Marvel Studios revealed which of The Fantastic Four: First Steps' heroes is the "most popular" in their world. The four heroes making up the MCU's latest superhero team are Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn's Johnny Storm, and Ebon Mass-Bachrach's Ben Grimm.
Unlike most MCU projects, which take place on Earth-616, The Fantastic Four is set on a retro-futuristic '60s-inspired Earth. In this world, Marvel's First Family are the only superheroes and are treated as celebrities. Their place as the world's solo protectors leaves The Fantastic Four in an interesting place, as director Matt Shakman already ruled out any Avengers cameo hopes, despite being the last MCU movie before Avengers: Doomsday.
Marvel Studios released new character descriptions for the leading foursome in The Fantastic: Four First Steps and confirmed Johnny Storm is considered the "most popular" of the bunch. In a world where the Fantastic Four are the only heroes and basically celebrities, this may hint at the kind of interactions he will have with the public in the summer blockbuster.
As shared on X by Cosmic Marvel, Johnny is the "most popular" on the team and "spends his weekends chasing thrills" but remains just as heroic regardless:
“Johnny can burst into flames, fly thousands of feet into the sky, and absorb explosions into his body, all without breaking a sweat. As the most popular member of the Fantastic Four, Johnny spends his weekends chasing thrills. But when the Fantastic Four are in the heat of battle, they can always count on Johnny to keep cool.”
While Johnny is iconically a handsome, womanizing hothead, Joseph Quinn confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that his adaptation in The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be a little different from what has come before.
The Stranger Things star pointed out that Johnny "leads with a lot of bravado," before explaining why his traits from past adaptations may be different for the MCU reboot as they don't fit what is seen as "sexy" in modern-day:
"He's a man that leads with a lot of bravado, which can be an affront sometimes. But also he's funny. Myself and [Marvel Studios boss] Kevin [Feige] 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."
Despite being the Fantastic Four's "cool guy," director Matt Shakman reminded fans in the same interview that Johnny is still "really smart," and could even be considered "one of the most heroic of them:"
"He is really smart. He's on that spaceship for a reason, and I think sometimes people forget that in various comic stories, he's been one of the most heroic of them, even if he's undercutting his heroism at every turn through humor. He's Sue's brother, which means they are cut from similar cloth."
Joseph Quinn's Human Torch makes up just one-quarter of The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast, as he will be joined by Pedro Pascal's Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby's Invisible Woman, and Ebon Mass-Bachrach's Thing.
Fans will meet the new Fantastic Four when the movie comes to theaters on July 25, but they will see them once again on May 1, 2026 in Avengers: Doomsday.
Johnny Storm's Popularity Sets Up Potential Post-Avengers 5 Storyline
Between all four members of the Fantastic Four being confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday and the Thunderbolts* post-credit scene showing their ship crashing onto Earth-616, it seems increasingly likely their world is doomed for demise.
Presumably, this will lead to the Fantastic Four remaining on Earth-616 after the upcoming Avengers blockbusters. This could lead to interesting developments for Johnny Storm going forward, as he perhaps has to contend with no longer being the world's coolest superhero after losing his celebrity status with his Earth.
There's no doubt that reputation would grow again on a new Earth, but it may take some time. It could even be this lower period as a newcomer to Earth-616 that leads him to meet Tom Holland's Peter Parker at college (where he seems to be going in Spider-Man: Brand New Day) and develop their famous comic friendship.
Johhny's status as a young, attractive superhero with a cool hairstyle and powers that allow him to blaze through the skies in style was always bound to make him the coolest member of the Fantastic Four. One can only imagine the antics his celebrity will lead to when he "spends his weekends chasing thrills."
Joseph Quinn already teased that his Johnny may not be as traditionally womanizing with a "devil-may-care" attitude as Chris Evans' take on the character from the early 2000s. But that isn't to say he won't be just as much of a ladies' man, even if he does bring more compassion to the scene.
