Warning: Spoilers for Fantastic Four #25The Human torch is known for being the hot-headed playboy of the Fantastic practiceAlways bouncing from one girlfriend to the next with no sign of settling down anytime soon. It looks like Johnny Storm may not be content with being a player anymore, though. On losing his last love, the Human Torch reveals why he can never be as happy as the rest of the Fantastic Four.
Fantastic practice #25 by Ryan North and Carlos Gómez follows Marvel’s first family as they are stranded on an unknown world after interfering with Doctor Doom’s magical dome. During their time on this planet, Johnny Storm falls in love with a stranger named Angelica of the Shore. However, when Reed discovers that the mysterious planet is actually an alternate Earth that evolved differently, Johnny and Angelica have to share ways to stay on their own worlds. Johnny is devastated by this, and his words reveal an unfortunate truth.
In this heartbreaking moment, Johnny calls out the fact that he is the only member of the Fantastic Four who has not found loveUnveils a struggle that sets him apart from his teammates.
Johnny Storm from Fantastic Four still hasn’t found “the one”
But it’s not for lack of trying
Johnny Storm left behind a trail of broken hearts during his time as the Fantastic Four’s human torch. The series began with his first girlfriend, Dorrie, who ended their relationship when he chose heroism over her one too many times. Since then, Johnny has entered cast after cast, from Inhumans to Mutants to Aliens. He even got married at one point to a Skrull named Lyja after she disguised herself as Alicia Masters, but that too fell apart. All of the Human Rights Torch’s relationships ended in flamesAnd as a result, he is always one.
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Johnny’s relationships seem to be doomed from the start, and there may be a reason for that. in 2005 Fantastic practice #526 by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett A curse from Diablo causes the members of the Fantastic Four to swap dreams with each other. Sue experiences Johnny’s recurring nightmare, in which he pushes the women he’s dated away because he’s afraid of hurting them with his flame powers. This offers a tragic explanation for why Johnny’s relationships never last long. Johnny Storm may be destined to be alone, but even the unlikeliest member of the Fantastic Four has managed to find love.
Human Torch has replaced the Thing as FF’s tortured hero
Ben Grimm found love before Johnny Storm
Originally, Ben Grimm was the Fantastic Four hero defined by suffering and loneliness due to his mutation into the Thing. With his hulking orange form, Ben feared that no one would ever love a face like his. Then, everything changed when he fell in love with Alicia Masters, and the two were eventually married. They had now adopted two children – a Skrull named N’Kalla and a Kree named Jo-Wen – and the Thing had traded his past sorrow for happy joy with the family he had made. The human torch, on the other hand, is a far cry from this satisfaction.
This thing isn’t the only one in the Fantastic Four who has settled down and started a family. Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman got married decades ago in the 1965s Fantastic four yearly #3 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and they have two children of their own. Now that Ben is married to Alicia, The Human Torch has officially Taking the Thing’s place as the Fantastic Four’s loneliest member. Reed Richards, Sue Storm, and Ben Grimm all have love in their lives, while Johnny Storm does not, which begs the question of if he ever will.
Johnny Storm finally gets his happily ever after
But not forever, in a tragic twist of fate
After years of failed romance, The Human Torch forms a genuine relationship with Angelica of the Shore, only for it to be cut short when they are forced to say goodbye. This time, it’s not Johnny’s own actions or insecurities that contribute to the end of their romance. The circumstances are beyond their control, which makes the ending even more painful. Just when Johnny finds someone who loves him for his powers instead of fearing him for them, she is taken from him again. The human torch gains happiness, but it remains just out of his reach.
Despite how fleeting it was, Johnny Storm found love like his teammates, proving that happiness was indeed possible for him.
Johnny lashes out at the Fantastic Four about losing his chance at happiness, but Angelica assures him of that Their short-lived happily ever after is as real as anyone else’s. What is important is that in the short time they shared together, they were happy. Despite how fleeting it was, Johnny Storm found love like his teammates, proving that happiness was indeed possible for him. Maybe these Human torch Will get his permanent happy ending someday like the rest of them Fantastic practice Have, but until that day comes, he can cherish the memories he made with Angelica.
Fantastic practice #25 is available now from Marvel Comics.