The Human Torch in the MC2

 

Fresh from seeing Marvel Studios latest release, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, I’m finally reinvigorated and motivated to delve into the MC2 Universe’s own members of the Fantastic Four …. or the Fantastic Five, as they are now known in this world. For today, let’s look at the hot-headed Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch in the MC2.

 

All the core four members of Marvel’s First Family debuted in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby 1961’s Fantastic Four #1, launching the very Marvel Universe itself as we know it today by depicting the fateful space launch which gave this famous four their powers.  

In the MC2, Johnny Storm first appeared in the story which launched a new universe in the pages of What If #105. While it’s only a cameo appearance, it does give us our first glimpse of the MC2’s Fantastic Five.

 

It’s not long until the Fantastic Five make their full debut in the pages of Spider-Girl #3 battling Spyral. We learn Johnny now leads this new team comprised of Reed Richards aka Big Brain, Franklin Richards aka Psi-Lord, Lyja Storm aka Ms. Fantastic and Ben Grimm aka The Thing.

 

In the following issue, Johnny Storm invites his old friend Peter Parker (the retired superhero Spider-Man) out to lunch where he broaches the subject of encountering Spider-Girl. Despite Johnny’s assumption, Peter is less than pleased about the situation (Spider-Girl #4).

 

In a flashback in Spider-Girl #7 we learn that it was Johnny himself who contacted Mary Jane following her husband Peter’s near-deadly maiming in his final battle with the Green Goblin.

 

Here’s the relevant MC2-specific events in Johnny’s past. While we don't know the exact point at which the history of the Main Marvel Universe Fantastic Four stops being the same as that of the MC2 Fantastic Four/Five, we do know a few things about the team’s history. At some point, the Skrull called Lyja joined the Fantastic Four and married Johnny Storm (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #1). 

 

Approximately five or so years prior to the events of Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #1, the Fantastic Four prepared to battle Hyperstorm, a cosmically powered warlord from an alternate future who had built a doomsday weapon in the Negative Zone (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #4, Spider-Girl #87). Lyja was pregnant at this time and did not join the team on their mission (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #4). Franklin engaged Hyperstorm in a 'mind-war' on every plane of existence which ultimately left Hyperstorm comatose and apparently stripped Franklin of much of his god-like power (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #4).

 

 Unfortunately, the doomsday device had already begun to tear a hole in the fabric of reality. When Reed Richards was forced to overload the device to stop it, Susan Richards attempted to shield him from the radiation with her force field. Caught in the blast radius, half of Reed's body was left in a melted and deformed state. With the reality rip still widening, Susan used her powers to hold the tear in place, with the strain leaving her in a coma and she was placed in suspended animation.

 

In the wake of the tragedy, The Fantastistation was built in the Negative Zone around the tear in reality. This allowed Reed to keep Sue company while she remained in suspended animation as he worked to slowly repair the hole in the fabric of reality (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #4, Spider-Girl #87). Over the next few months, while the Fantastic Four remained in seclusion, rumours and speculation spread about the fate of Susan Richards despite the team never releasing details to the public. Reed developed the Big Brain robot to allow him to remain on the team by remotely controlling it from the Negative Zone (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #1).

 

The team formally changed their charter, membership and name, finally re-branding themselves as the Fantastic Five, with John Storm aka The Human Torch leading the team of Ms. Fantastic aka his wife Lyja Storm; Ben Grimm aka The Thing; Reed Richards as Big Brain and Franklin Richards now known as Psi-Lord (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #1, Fantastic Five Vol. 2 #1).

 

It's obvious Johnny Storm has matured and grown into his role as leader of the Fantastic Five and appears to have settled down as a father and husband Torus and Lyja, respectively.

 

Until I learn how to look cool while on fire, I remain

frogoat

  

The Skrull Incident

 

Hey, looks like the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ show Secret Invasion is bringing the Skrulls back in a big way. What better way to celebrate than to take a look at a part of the MC2’s unexplored history by trying to uncover as much as possible about the mysterious event known as ‘The Skrull Incident’.

 

 

The first (and unless I am mistaken only) mention of ‘The Skrull Incident’ was in A-Next #2, when The Orbital Defense Grid detects the approach of a Kree spacecraft and fires upon it, resulting in the craft splitting into two before crashing into the Washington National Park. With the newly formed new Avengers team called in to investigate by Bill Foster, we learn a little history behind the Orbital Defense Grid when Mainframe off-handedly mentions to Thunderstrike that the Grid was erected years prior when the government was convinced by the events of the last known alien invasion, which he identifies only as 'The Skrull Incident'.

