The Fantastic Four: First Stepshas just proven thatDeadpool & Wolverinewas completely wrong about the fight between the Human Torch and Pyro.Deadpool & Wolverinewas brimming with crowd-pleasing moments and jokes, but one immediately drew the ire of comic book fans. Thankfully, theMCUhas fixed this in thetriumphantFantastic Four: First Steps.
InDeadpool & Wolverine, a very memorable sequences sees the X-Men villain Pyro sapping the flames from Chris Evans' Johnny Storm. This effectively “switched him off” and caused him to plummet from the sky. Played for laughs, the moment was certainly funny, but it doesn’t reflect the source material.
Looking at the comic book precedent, it’s clear that the Human Torch is much morepowerful than depicted inDeadpool & Wolverine.In the comics there is no way that Pyro could gain such an upper hand, and it frankly ignores a huge amount of Johnny Storm’s powers. Thankfully,The Fantastic Four: First Stepshas fixed this.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Confirms That Johnny Storm Can Absorb Fire
One of the standout sequences inThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsis the dynamic opening montage, which showcases the team’s early days as emerging superheroes. In Johnny Storm’s segment, he’s seen arriving at the site of several burning skyscrapers. Johnnycalmly absorbs the external fire into his own body, extinguishing the buildings.
This moment isn’t just for spectacle. It’s a subtle but important confirmation of a power that comic readers have long known: Johnny can absorb fire, not just generate it. In various comic storylines, the Human Torch hasdemonstrated the ability to pull flames from external sources, store them internally, and even manipulate fire that wasn’t created by him.
This power has long made him a formidable opponent to villains like Pyro, whose abilities center around manipulating existing fire but not producing it himself. By including this scene,First Stepsaligns the MCU’s Johnny with his comic counterpart. Thisretroactively reframes his showdown with PyroinDeadpool & Wolverineas a misrepresentation of the Human Torch’s abilities.
The Human Torch Should Have Won The Fight With Pyro In Deadpool & Wolverine
Johnny Storm isn’t just a fire-thrower; he’s a living flame who can absorb and manipulate fire from virtually any source. Even if Pyro had temporarily pulled the fire away inDeadpool & Wolverine,Johnny should have been able to reclaim it, or draw on the surrounding environment’s heat to reignite himself. As the more versatile and self-generating fire-wielder, Johnny’s power set far surpasses Pyro’s.
The comic-accurate version of this fight would’ve seen the two competing for dominance over the flames.Johnny would ultimately winthis due to his far superior connection with external heat sources and fire. The Human Torch has an inherent affinity with temperature and flames that far outweighs Pyro.
Of course,Deadpool & Wolverineflipped this for comedic effect. It sacrificed accuracy for the sake of a quick gag. While this fits with the irreverent tone, it’s nice to see the MCU reestablish this, withThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsnow laying out the true scale of Johnny’s powers.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Cast
The Fantastic 4: First Steps features Marvel’s First Family navigating their dual roles as superheroes and family members in a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world. They defend Earth from a formidable space god, Galactus, and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer, testing their familial bonds and heroic resolve.
Deadpool & Wolverine
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
