Doom had been the college room mate of Reed Richards, and he blamed Reed for the failure of a device he had created while at college. He made it his life's work that the world would know that he was superior to Richards.

The Torch and Spider-Man have a long history together. They have squabbled and bickered as often as they have helped each other. They are about the same age but have very different personalities. They took on the Fox. They managed to survive Avant-Garde (Spark, Bora, Painter). They stopped fighting each other long enough to apprehend the Beetle early in their careers, and Johnny accidentally inspired Peter to never give up after he was beaten by Doctor Octopus. Spidey returned the favor by rescuing Johnny from the Sandman after he was kidnapped. They survived fighting each other, after they were tricked into doing so by Mysterio and the Wizard. The Torch has aided Spider-Man several times against Venom, as fire is one of the creature's few weaknesses.

Spidey and Torch are what you might call super hero siblings. They like each other, but would never admit it. After Norman Osborn framed Spider-Man for attacking him and put out a reward for his capture, New York was flooded with vigilantes trying to take him down. (Absorbing Man, Titania, Black Tarantula and Punisher among them.) Torch was one of the few to speak up for Spider-Man, warning the Hornet to leave Spidey alone. Little did he know that Peter had been using the Hornet identity to fight crime without becoming a target in the process.

Torch and Spidey (very) briefly teamed against the Vulture. Toomes arrived at the Empire State Building with an Uzi, after telling Spider-Man that they would finally settle their feud once and for all, mano a mano. Spidey said that he had lied too, just as Torch arrived and destroyed Vulture's wings. Spidey punched him and the old man crashed into a snow bank.

At a later date, Johnny was killed while in battle with insect-like creatures from the Negative Zone. Little did the Four know, but John was revived by the insects at the command of Annihilus. Annihilus wanted to use Torch to open a portal to Earth and although John refused, a portal was opened anyway by Reed Richards. Johnny led a rebellion of other prisoners against Annihilus and defeated him. Reed later determined that, from John's perspective, he had been gone for two years. During the time that Johnny was presumed dead, the Fantastic Four renamed themselves the Future Foundation and took on Spider-Man as their fourth member, as per Johnny's last will and testament. Johnny later said that he added that part as a joke.

Soon after his return, Johny and Spider-Man traveled to a space station orbiting the earth that was carrying the astronaut John Jameson. Contact with the station had been lost and upon entering the ship, Johnny and Spidey were attacked by Dr. Octopus's mini octobots. They were rescued by Jameson, who had been on a space walk when the octobots took over the station. However, the three were soon confronted by the other astronauts, who had become possessed by the octobots. The escape shuttle was destroyed by Mysterio at the control station, stranding the three. Mysterio and Octopus then remote piloted the Apogee to burn up in the earth's atmosphere. Torch saved them by absorbing the heat, while Spidey and John removed the oxygen from the station, causing the astronauts to black out. They were kept from suffocating by being taken to oxygen ready space suits.

John was less than happy with Peter after he announced on TV that his new business, Parker Industries, was moving into the Torch's old home, the Baxter Building. A furious Torch came for Peter at the building but was immediately trapped in the same tube that Spidey had been trapped in when he first met the Fantastic Four. Torch melted his way out of it and went after a very amused Spider-Man. Torch resented that Peter bought the building after everything the Four had done for him but agreed to talk it out..after their fight had caused about $100,000 in damages. Spidey gave Johnny a tour (John reminded him that he had lived there forever) and introduced him to the man in the head office, Harry Osborn.

Johnny was stunned that the Green Goblin's son was in charge of running things, from the Baxter Building no less. Harry said that he was Peter's best friend and was good at business, but Johnny was hurt that Harry was Peter's bff. Spidey showed him the garage where he built new Spider themed vehicles but John was again hurt that he had built a new spider mobile without him. He flamed on again and knocked Spidey through a wall. They were stopped by the reformed criminal, Clash, whom Peter scolded after he changed out of his costume. Peter showed Torch one last thing: the statue of the Fantastic Four that was in the lobby. Several less than ethical corporations (Alchemax, Roxxon, and Hammer) had tried to buy the building but Parker Industries made sure to outbid them all. He wanted to make sure that the building stayed in good hands until the Fantastic Four returned. Later, Peter, Johnny and Harry all went out for a drink. Peter got a call from Mockingbird about the cult called Zodiac had attacked SHIELD and stolen P.I. data. Torch agreed to help Spider-Man out. (Amazing Spider-Man #3 vol 4)

