New Marvel Rivals Characters: Who is The Human Torch?

Marvel Rivals continues to add new and exciting characters to its roster. To kick off the second half of Season 1: Eternal Night Falls, Human Torch is coming to the hero shooter. Find out about his origins, abilities, and several comics you should pick up to see him in action here.

Human Torch’s First Appearances

Human Torch appears as Marvel’s first superhero in ‘Marvel Comics (1939) #1‘
The first Human Torch was Jim Hammond, not Johnny Storm.
Johnny Storm appears decades later in ‘Fantastic Four (1961) #1‘ as part of Marvel’s first family, taking up the mantle. He’s the brother of Susan Storm, who’s popularly known as Invisible Woman.

Human Torch Origins

The Human Torch launched the Marvel Comics brand over 80 years ago. Unlike Johnny Storm, whom everyone associates with the moniker, Jim Hammond first donned the name.

Originally an Android created by Professor Phineas T. Horton, Hammond burst into flames when booted up and exposed to oxygen, gaining human sentience and a personality. Dangerous and uncontrolled at first, Hammond learns to control his powers and vows to protect humanity, even helping in World War II efforts. After the war, Hammond was put in stasis, allowing a new hero to take up the name.

In 1961, Marvel introduced what would become ‘Marvel’s First Family’ in the Fantastic Four. The once-normal group of Reed Richards, Benjamin Grimm, Susan Storm, and Johnny Storm take a trip to space and get bombarded by cosmic rays while studying a cosmic storm outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

human torch origins — Image via Marvel Comics

The storm forces the team back to Earth, where each develops unique and distinct power sets. Johnny Storm, gained the ability to light himself ablaze and take to the sky and thus became the new Human Torch.

Marvel Rivals human torch first appearance — Image via Marvel Comics

After an adjustment period, the group would found the team we now know as the Fantastic Four and take on multitudes of otherworldly threats with their new abilities. With Hammond on ice, Johnny Storm was the only Human Torch around for some time.

That would eventually change, once Hammond awoke from his induced coma. The Thinker sent Hammond to fight the Fantastic Four. Hammond found Johnny first, and a fight ensued. Hammond eventually turns against Thinker and aids them in stopping the villain, at the cost of his life.

Jim Hammond would be revived once more by Scarlet Witch, but eventually sacrifices himself again to save the world from Axis Mundi, leaving Johnny Storm as the last standing Human Torch.

For more on the history of the Fantastic Four as a group, check out the video from Variant below:

Human Torch Abilities

A full list of Human Torch’s abilities can be found below, along with a full breakdown.

Abilities

human torch netease games — Screenshot by Tai Hofmann

Fire Cluster (Attack)
- Launch forward a splittable fireball
Plasma Body
- Hold the activation key to enter a state of accelerated ascent.
Pyro Prison
- Connect flame fields to form a fire wall that deals burning damage to enemies.
Flaming Meteor
- Dive towards the ground and stun nearby enemies.
Blazing Blast
- Launch a fireball to create a flame field at the targeted area.
Supernova (Ultimate)
- Unleash shockwaves to deal damage to enemies within range. During skill activation, the flame field will transform into a fire tornado.
Omega Fire (Team-Up)
- Storm can consume one of Human Torch’s fire tornadoes into her ultimate to ignite her hurricane. Likewise, Human Torch can turn Sotrm’s hurricane into a fiery hurricane with his ultimate, which will then enlarge and intensify any of his fire tornadoes caught in its path.
Cooperative Comarades (Team-Up)
- The Invisible Woman taps into her powers, channeling Psionic Might to Fortify the entire Fantastic Four team. The formidable force bolsters Mister Fantastic, The Thing, and Human Torch, granting damage resistance. Once activated, they can continually generate Bonus Health, making up for the lost Health with each passing moment.