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Human Torch
Human Torch
Notable Aliases: Jim Hammond, The Torch
First Appearance: Marvel Comics #1 (October, 1939)
- "Phineas Horton was like a modern day Prometheus, stealing fire from the heavens and handing a human torch down to man."
Marvel's First Super Hero.
The Human Torch (no, not that one) was a character and ongoing anthology story created by Carl Burgos in 1939 for Timely Comics, which would become Marvel Comics, anthology Marvel Mystery Comics. He debuted in the first issue and would go on to have his own comic series, cross over with the Sub-Mariner and Captain America, and join The Avengers. He is still appearing in comics in 2019.
For the Human Torch's temporally diverged counterpart the Vision, see The Vision.
- Ambiguous Robots: Due to the inconsistent way that different writers portray him, the specifics of the Torch's artificial nature are often hazy. On the one hand, he's been shown to be "grown" in a man-sized tube, can eat and drink, has genetic material, and can donate blood — on the other hand, his creator Dr. Horton is sometimes portrayed as a roboticist, his cells are made out of plastic and carbon polymers, he doesn't seem to need food, water or even air, and the Scarlet Witch once used her hex powers to "deactivate" the Torch like a robot.
- Artificial Human: The Torch is visually indistinguishable from a human being aside from bursting into flame when exposed to oxygen-rich air. On the anatomical level, his body is made of synthetic materials, with ceramic bones and plastic polymers in his cells — however, his blood is compatible with humans to the point that he's a universal donor, and he even has genetic material.
- Artistic License – Physics: He is an android who spontaneously combusts when in the presence of oxygen. Until he learns about nitrogen and then doesn't. Also, flames apparently obey him. And he can carry fabric sometimes while he's on fire, while at other times he's melting steel.
- Depending on the Writer: Whether the Torch is more of an Artificial Human or a Ridiculously Human Robot seems to depend on who's writing him at the time. Sometimes he's biological enough to be a universal blood donor and have genetic material, while other times, he doesn't need air to survive and can be "deactivated" like a mechanical robot.
- Eating Machine: Despite his name, the Human Torch is an android, and he is capable of eating and drinking. He doesn't seem to require it, though, being powered by photoelectric cells in his artificial skin.
- Elemental Armor: When flamed up, his fire is so hot that, sometimes, bullets melt before they can reach him.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Sometimes it's thought that he's a bad guy or even actually behind what he's trying to stop. Justified in that, not only is his power inherently destructive, but his first appearance in the world resulted in quite a lot of destruction, almost certainly the deaths of innocents, and definitely the deaths of criminals, and he killed his creator and has been known to act contrary to the police.
- In a Single Bound: The Torch can't fly (at this point in time, not even Superman could fly), but he might as well. He leaps at times over small mountains.
- Kill It with Fire: The Torch does not especially shy away from killing his foes.
- Lightning Bruiser: He's the precursor to Johnny Storm, who's 6'3 and 300 lbs.
- The Mafia: Many of his foes were generic mobsters — supervillains hadn't been invented yet.
- Funetik Aksent: Many bad guys are written with phonetic "Joisey" accents.
- Never Given a Name: The Torch's creator never gave him a humanlike name, he was just "the Torch". He eventually, several stories in, takes the human alias Jim Hammond.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: Nothing really seems to harm him.
- Playing with Fire: Control of fire is his primary ability. Not just that he can create and throw it, but fire appears to actively obey him. His most impressive feats include not just melting but sublimating sheets of steel.
- Finger-Snap Lighter: Lighting people's cigars is a common way for him to prove his identity or powers.
- Fireballs: He throws fire, with various body parts.
- Ring of Fire: He traps people in rings of fire, usually from a distance.
- Wreathed in Flames: His primary power is that he's on fire.
- Protagonist-Centered Morality: Even in stories where it starts with the Torch on the wrong side of the law, by the end he is usually forgiven and right all along. Enforced, more or less, by the era; it would be difficult to find comic books before the '70s where this isn't the case, unless they are presented as a villain. The Sub-Mariner is an interesting aversion.
