Fantastic Four Appoints a Surprising MCU Hero Marvel's Finest

Updated on August 01, 2022 14:50 PM by Andrew Koschiev

Introduction

Human Torch of the Fantastic Four confesses that Daredevil is one of Marvel's biggest heroes. The worlds in which the two travel are vastly different, and when the Human Torch tries to walk a mile in Daredevil's shoes in Daredevil #261 in 1988, he completely failed.

The experience gives Johnny Storm

The experience gives Johnny Storm a better understanding of what Daredevil goes through on a daily basis. Ann Nocenti wrote the story and John Romita Jr. illustrated it.

The brash and impulsive Human Torch is a member of the multiverse-hopping

The abrasive and spontaneous Human Torch is one of the Fantastic Four's cosmos-hopping members, frequently defending the planet from the likes of Galactus and Annihilus.

While Daredevil has faced some heavyweights in his career, he prefers to deal with street crime, defending Kitchen nightmares from the likes of Kingpin, Bullseye, and Typhoid Mary. Nocenti and Romita Jr. appear in Daredevil #260.

In Daredevil #260

Nocenti and Romita Jr. portray a stark contrast between two champions' worlds in Daredevil #260; as thermal riot tears through Hell's Kitchen, Human Torch flies overhead. Seeing the carnage below, he considers assisting in the crowd's calm but ends up leaving it to Daredevil and the police, flying off to respond to the Superb Four's latest distress signal.

Daredevil later mysteriously vanishes while under the influence of Typhoid Mary, and Hell's Kitchen keeps going to devolve into turmoil.

Daredevil #261

Sees the Human Torch agrees to assist Karen Page in her search for Daredevil. The Torch befriends Page almost instantly, trying to lift her spirits in the aftermath of a bad situation; Page ultimately apologizes, admitting that she is worried about this.

The Human Torch and Page hit the streets

Later, the Human Torch and Page hit the streets, but not before the Torch dons a ludicrously over-the-top hard outfit, complete with a shirt that actually states "bad" in big type.

The Human Torch eventually provokes a bar fight

The duo pursues Daredevil through Hell's Kitchen's gritty nightclubs and dives; the Human Torch eventually evokes a bar fight and attempts to fight without his power and authority, miraculously overpowering a guy twice his size.

As the Torch attempts to walk away

The crowd pelts the Torch with jars and food as he attempts to walk away. Needing sufficient, the Human Torch unleashes his powers, causing the bar to burn.

Having realized that his constant existence will exacerbate an already dire situation, the Human Torch withdraws from the search, but not before completing that Daredevil has something "special" to function effectively in Hell's Kitchen. He apologizes to Page and takes off.

Certain elements of the story

Certain aspects of the story are treated as a joke, such as the Human Torch's corny costume, but Johnny's realization that he'll never run the system in Hell's Kitchen and fill Daredevil's shoes is a potent personality point in time.

Torch's character

So much of the Human Torch's character has revolved around his youth and self-assurance, but his adventures in search of Daredevil awestruck him and had shown him a side of life that was significantly different from gallivanting around the Negative Zone or trying to woo an alien diva.

The experience traumatizes him so much

He is so traumatized by the experience that he flees before Daredevil is discovered, his tail tucked among his legs. His newfound admiration for Daredevil stems from the realization that the two continue operating in parallel universes, and what tends to work in one does not work in another.