 

A collection of satellites positioned in orbit around the planet Earth, the Orbital Defense Grid comes equipped with long-range sensory instrumentation and offensive weaponry capabilities allowing it to detect and destroy incoming space debris, extraterrestrial spacecraft, and various other threats to the planet from outer space (A-Next #2, Spider-Girl #34, #46, #86). We also learn in Last Planet Standing #2 that Reed Richards helped design the Orbital Defense Grid.

 

Circling back to the Skrulls, we learn in Spider-Girl #3 that Lyja is married to Johnny Storm and in Fantastic Five (vol. 1) #2 we are first introduced to the couple's son, Torus Storm, a Human/Skrull hybrid. Torus possesses both his mother's Skrullian ability to shape-shift and his father's pyrogenic powers. Despite his (very) young age, Torus often attempts to aid his family in battle by altering his form into that of a muscular adult male while utilizing his flame-blasts.

 

Here's where we connect some dots from prior exploratory posts and add some speculation. As I mentioned in the History of the MC2: The Fantastic Four post approximately five or so years prior to the events of Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #1, the Fantastic Four prepared to battle Hyperstorm, a cosmically powered warlord from an alternate future who had built a doomsday weapon in the Negative Zone (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #4, Spider-Girl #87). Lyja was pregnant at this time and did not join the team on their mission (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #4). 

 

Presumably, Lyja Storm is heavily pregnant with none other than Torus in the scenes depicting the Fantastic Four preparing to leave for the mission. Now this is significant because as I mention above, we know this mission was only ‘five or so years’ prior to the MC2’s present day. So, as I calculated in the How old is Torus Storm post, Lyja and Johnny’s son Torus is only around 5 or 6 years old.

 

From the book Comic Creators on Fantastic Four by Tom Defalco, we got this comment from Fantastic Four and Fantastic Five artist Paul Ryan:

Tom Defalco: You felt Johnny and Lyja should have actually had a baby, right? Do you want to explain why?

Paul Ryan: I thought it would have been a new dynamic for Johnny, in that he would have to start facing some grown-up responsibilities. I thought that it could make for an interesting character, too, because the child of a Skrull and a human would be totally unique – and it could lead to some interesting story arcs in which the Skrull Empire wanted to get hold of the child for some reason. We could have done things with the child itself, like accelerated growth rate; maybe the Skrulls mature faster. Also, things could have been very interesting where the child had the ability to face-shift, as well as he cosmic ray-based powers of heat and flame, which is something you experimented with in Fantastic Five. Finally, I thought it might bring Johnny and Lyja closer together, and there could have been some exciting story possibilities there.

 

 

I think the late, great Mr Ryan provides us with a very good explanation for why young Torus Storm looks and behaves more like a 10-year-old than a 5-year-old. Skrull hybrids are a rarity, and one that we know little about. But further to this point is Mr Ryan’s comment about the Skrull Empire wanting to get hold of the child.

 

As mentioned earlier, the Orbital Defense Grid was commissioned following the events of the mysterious 'Skrull Incident' (A-Next #2) which was some years prior. This alongside Apox the Omega Skrull's out of date references to heroes such as Thor, Captain America and Iron Man strongly suggests the Skrull Empire has not had contact with Earth since - a fact the marvunapp entry for Apox pointed out (Spider-Girl #47). Notably, in both battles with Apox, he refers to the Fantastic Five as ‘the team once known as the Fantastic Four’ and Skrull’s aboard the Skrull Worldship also refer to the team as the Fantastic Five suggesting the Skrull Empire is aware of the change in team name (Spider-Girl #47, Spider-Girl #86-#87).

 

It is also worth pointing out that apart from Apox, no one from the Skrull Empire approached Earth directly, as evident from the Skrull Worldship's position far away from the planet at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy (Spider-Girl #87-88). It is also suggested that Apox may have attacked the Fantastic Five against orders as a result of his delusion of godhood. While we do not know much about the state of the Skrull Empire, we do know that it is currently led by an Emperor (Spider-Girl #88) who presumably presides over the Skrull High Command (Spider-Girl #86-88) in a regime that Lyja refers to as 'virtual slavery' (Spider-Girl #88).

 

With all these points laid out, I would like to posit a hypothesis. I believe the so-called ‘Skrull Incident’ involved an invasion resulting in a large-scale attack upon Earth with a potential goal or motivation related to Torus Storm and his hybrid Skrull/Human nature. Presumably this occurred around 5 to 6 years prior to the MC2 present-day, either during Lyja’s pregnancy or shortly afterwards, potentially after the team officially rebranded as the Fantastic Five or simply while they operated with additional family members on a regular basis as the F4. Whatever the details, the invaders are defeated and the Skrull Empire seemingly do not attempt further attacks until the present day.

