Marvel could be fixing a two-decade-old mistake with this major change to Human Torch in The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Give Johnny Storm, or Human Torch, a couple of hours on screen and he'll be unserious the whole time. It was more of a Chris Evans thing as Human Torch, before he stepped up to lead the Avengers as Captain America. Well, that's about to change in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it seems. Joseph Quinn's Human Torch will be funny in the new film, but with manners.

Chris Evans' version was a cool Human Torch, but the character was all about raw expletive and slangs. Evans as Captain America, on the other hand, represented perfection as an iconic superhero. However, all that changed last year, when he didn't care much about manners or lingo while appearing in that metal junkyard in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).

Now Joseph Quinn, who recently went guns blazing in Warfare, takes up the mantle of Human Torch, and will likely be an ideal family member. The actor recently appeared in an interview with the other members of the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, and explained how his character is going to be different from the Evans' version.

We aren't likely getting a foulmouthed hero in The Fantastic Four: First Steps

The MCU has lately avoided foulmouthed characters, though there were Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool & Wolverine. That would seem necessary, of course. A Deadpool movie needs a certain vibe, and the Johnny Storm cameo was a perfect add-on.

However, we shouldn't expect the same version of Johnny Storm in the upcoming film. Here's how actor Joseph Quinn explains to Entertainment Weekly about the new iteration of the Fantastic Four member:

"He's a man that leads with a lot of bravado, which can be an affront sometimes. But also he's funny. Myself and [Marvel Studios boss] Kevin [Feige] were speaking about previous iterations of him and where we are culturally. He was branded as this womanizing, devil-may-care guy, but is that s*xy these days? I don't think so. This version of Johnny is less callous with other people's feelings, and hopefully there's a self-awareness about what's driving that attention-seeking behavior."

The idea is clear in The Fantastic Four: First Steps' trailer, too. Joseph Quinn's character appears for a few moments, lying upside-down on a chair, trying to get outside the Earth's atmosphere, but none of his antics remind us of the original Johnny Flame we saw in 2005.

Both versions of the character match their eras

Here's an interesting aspect: Chris Evans' Human Torch belonged to a modern era back in the day, and Joseph Quinn's character in The Fantastic Four: First Steps belongs to the 1960s in the present day.

If we take this into account, both the characters fit their respective eras in the respective films. The 2005 film and its sequel, which is set in modern day, allow characters like Evans' Johnny Storm to go hand in hand with a lifestyle of a certain generation, which is post-2000s.

On the contrary, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, where the events will take place in a retro-futuristic era of the 1960s, has a better option with a mild-mannered version of the character. We will see this version soon when the film is released on July 25, 2025, kicking off Phase Six of the MCU.

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Also Read: The Fantastic Four: First Steps to undergo reshoot? But will that change the release date?

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