Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four is arguably one of the MCU's most anticipated new entries after Disney regained the rights to the characters from 20th Century Fox. This comes more than a decade after the team got their first true live-action adaptations in their 2005 and 2007 solo movies, which heavily featured future MCU icon Chris Evans as Johnny Storm.
Four years after Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer came to theaters, Evans began his unforgettable run as Captain America for Marvel Studios, finishing his run with 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Although he's still content to leave his time as the First Avenger in the rear-view mirror, Evans is always open to commenting on where the MCU is going and how Captain America's legacy lives on through Phase 4.
Of course, with the Multiverse having already brought in legacy characters like both past versions of Spider-Man and Anson Mount's Black Bolt, amongst others, the door is open for Evans to potentially play Johnny Storm once again with the right story. And in asking Evans about his feelings about the matter, the Marvel star is all for making it happen.
Chris Evans Wants a Comeback as Johnny Storm
Speaking with MTV News' Josh Horowitz, former MCU star Chris Evans expressed his desire to reprise his role as Johnny Storm from Fox's Fantastic Four movies, which were released in 2005 and 2007.
When asked about the rumors that teased his return through the Multiverse, Evans openly imagined how cool it would be to see:
Horowitz: “Look, I mean, you can’t top how you went out as Cap, and it’s gonna take the right thing eventually. Maybe, who knows. But here’s my question. There were a lot of rumors that you could come back in the Multiverse as another Marvel character you played, Johnny Storm. Did they ever come to you?”
Evans: “God, wouldn’t that be great? Wouldn’t that be great?”
Evans admitted that nobody has approached him about reprising the role he played before he was the MCU's Captain America, even admitting how much older he is now compared to when he first suited up as the Human Torch:
Horowitz: “Would that have intrigued you?”
Evans: “No, no one’s ever come to me about that. I mean, I don’t exactly look the same anymore. That was 15, almost 20 years ago. Oh my God, I’m old. But I really love that character, but I think… aren’t they doing something now with Fantastic Four?”
Evans even compared this comeback to a potential return as Captain America, calling it "an easier sell" to have him play Johnny Storm again through the Multiverse. While reaffirming how special Captain America is to him, Evans admitted that he would "love" the opportunity to play Human Torch in a Multiversal MCU project:
Horowitz: “Well, they are, but as you well know, in the Multiverse, all bets [are off]… you can have six different Johnny Storms.”
Evans: “Yeah, I guess that’s true. I mean, I guess all bets are off. Yeah. Look, I would love it. I would love it. That would actually be an easier sell to me than coming back as Cap. You know what I mean? Cap is so precious to me. And you know, I almost don’t wanna disrupt what a beautiful experience that was. But Johnny Storm, I feel like he didn’t really get his day. That was before Marvel really found its footing. So I loved that role and, you know, who knows.”
Could Evans' Johnny Storm Join the MCU?
Chris Evans' last run as Johnny Storm came 15 years ago alongside Jessica Alba's Invisible Woman and Michael Chiklis' Thing as the team took down the Silver Surfer and Galactus. Even with his run as Captain America being almost definitively over, hearing him be so open to a comeback as the Human Torch opens up plenty of new possibilities for exciting MCU plot threads.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness fully introduced the concept of alternate realities, even bringing the MCU's first taste of the Fantastic Four with John Krasinski's Reed Richards. While the franchise doesn't yet have any version of the Human Torch, Evans' legacy version of the hero could bring something unique to the table as the MCU develops its own version of Marvel's First Family.
It's unclear when the MCU will travel down a Multiversal path again, and there are still no signs pointing to when the MCU's Fantastic Four will begin production and cast its own Johnny Storm. Even so, seeing Chris Evans be so willing to reprise his own take on the role only increases the anticipation to see more Fantastic Four under Marvel Studios' umbrella.
