Spoilers ahead for New Fantastic Four #3!
In the Marvel Universe, theHuman Torch'sflame can reach extreme heat comparable to the Sun, but the Fantastic Four's resident hothead just revealed he can also access the reverse of his usual powers.
Years ago, the Fantastic Four were briefly replaced by some of Marvel's most popular characters. Ghost Rider, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Hulk (in his Joe Fixit form) became Marvel's first family for a time. During these adventures, they took a trip to Las Vegas to stop a demon. Ghost Rider recognized him, so the demon teleported the other three back to the Baxter Building while keeping Ghost Rider behind. Realizing they needed to help him, the other three convinced the Human Torch to go with them to Las Vegas and rescue their comrade - a major mistake.
In New Fantastic Four #3 by Peter David and Alan Robinson, the demon finds a way to possess Johnny Storm when they get there. Now under the demon's control, Johnny Storm's iconic red and orange flames become blue and black in his Human Torch form. He blasts his teammates, and Wolverine is shocked that the blast didn't burn him. Instead, it made him ice cold, which means that the possession had reversed Johnny's powers from hot to cold.
Power reversals are nothing new to the world of comics and superheroes, but what's happening here is interesting on a couple of different fronts. First off, the reverse in Human Torch's color scheme allows for a very different look, even as it's surprising that he has cold powers but retains his flames. This isn't a situation where he all of a sudden can shoot ice instead of fire. They merely contain extreme cold instead of extreme heat. The full extent of these powers haven't yet been revealed, but it's been hinted in the past that characters like Iceman may be capable of controlling the flow of time at low enough temperatures - a feat which may be open to Johnny if he's able to flash as cold as he usually does hot.
It's also interesting to explore the dynamics of this shift and how it happened. This is more of a magical situation than a scientific one. The demon's possession is affecting Johnny's soul, and possibly his mind, rather than his body. This might indicate that Johnny's powers are tied directly to who he is as a human being. If the demon is able to possess him by attaching to his inner self, then his corruption of the Human Torch's morality indeed seems to have affected his powers directly. Either way, it's a very cool situation that allows the Human Torch to suddenly become a much different type of threat, and expands the potential powers of the Fantastic Four hero forever.
New Fantastic Four #3 is now available from Marvel Comics.
