Marvel fans will be going into Phase Six with the new MCU movie Fantastic Four. As Stranger Things season 4 all-star Joseph Quinn will be taking on the iconic role of Johnny Storm (a.k.a. The Human Torch), he couldn’t help thinking of Chris Evans when he first took on the iconic role in 2005. While talking about how playing the blazing-hot superhero will be “big boots to fill,” the British actor makes sure to name drop Evans in the process.
You may know Chris Evans for showing off his superhero strength as Captain America. Before that, he played The Human Torch in two Fantastic Four movies with Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, and Michael Chiklis. Luckily for Joseph Quinn taking on this important role for the MCU reboot, he told Entertainment Weekly he’s not entering this role blindly. He name-dropped Evans when mentioning he was already a big fan of the Captain America actor's previous portrayal of the Fantastic Four member.
I remember really enjoying Chris Evans's performance as Johnny in the previous films, and it felt like this would be a really exciting opportunity; I was absolutely signed up.
It’s absolutely a good sign that Joseph Quinn has heard “Flame On!” from one MCU actor before taking on the large role himself. And you don’t need to show me Fantastic Four fan art of him as Johnny to convince me he’ll be perfect for the role. Based on his performance as Eddie, who was one of the new characters of Stranger Things’ fourth season, I believe he’ll bring a lot of hilarity into the role. That is if The Human Torch stands as a comic relief like in the 2005 film. It’ll also be a chance to see Quinn establish a superhero machismo as he fights evil with his powerful crew.
At the same time, we don’t know yet how Joseph Quinn intends to portray Johnny other than when he jokingly said he’ll be “setting myself on fire [...] every day.” But one similar trait Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan, who played Johnny in the 2015 film, brought out in The Human Torch was his thrill-seeking nature. You kind of have to be if you’re going to be flying around in a flame-like fashion. One thing for sure is that Quinn declared he’d come up with his own interpretation outside of Evans’ portrayal.
No. I mean, you're going to make it your own. It's big boots [to fill].
Hopefully, those “big boots” will be part of a successful franchise. Fantastic Four has had a record of not doing so well on the big screen. The Chris Evans films made very good box office numbers, but critics didn’t take too kindly to the movies. Then when 20th Century Fox tried to revive the franchise in 2015, it lost the studio $80 million and was considered one of the worst superhero movies ever made.
Fortunately, Joseph Quinn has high hopes for his upcoming Marvel movie who called the script “brilliant” and remarked how much he loves the cast and crew he’ll be working with. So, maybe this time around we’ll see a Fantastic Four movie critics and audiences will love.
Joseph Quinn may be taking on “big boots” after Chris Evans first embodied the role of The Human Torch, but I’m certain the talented actor will bring something original and entertaining to the famed Marvel character. You can see Quinn in red-hot action starring in MCU’s Fantastic Four coming to theaters on July 25th, 2025.
