Well, in case you haven’t heard the news, one of the famous Fantastic Four has left this mortal coil… for now. I wanted to somehow make a Secret Origin tribute for the guy, but well. everyone pretty much knows the origin for the Fantastic Four. In fact I can tell it pretty quickly. The foursome went up into space to beat the Russians, they got hit with mysterious cosmic rays, and they all came back with strange and different abilities. Yes, that’s how the story played out in the “main” reality, but if you read comics for any length of time, you’ll find there are “alternate realities” much like our own, but sometimes vastly different. This is one of those tales. Strap yourself in to your poorly shielded spacecraft and enjoy… The Secret Origin of the Human Torches!
Like I mentioned above, the origin starts out exactly the same, but when the craft gets back to earth we start to see the differences, well maybe not at first:
"Sure, you can fly, but you seem to be burning off all your fuel!"
“Normal”, right? Well, as alluded to in the caption there, everyone else in the group starts to immolate. The four’s panicked ramblings as they transform are probably just what you’d exclaim if you spontaneously combusted, but no worries! It leads to a dynamic group shot!
Hey narrator guy, since when is 4 people with the same power unique?
After this twist of fate, the four act much like the Fantastic Four you’re familiar with. They decided to use their abilities for great justice. They have nearly identical adventures as “our” FF. They fight the Mole Man and his minions and even encounter the Skrulls and convince them to become cows (long story). When it come to their third documented adventure though, things change drastically! A powerful Hypnotist called the Miracle Man brings a monstrous statue to life to show the world his superiority! How a hypnotist can do this is never explained, even in our reality. Anyway, heroes in more than name only, the FFF (Flaming Fantastic Four) make the scene to stop the apparent rampage. Reed Richards (the white-hot one) spots the monster first and mentions since it is in an abandoned section of the city, they can really cut loose with their flame. This is, of course, wholly irresponsible. It turns out in one of the “abandoned” buildings at least one family lives within, and the young daughter is playing at home! Back to the battle, he four make pretty short work of the monster, seeing as he’s just wood and plaster. Because of the flame fueled fracas, the neighborhood has been set afire. What happens next is evidence that the Reed Richards of this reality may not quite have the ethics as ours does…
Always listen to the heart of the team, geniuses.
So the quartet leaves the scene, and what happens next is pretty apparent, so I’m not even going to tell it. Suffice it to say, I hate when children are harmed in any fantasy medium, and the fact that this is due to negligence makes it worse. The Torches end up subduing the Miracle Man by blinding him. I would make a point as this is also irresponsible, but that’s how they beat him in our reality as well. Ready to celebrate their victory over their toughest foe yet, the “heroes” are informed by the police on the scene that bad things are going down in the building they were just at. It seems their fray has caused the entire neighborhood to go up in flames. I wonder how the heck that happened. They get back to their folly and the guys start absorbing the excess flames into their bodies, while Sue Storm searches the buildings. Guess what she finds? Let her reaction speak for itself.
Yeah, that's about the reaction I'd expect.
This is obviously something that affects the group irrevocably. They managed to save the firemen, but the cost is too high. The child’s mother is on the scene and accuses the FF of murder. And while I could say it’s partly her fault for leaving a kid unattended, she is pretty justified. Sue agrees, and carries the burden forever. Even though the FF are cleared of any wrongdoing, the aftermath of this event changes the lives of the foursome pretty drastically. The Torches break up and go their separate ways. Sue becomes a nun, Johnny because a fearless racer driver, Reed devotes himself to science, and Ben comes out of the ordeal a member of the Avengers.
Somehow, I don't think being an Avenger is proper penance.
And so it ends… To be honest, this origin was picked just to show a contrast to “our” Human Torch. Sure, he can be a brash, pig-headed, sometimes even a bit of a douche, but he’s also the heart of the FF. He pulls them together through the rough times, and is truly a valued member of comics’ First Family. We don’t know how the Fantastic Four will fare without him, but until he inevitably returns (comics, guys), his absence will certainly be felt. Rest in peace, Johnny.
This story was originally published in What If… Volume 2 #11, March 1990.