 

 In the aftermath of this Skrull Invasion, the government was convinced to erect The Orbital Defense Grid, possibly due to the security risk shape-shifting imposters pose to world authorities. Reed Richards (through his Big Brain robot proxies if we assume it takes place after his accident) helps to design this Defensive Grid, with long-range sensors that reach nearly to the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. This Grid proves effective in detecting and deterring potential alien invasions and is outfitted with offensive weaponry capable of destroying space debris and other threats.

 

Let me know what you think of this theory, it has been a long time brewing in the ol’ brain pan and involves a variety of different minor points of continuity being put together. Do you agree, disagree, or have a different theory?

 

Until I stop plucking at the various loose threads of the MC2’s untouched history, I remain

 

frogoat

How Old is Torus Storm?

 

Consider this a sort of spin-off of the A-Next Ages series, because today I wanted to try and resolve something that’s honestly been on my mind for the last few years, at least since I made my History of the MC2: Fantastic Four and Skrulls in the MC2 posts: How old is Torus Storm?

 

Keep in mind this isn’t definitive unless it’s spelt out on the page and is merely a rough estimate based on in-universe information or- where necessary- statements from the creative teams involved in the characters creation and development. Here’s what we know:

 

Approximately five or so years prior to the events of Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #1, the Fantastic Four prepared to battle Hyperstorm, a cosmically powered warlord from an alternate future who had built a doomsday weapon in the Negative Zone (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #4, Spider-Girl #87). Lyja was pregnant at this time and did not join the team on their mission (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #4). Franklin engaged Hyperstorm in a 'mind-war' on every plane of existence which ultimately left Hyperstorm comatose and apparently stripped Franklin of much of his god-like power (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #4).

 

Presumably, Lyja Storm is heavily pregnant with none other than Torus in the scenes depicting the Fantastic Four preparing to leave for the mission. Now this is significant because as I mention above, we know this mission was only ‘five or so years’ prior to the MC2’s present day. So, is Torus Storm only around 5 years old?

 

 

From the book Comic Creators on Fantastic Four by Tom Defalco, we got this comment from Fantastic Four and Fantastic Five artist Paul Ryan:

Tom Defalco: You felt Johnny and Lyja should have actually had a baby, right? Do you want to explain why?

Paul Ryan: I thought it would have been a new dynamic for Johnny, in that he would have to start facing some grown-up responsibilities. I thought that it could make for an interesting character, too, because the child of a Skrull and a human would be totally unique – and it could lead to some interesting story arcs in which the Skrull Empire wanted to get hold of the the child for some reason. We could have done things with the child itself, like accelerated growth rate; maybe the Skrulls mature faster. Also, things could have been very interesting where the child had the ability to face-shift, as well as he cosmic ray-based powers of heat and flame, which is something you experimented with in Fantastic Five. Finally, I thought it might bring Johnny and Lyja closer together, and there could have been some exciting story possibilities there.

 

I think Mr Ryan provides us with a very good explanation for why young Torus Storm looks and behaves more like a 10-year-old than a 5-year-old. Skrull hybrids are a rarity, and one that we know little about. For example, a later hybrid, the Kree-Skrull hybrid known as Hulkling appears to be in his late teens in Young Avengers, despite being conceived amid the Kree-Skrull War storyline which can only have occurred around a decade prior to the present-day Main Marvel Universe. Maybe Skrull hybrids really do age and mature faster?

 

So, unless we get confirmation otherwise, we know that Torus Storm can only be around 5 to 6 years old in the present day MC2. I’ve added the extra year of age for the approximate year of time which had passed in-universe from the beginning of the MC2’s published history to its end. Hope this clears up any confusion rather than contributes to it.

 

Until I run out of reasons to reference the Comic Creators books, I remain

 

frogoat

 

 

Skrulls in the MC2

What a coincidence, I'm writing a post about Skrulls in the MC2 shortly before the release of the Captain Marvel movie which features Skrull prominently! In all seriousness, this post and a few others have been in the works for a while now. Without further ado, let's get started.

While the shape-shifting Skrulls have been menacing the Earth since they first appeared way back in Fantastic Four #2, the first time we see a Skrull in the MC2 is...the first appearance of the MC2 in What If #105. It's here we get a glimpse of the Fantastic Five, who's members include the Skrull Lyja Storm aka Ms. Fantastic.

