Joseph Quinn is playing a slightly different version of Johnny Storm/Human Torch in Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Four: The First Steps.
In the past Fantastic Four movies, Chris Evans portrayed the womanizing character, but Joseph notes that kind of attitude is not attractive.
“He’s a man that leads with a lot of bravado, which can be an affront sometimes. But also he’s funny,” Quinn told Entertainment Weekly of Johnny.
“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,” the Stranger Things star explained.
Director Matt Shakma echoed Quinn’s statement, saying, “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.”
Fantastic Four: The First Steps hits theaters on July 25. Alongside Joseph Quinn, it stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby and more.