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

  

H.E.R.B.I.E. in the MC2

 

There’s this highly-anticipated movie on the horizon called Fantastic Four: First Steps from Marvel Studios. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? One of the aspects unique to this big-screen theatrical adaption of Marvel’s First Family is the debut of the robotic companion H.E.R.B.I.E. So, let’s look at the history of H.E.R.B.I.E. in the MC2.

 

H.E.R.B.I.E.’s origins lie outside the comics, having been conceived by Stan Lee for 1978’s The New Fantastic Four animated series as a replacement fourth member of the team when the Human Torch was unavailable for use due to a planned but never realized solo film. Fantastic Four co-creator and comic book legend Jack Kirby provided the design for the character.

H.E.R.B.I.E. or ‘Herbie’ was soon after introduced into the comics, making his (‘its’?) first appearance in the pages of Fantastic Four #209 by Marv Wolfman and John Byrne in 1979. Built by Reed Richards (and Master Xar of Xandar), it is revealed the animated series itself exists in-universe as a licenced product and that Reed offered the design to the producers as a replacement for Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch who was out of town that day and unable to sign a contract. According to Richards, H.E.R.B.I.E. stands for Humanoid Experimental Robotic B-Type Integrated Electronics.

Let us hop on over to the MC2 Universe now, where what appears to be a version of H.E.R.B.I.E. makes a cameo appearance as a member of the Fantastic Five in What If #105. But is this really H.E.R.B.I.E.? When we next see the Fantastic Five in Spider-Girl #3, we learn the public story that Reed Richards body was mangled in an accident, leading him to use a robotic form resembling H.E.R.B.I.E. albeit under the codename ‘Big Brain’.

 

We learn more of the mystery surrounding Reed’s accident in Fantastic Five (vol. 1) #1 when the Big Brain robot is destroyed. Soon after we see flashbacks to a battle in the Negative Zone about 5 years beforehand between the Fantastic Four and the villainous Hyperstorm. In the aftermath of this battle, a 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 rip in reality still widening, Susan used her powers to hold the tear in place, with the strain leaving her in a coma, forcing the misshapen Reed to place her suspended animation (Fantastic Five (vol. 1) #4).

 

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).

 

With the destruction of the previous Big Brain robot in Fantastic Five (vol. 1) #1, Reed begins using a new model with a more humanlike shell, marking the last time we’d see the H.E.R.B.I.E. design utilized in the MC2.

 

Until I decide to put my brain in a robot to spend more time with my wife, I remain

 

frogoat

Death in the MC2

 

Hopefully you’ve been watching and enjoying the WandaVision spin-off series Agatha All Along on Disney+ as much as I have! In the spirit of the spooky season, lets take a look at the deadly deity Death in the MC2.

 

But first, we need to gain some context by looking at the personification of Death in the Main Marvel Universe. Following a debatable appearance in the main image of a text story in Marvel Mystery Comics #10 from 1940, Death officially first appearing in Captain Marvel #26 in 1973. Death is an abstract being embodying the concept of mortality, acting as one of the great cosmic forces of existence alongside Eternity, Infinity and Oblivion.

 

Often depicted in the form of a purple cloaked skeleton or pale woman, in modern times Death has had direct interactions and relationships with notable characters such as Wade Wilson aka Deadpool and Thanos, the Mad Titan who gathered the Infinity Gems and snapped away half of all life in the Universe in an attempt to win Death’s favour (Deadpool/Death Annual ’98, Thanos Quest #1-#2, Infinity Gauntlet #1-#6).

 

With the bare bones backstory out of the way, lets look at Mistress Death as she briefly brushed against the MC2. During the events of Last Planet Standing, with Galactus poised to destroy the entire universe in an attempt to rid himself of his never-ending hunger, a gathering of the Great Powers of the Universe took place to discuss the threat posed to reality. The cosmic forces in attendance included Master Order, Lord Chaos, The In-Betweener, The Shaper of Worlds, The Stranger, The Gardener, The Collector and of course The Living Tribunal (Last Planet Standing #2).

The Great Powers of the Universe’s attempt to reason with the World-Eater one last time fails. 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 (Last Planet Standing #3).

With Galactus enacting his final solution on Earth, the combined forces of the super hero community work to penetrate his force field and combat his doomsday weapon’s launch. When Spider-Girl, Stinger and American Dream manage to reverse the polarity of the device’s flow, the resulting backlash causes Galactus to be overloaded with enough energy to kill him and destroy the entire galaxy. As his end approaches, Galactus perceives the presence of Death coming to embrace him. However, at the last moment, Galactus’ former Herald, the Silver Surfer encases them both within an indestructible ethereal force cocoon.  Soon after the assembled heroes of Earth witness the birth of a new gestalt entity composed of the Silver Surfer and Galactus which could harness a new form of energy known as The Power Essential (Last Planet Standing #5).

 

While it’s a brief appearance, it’s at least one in the flesh…so to speak. Death personified remains in some ways connected to Galactus which is fitting given their status as higher beings. That said, this is one character I don’t mind not seeing more often!

 

Until my live-action (no pun intended) counterpart is portrayed by Aubrey Plaza, I remain

 

frogoat