We learn in Spider-Girl #3 that Lyja is married to Johnny Storm and in Fantastic Five (vol. 1) #2 we are first introduced to the couple's son, Torus Storm, a Human/Skrull hybrid. Torus possesses both his mother's Skrullian ability to shape-shift and his father's pyrogenic powers. Despite his (very) young age, Torus often attempts to aid his family in battle by altering his form into that of a muscular adult male while utilizing his flame-blasts.

Both Torus and his mother Lyja require far more attention than this write-up on the Skrulls as a whole can do justice, so look forward to me giving the them more focus in another post in the future. Needless to say, they are Skrulls and it would have been remiss of me to leave them out of this post.

We don't encounter any other members of the Skrull race until Apox the Omega Skrull is introduced in Spider-Girl #46. Apox a Skrull servant who was turned into a cyborg with the ability to access the Power Cosmic via a power nodule on his back. Apox killed the Skrull Genetech's who granted him this ability when they refused to worship him as a god. Making his way to Earth under the cover of a meteor swarm, making it past the Orbital Defense Grid and destroying the top of the Fantastic Five Headquarters on his mission to destroy the former Fantastic Four. When Spider-Girl removed the power nodule regulating Apox's Power Cosmic, the Omega Skrull nearly exploded due to the overload. Apox was defeated when the nodule was restored after Big Brain (Reed Richards) had made modifications to it (Spider-Girl #47).

Imprisoned within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s  secret Mount Athena maximum security prison, Apox is freed by a beam of 'coherent energy' sent by the Skrull High Command which restores him to power and eliminates the need for a command nodule. After leaving a trail of defeated heroes in his wake, Apox attacks the F5 Headquarters only to be delayed by the team's children and Spider-Girl (Spider-Girl #86-87). Meanwhile, a Skrull Worldship traps the F5 Headquarters within an 'extermi-field' which draws energy from the sun to create a bomb large enough to destroy the Island of Manhattan. It transpires Apox is merely a pawn for the Skrulls to exact their revenge on Earth, as they do not care if he succeeds or fails or even lives or dies (Spider-Girl #87).

Making his way into the Negative Zone via the Fantastic Five's portal, Apox heads to the Fantastistation to take out the original Fantastic Four, only to be defeated by the team when Reed Richards uses the Omega Skrull's Power Cosmic to seal the rift in reality and restore Susan Richards (Spider-Girl #87-88). Spider-Girl makes her way back out of the Negative Zone to deliver Reed Richard's solution to the solar bomb-reversing the polarity and sending the energy back to the Skrull Worldship. With the Skrull Worldship disabled and the mission a failure, the Skrulls chose imprisonment on Earth alongside Apox rather than face the Skrull High Command (Spider-Girl #86).

Finally, the Shaper of Worlds, the sentient Skrull-made original Cosmic Cube makes appearances in Last Planet Standing #2 and #3 alongside other Great Powers of the Universe who gather to discuss the threat to reality Galactus' final plan poses. Ultimately deciding they must destroy Galactus using a combined destructive bolt strong enough to wipe out the Earth and the entire Milky Way Galaxy, the Great Powers are halted in their attempt when Reed Richards is forced to use his Transdimensional Cannon's single shot on the cosmic beings.

As mentioned in my previous post the Orbital Defense Grid was commissioned following the events of the mysterious 'Skrull Incident' (A-Next #2) which was some years prior. This alongside Apox the Omega Skrull's out of date references to heroes such as Thor, Captain America and Iron Man strongly suggests the Skrull Empire has not had contact with Earth since - a fact the marvunapp entry for Apox pointed out (Spider-Girl #47). It's also worth pointing out that apart from Apox, no one from the Skrull Empire approached Earth directly, as evident from the Skrull Worldship's position far away from the planet at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy (Spider-Girl #87-88). It's also suggested that Apox may have attacked the Fantastic Five against orders as a result of his delusion of godhood. While we don't know much about the state of the Skrull Empire, we do know that it is currently led by an Emperor (Spider-Girl #88) who presumably presides over the Skrull High Command (Spider-Girl #86-88) in a regime that Lyja refers to as 'virtual slavery' (Spider-Girl #88).

And that's it, that's all I have to share about the Skrulls in the MC2. Clearly, there is an untold story in the history of the MC2 involving the 'Skrull Incident' and I believe it played a part in keeping the Skrull race from openly attacking Earth. Perhaps one day I'll expand on it in it's own post?

Until I can uncover Tom Defalco and Ron Frenz's unpublished scripts and plot ideas, I remain

frogoat