Image Gallery

Appearances

Cover Date Appearance Information
Nov 1961 App: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #1
Mar 1963 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #1 (Story 1)
Jul 1963 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #3
Oct 1963 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #5
Jul 1963 App: Strange Tales Annual #2
Dec 1999 App: Avengers (Vol. 1) #1 1/2
Dec 1963 App: Strange Tales (Vol. 1) #115 (Story 1)
Dec 1963 App: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #21
Jan 1964 App: Avengers (Vol. 1) #3
Feb 1996 App: Untold Tales of Spider-Man #6
Apr 1964 App: Strange Tales (Vol. 1) #119 (Story 1)
Sep 1996 App: Untold Tales of Spider-Man #13
Feb 1994 App: Marvels #2
Year 1964 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Annual #1 (Story 1)
Oct 1964 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #17
Nov 1964 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #18
Dec 1964 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #19
Year 1997 App: Untold Tales of Spider-Man Annual 1997 (Story 1)
Jan 1965 App: Strange Tales (Vol. 1) #128 (Story 1)
Feb 1965 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #21
Jan 1964 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #8 (Story 1)
Year 1996 App: Untold Tales of Spider-Man Annual 1996
Mar 1994 App: Marvels #3
Apr 1967 App: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #61
May 1967 App: Strange Tales (Vol. 1) #156 (Story 1)
Year 1967 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Annual #4 (Story 1)
Apr 1968 App: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #73
Year 1968 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Annual #5 (Story 1)
Jan 1969 App: Avengers (Vol. 1) #60
Sep 1969 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #76
Mar 1972 App: Marvel Team-Up #1
Jun 1971 App: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #111
May 1972 App: Marvel Team-Up #2
Jul 1972 App: Marvel Team-Up #3
Apr 1973 App: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #133
Jun 1973 App: Marvel Team-Up #10
Nov 1973 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #126
Dec 1973 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #127
Feb 1974 App: Marvel Team-Up #18
Mar 1974 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #130
Jul 1974 App: Giant-Size Spider-Man #1 (Story 1)
Jul 1974 App: Marvel Team-Up #23
Oct 1974 App: Marvel Team-Up #26
Jan 1975 App: Marvel Team-Up #29
Apr 1975 App: Marvel Team-Up #32
Jul 1975 App: Marvel Team-Up #35
Nov 1975 App: Marvel Team-Up #39
Dec 1975 App: Marvel Team-Up #40
Sep 1977 App: Marvel Team-Up #61
Mar 1979 App: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #204
Jun 1979 App: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #207
May 1980 App: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #218
Dec 1980 App: Marvel Team-Up #100
Sep 1982 App: Marvel Team-Up #121
Apr 1984 App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #89
May 1984 App: Secret Wars #1
Jun 1984 App: Secret Wars #2
Jul 1984 App: Secret Wars #3
Aug 1984 App: Secret Wars #4
Sep 1984 App: Secret Wars #5
Oct 1984 App: Secret Wars #6
Nov 1984 App: Secret Wars #7
Dec 1984 App: Secret Wars #8
Jan 1985 App: Secret Wars #9
Feb 1985 App: Secret Wars #10
Mar 1985 App: Secret Wars #11
Apr 1985 App: Secret Wars #12
Nov 1984 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #258
Dec 1984 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #259
May 1997 App: Code Of Honor #4
Dec 1984 App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #97
Year 1984 App: Marvel Team-Up (Vol. 1) Annual #7
Nov 1984 App: Marvel Team-Up #147
Dec 1984 App: Marvel Team-Up #148
Nov 1984 App: Marvel Team-Up #147
Jun 1985 App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #103
Aug 1985 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #267
Mar 1986 App: Secret Wars II #9
Nov 1988 App: Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #44
Year 1989 App: Web of Spider-Man Annual #5 (Story 1)
Feb 1991 App: Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #73
May 1991 App: Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #76
Jun 1992 App: Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #23
May 1992 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #362
Jun 1992 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #363
Jul 1992 App: Infinity War #2
Aug 1992 App: Infinity War #3
Sep 1993 App: Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #104
Oct 1993 App: Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #105
Aug 1994 App: Spider-Man Unlimited #6 (Story 1)
Year 1995 App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) Annual 1995 (Story 1)
Jan 1996 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #407
Jun 1998 App: Sensational Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #28
Nov 1998 App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #263
Jan 1999 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #1 (Story 1)
Apr 1999 App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #4
Sep 2000 App: Peter Parker: Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #21

Thanks To

 The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.

 Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.

 In: Characters
 Posted: 2005
 Staff: Dave Sippel (E-Mail)
 Staff: The Editor (E-Mail)