- Ridiculously Human Robots: The Torch is an android, but no one seems to know that who wasn't told.
- Robot Superhero: The Torch isn't truly mechanical, but he otherwise fits the bill. An android created by Professor Phineas T. Horton, the Torch rejects his creator's proposal to use his powers for money and fame and instead became one of the first superheroes in the Marvel Universe.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Supernatural Powers!: In early installments, at least, the Torch is still using his power for good, but that doesn't mean he has any problem committing wanton destruction of property, escaping (and destroying) jail, resisting the police, letting bad guys die... His mindset is that because he's right and going after the real bad guy, the actual law doesn't matter.
- Super-Speed: He ran/leapt a two-day car journey in a day or less.
- Super-Strength: He can lift steel beams and catch hurtling boulders.
- Think Nothing of It: He seems to do heroics for the sake of themselves and tells grateful people not to mention it.
- Turned Against Their Masters: In the first issue, The Torch desired to return to the scientist who created him but turned his back on him and goes it alone once he realizes he just wanted to exploit him like the mobsters he just dealt with... and then apparently promptly and unapologetically attempted to kill him.
Toro
Toro
Alter Ego: Thomas Raymond
First Appearance: Human Torch Comics #2 (September, 1940)
- "I'm Toro. Tom Raymond. The man you killed. And I'm here to return the favor."
The kid sidekick of the Human Torch. Eventually, he stepped out from his mentor's shadow and became a hero in his own right, working with the Kid Commandos.
- Flying Firepower: Just like the Human Torches, he can do this thanks to his powers.
- Kid Sidekick: The Torch takes Tom under his wing due to the latter being 1. an orphan, 2. hunted by a super-villainess, and 3. having superhuman powers similarly to the Torch's.
- Two First Names: Thomas and Raymond.
- Wreathed in Flames: How his powers work.
Sun Girl
Sun Girl
Alter Ego: Mary Mitchell
Notable Aliases: Flaming Kid, Human Torch, Flame Kid, Toro the Fire-Eating Boy
First Appearance: Sun Girl #1 (June, 1948)
A 1920s superheroine who wields a light emitting ray gun to fight crime. She teamed up with the Human Torch for a time in the 1940s.
- The Ageless: She apparently stopped aging after reaching adulthood, as she hadn't aged from her original career in the 1920s to the 1940s. However, she was shown as an old woman in the 21st century, so it's unknown if she's actually ageless.
- Badass Normal: She is a top acrobat and skilled in both judo and jiu jitsu.
- Distaff Counterpart: Played with, as she briefly replaced Toro as the Human Torch's sidekick, but besides her codename and light emitting ray gun she only superficially fits the theme.
- Ray Gun: Her Sunbeam Ray Gun produces a bright blast of light to disorient her opponents.
Phineas Horton
First Appearance: Marvel Comics #1 (October, 1939)
You want to see my creation? Come this way please — and I will show you everything!
The creator of the Human Torch.
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: After creating the Human Torch, he decided to go for another round. Unfortunately, his second creation, Adam-II, went nuts and decided to take over the world, starting by replacing prominent American politicians with robots. He was stopped, but not before the second Captain America died in the process. Many decades later, Marvel Comics #1000 suggests Adam's nuttiness was in part due to the Enclave being involved in his creation.
- Bus Crash: Marvel Comics #1 introduced Professor Horton and his creation The Human Torch. At the end of the story The Torch is tired of everyone, including the professor, using him for their own personal gain. As a result, he escapes Professor Horton's lab by burning a hole through the roof, leaving the professor behind staring in shock at what happened. Issue #2 starts with a recap of the events in the first story with the addition of us being told that Professor Horton was now dead, though apparently he still had the presence of mind to type up his experience while his house burned down around him. Though he would later be revived (briefly) in the 1970s, this would be his only living appearance during the Golden Age Timely/Atlas era.
- Glory Hound: All he wants to do is seek fame through his inventions and the Human Torch.
