A Reminder That the Human Torch and Captain America Are the Same Person

The Fantastic Four (the version that came out in 2005, not whatever it was that Michael B. Jordan was in) is not a particularly good movie. It's actually somewhat shocking to me that nobody can make a decent Fantastic Four movie. Even if the MCU revolutionized what was possible for super hero movies before Fantastic Four really had its time to shine, the formula was there, and they wasted it. But I digress.

Chris Evans is the Human Torch in the 2005 version of the film adaptation. It was his first dip into the super hero universe, a precursor to what would ultimately be the role of a lifetime as Captain America. But Johnny Storm and Steve Rogers are two very different individuals. It's jarring to watch Evans play the hotshot (haha) bachelor and then flip on Captain America and look at him get the crap beat out of him by bullies while he stays "just a kid from Brooklyn."

Evans needed the warm-up, too. He isn't exactly Oscar-worthy as the bodacious Johnny, who constantly fights with his sister like he's 12-years-old while attempting to woo women left and right. When you see him four years later in the early stages of Captain America-ism, he's much more polished. Perhaps he fits the role as the humble Steve better than the arrogant Johnny.

Anyway. Evans' role as the original Human Torch for people who grew up with MCU movies will be lost in time, but not for me! My first exposure to Evans will always be the incorrigible Johnny Storm, for better or for worse.