‘Fantastic Four’s Joseph Quinn Says His Johnny Storm Is “Less Callous”

As Joseph Quinn joins the MCU, he has a more evolved take on his character, who debuted in 1961.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps star recently explained how his version of Johnny Storm contrasts from previous iterations of the Human Torch “as this womanizing, devil-may-care guy,” which he doesn’t find “sexy these days.”

“He’s a man that leads with a lot of bravado, which can be an affront sometimes. But also he’s funny,” Quinn told Entertainment Weekly. “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 sexy 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.”

Previously portrayed by Chris Evans in Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), as well as Michael B. Jordan in the 2015 reboot, First Steps director Matt Shakman agreed with Quinn that Johnny should be more than just Sue’s hothead little brother.

“He is really smart,” Shakman said of the character. “He’s on that spaceship for a reason, and I think sometimes people forget that in various comic stories, he’s been one of the most heroic of them, even if he’s undercutting his heroism at every turn through humor. He’s Sue’s brother, which means they are cut from similar cloth.”

Premiering July 25, the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps is rounded out by Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Thing, also starring Julia Garner, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne and Paul Walter Hauser.