Joseph Quinn’s portrayal of Johnny Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps is going to be quite different from previous cinematic iterations of the character. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly for the outlet’s cover story previewing this summer’s Marvel blockbuster, the actor shared that he had discussions with Kevin Feige about the best approach to play the character. Comparing his take to what came before, Quinn noted how earlier versions of Johnny were more brash and didn’t exactly align with modern sensibilities. Though First Steps is a period piece, Quinn was cognizant of how Johnny’s behavior could be perceived by today’s moviegoers and strived to put his own stamp on the character.
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“He’s a man that leads with a lot of bravado, which can be an affront sometimes. But also he’s funny,” Quinn said. “Myself and Kevin were speaking about previous iterations of him and where we are culturally. He was branded as this womanizing, devil-may-care guy, but is that sexy these days? I don’t think so. This version of Johnny is less callous with other people’s feelings, and hopefully there’s a self-awareness about what’s driving that attention-seeking behavior.”
In the previous Fantastic Four film adaptations, Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan played Johnny Storm/Human Torch. Both actors conveyed the character’s “hothead” nature in different ways; Evans’ iteration had a sarcastic streak and was a bit of a womanizer, while Jordan’s was a rebellious thrill seeker, as evidenced by his penchant for street racing.
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Quinn’s interpretation has only been briefly seen in the Fantastic Four: First Steps teaser trailer. Since the preview was focused more on establishing the film’s tone and atmosphere, audiences only got the smallest taste of the MCU’s Johnny, so there wasn’t much to go off of. Quinn is confirmed to reprise the role in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday.
Based on Quinn’s comments, the Johnny audiences meet in The Fantastic Four: First Steps will maintain several of the character’s classic traits while toning certain elements down. That’s arguably for the best, as it will allow Quinn’s version to stand on its own merits and honor the spirit of the source material at the same time. In some ways, it sounds like Quinn might have drawn from his experience playing Eddie Munson on Stranger Things to inform his Johnny Storm performance. Eddie quickly became a fan favorite due to his larger-than-life personality, and his more sensitive side helped the character really resonate with audiences. Quinn’s Human Torch could be in that same mold, but hopefully with enough differences so it’s distinct.
Quinn proved to be quite adept portraying this kind of character on Stranger Things, so he should be an entertaining addition to the MCU. It will be interesting to see how his story unfolds in First Steps; the tease of Johnny having “self-awareness” about his personal behavior hints at a compelling emotional throughline that could serve as the basis for a nice arc as he finds himself as part of a superhero team. Hopefully, audiences find Quinn to be endearing in Fantastic Four. The film is vitally important for the MCU’s future, so it’s pertinent this take on Marvel’s First Family works.
