Warning: Contains spoilers for Immortal Thor #16! There was some debate between Marvel Comics Fans for decades over which superhero was the first to exist in the Marvel Universe. When you look back at the first comic that the publisher ever published, you will see that three superheroes were introduced at the same time, meaning that each of them could be considered ‘the first’. However, after 85 years, Marvel officially names its first superhero.
in The Immortal Thor #16 by Al Ewing and Jan Bazaldua, Thor is attacked by the Radioactive Man and the rest of the Thunderbolts, who are assisting in the arrest of the God of Thunder after the fourth wall-shattering events of the previous Immortal Thor storyline. However, before their battle, the comic takes fans to the beginning of Marvel Comics history, comparing the original superheroes with those of today, charting the path of Midgard’s ‘mortal gods’. And the first hero in Marvel history is revealed to be the Human Torch.
The Immortal Thor #16 highlights the fact that Midgard was unique among the Ten Realms due to its mortal population. Most of the other realms are home to beings of divinity and magic, which are not inherent to life on Midgard. However, humans have proven their place among the ten realms with their ability to create their own gods in the form of superheroes. And now, fans know that the first superhero – the first god – mankind ever created was Jim Hammond aka The Human Torch.
The Human Torch beat two other contenders for the title of “Marvel’s First Hero”
All 3 heroes were introduced in 1939s Marvel Comics #1
The three main superheroes featured in Marvel Comics #1 are the Human Torch, Angel and Namor the Submariner. This is why there has been fan debate for decades about which superhero is technically the first, as the three all debuted at the same time in the same comic. But now it has been confirmed that the Human Torch beat the other two for the title of “Marvel’s first hero”, which is something that has been teased right from the beginning.
in Marvel Comics #1, the first story that was told was the story of the Human Torch, meaning he was the first superhero Marvel Comics fans were ever introduced to. Many simply believed that this was more of a technicality, and not a definitive statement from Marvel that the Human Torch was actually its first hero. However, with the additional confirmation of the Immortal Thor, it is clear that the placement of the Human Torch in the lineup of stories in Marvel Comics #1 is no accident.
Why the title of the first hero of Marvel Comics did not go to another original character: Namor
Namor the submariner is chronologically older than the human torch – why isn’t he 1?
Namor the Submariner was not only born in the early 1920s (making him many years older than Jim Hammond, who wasn’t created until the late 1930s), but he’s also a natural-born superhero—a mutant, to be exact. So, since he appeared in Marvel Comics #1, is older than the Human Torch, and was born with superpowers, why isn’t Namor Midgard’s first hero? Well, this can be answered in two ways: he was not a ‘god’ created by men, and he was not a hero in the beginning.
Namar became a hero when he joined the fight against the Nazis during World War II, but originally, he attacked humans and tried to create a war between humans and Atlanteans. moreover, The Immortal Thor was highlighting how humans were able to create heroes, not charting the history of natural mutations found on Midgard, and the first legitimate hero the humans created was the Human Torch.
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There’s a reason why fans have debated who Marvel’s first hero was for decades, and the debate may very well continue. However, those who believe that Jim Hammond was the original hero of the publisher have the support of The Immortal ThorWhich clearly names the Human Torch as Marvel Comics‘The first superhero.
The Immortal Thor #16 by Marvel Comics is now available.