Marvel Comics has a crazy-long history, and for years fans have been battling over who was the very first superhero. With tons of characters introduced over the decades, it's no small feat to nail this one down!
Marvel's First Superhero
The debate rages on, but Marvel Comics finally settled it in The Immortal Thor #16, by Al Ewing and Jan Bazaldua. Get this, they looked way back to the start and finally revealed the answer, setting things straight once and for all!
The Human Torch Wins!
The big reveal? The very first Marvel superhero is Jim Hammond, also known as the Human Torch! He was one of three heroes featured in the publisher's first ever comic book, Marvel Comics #1, along with Angel and Namor the Submariner. For ages, people argued, since all three debuted together, it was kind of a tie, right?
But The Immortal Thor #16 says otherwise. This issue shows the story in Marvel Comics #1 highlighted the Human Torch first and for a long time that was thought of as a minor detail, not a real confirmation that Jim Hammond was really the first superhero ever. But the comic is explicit!
Why Not Namor or Angel?
Some argue Namor should've taken the title. I mean, he’s super old, even older than Jim Hammond (born in the early 1920s versus late 1930s!), and naturally had powers - a mutant! Plus, both Angel and Namor were in Marvel Comics #1 too!
But here's why Namor doesn’t quite make the cut as “Marvel’s First Hero". The comic focused on the human creation of heroes! Not natural-born ones. Also, Namor wasn't originally a hero, but an anti-human, anti-Atlantean war monger! Namor only switched to the hero side when World War II rolled around.
The thing to keep in mind The Immortal Thor #16 shows how humans create gods in the form of superheroes and these are powerful narratives. As this comic was taking that on as a theme, Jim Hammond (aka The Human Torch) became a really strong hero right away. And unlike the others who were introduced the same time. It made him the first legitimate human-created hero!
Settling The Debate (For Now!)
This debate was really something to think about. This story makes the point clear that for decades, this issue created such strong, and sometimes heated opinions. For the many fans out there, it might still be possible for another story to shift the tide of history, but for now it's totally clear- the Human Torch is the officially named "first superhero" of Marvel Comics history!
Grab The Immortal Thor #16 by Marvel Comics for a fascinating glimpse back at history, and to celebrate the Human Torch. One of Marvel's most loved and most unforgettable first-ever creations!
