Jim Hammond (Earth-616)

## Human Torch

* Human Torch
* Normal Form

### Birthplace

Professor Horton's Lab, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States of America

## Personality

### Dislikes

* Causing a lot of Damage
* Racketeers
* Being Used

### Goals

Marvel Comics Vol 1 #1* Stop his fire
* Defeat Tony Sardo

## Physical description

### Hair color

* Red (Marvel Comics Vol 1 #1)
* Blonde

## Real World Information

### Creators

Carl Burgos

The **Human Torch** was a synthezoid created by Professor Phineas Horton and was the first of his kind. A defect in the creation process caused the Torch to ignite in flames whenever he came into contact with oxygen. Considered too dangerous to be left to his own devices, the Torch was buried in cement while Horton worked on a device to control his fire. After a gas leak caused an explosion that allowed the Torch to escape his tomb, he fell into the hands of criminals. The Torch managed to wipe them out and learned to control his powers, and left on his adventures.

## Biography

### Origin

In 1939, The Human Torch was created by Professor Phineas Horton. A flaw in the process caused the Torch to burn hotly like a fireball whenever he came into contact with oxygen. Afraid of his creation, Horton had the Torch placed in a glass tube that did not allow oxygen to enter.

Horton showed off his creation to the press; the revelation of the Torch put the audience on edge. The press demanded that Horton destroy the Torch before it fell into the wrong hands, but Horton refused to do so. Within the hour the news of the Human Torch swept New York. The Scientists' Guild learned of the Human Torch and they called Horton for a demonstration. Horton then presented the Torch to the Guild. The Guild also wanted Horton to destroy the Torch. Horton once again refused and added that he could one day create a device to control the fire. The Guild then suggested that Horton have the Torch buried until Horton can create such a device. Horton agreed with that resolution and had the Torch placed in a steel tube deprived of oxygen and buried in cement.

Time went by and the Human Torch was forgotten about. One day, a gas leak in the tube allowed oxygen in. The ignition caused an explosion that cracked the cement which allowed the Torch to escape. The Torch began sprinting down the streets while expressing sorrow at his inability to turn off his flames. The Torch then heard the sound of a nearby fire truck and he was attracted to it. When the firefighters saw the Torch they began dousing him with water, however, the water only caused smoke to bellow from the Torch's body, and to him, it was although he was being tickled. The Torch accidentally stepped on the fire hose and burned through it causing the water to stop and the Torch once again began running through the streets. Realizing all of the damage that he was caused, the Torch looked for a way to put out his flame.

The Torch came across a large estate with a swimming pool, and he melted through the gate and dived in the pool which caught the attention of the owner of the estate, Tony Sardo. Sardo was a mobster and he came up with a plan to use the Torch in his racket. Sardo had his assistant Red cover the pool with a glass cover and had the water and air drained out. Sardo tried to get the ACMEN Warehouses to join in his protection racket, but when the owner refused Sardo put the Torch in a glass container, transported him to the Steel Warehouse, and set him loose which causes an inferno that burned both the warehouse and the steel. The Torch was confused by these events as he believed that Sardo was helping him, but realized that Sardo was a mobster and decided that he needed to stop him. The inferno prevented the Torch from walking out but he noticed a hole in the roof from a cave in and attempted to leap through. The Torch was successful and learned he could fly due to him burning so hot that he is lighter than air and he landed near Sardo's estate. Sardo spotted the Torch and he ran into his house and hid in an underground lab.

The Torch followed Sardo into his home but didn't see him hide in his lab, as a result, the Torch searched the house whilst burning it down which caused the mobsters to attempt to flee. The Torch exited the house and leaped onto Sardo's car which Red was hiding under, Red burned to death. The Torch also turned the water in the pool into steam which scalded the members of the gang that jumped in it.

The Torch went back into the house and spotted the door leading to the underground lab and melted through it. The Torch saw another door which Sardo was confident that the Torch couldn't melt through, to which he was proven wrong. Sardo donned a gas mask and threw a gas bomb at the Torch, but the heat caused the bomb to fizzle out before it was effective. Sardo then grabbed a tank of chemicals and prepared to throw it at the Torch but the two froze when they heard the sounds of fire engines. The Torch went up to investigate and saw Horton with the firefighters and witnessed him run towards a tank of nitro to get it away from the fire. The Torch also ran toward the tank and grabbed it. The tank melted in the Torch's arms and the gas reverted the Torch into his normal form. The Fire Chief then grabbed his revolver and fired at the Torch but the heat caused the bullet to melt without it causing any damage to the Torch.

The Torch ran back into the lab and Sardo saw him without his flame. Sardo concluded that the fire was put out by the nitro, as the Torch reignited and Sardo tried to bargain for his life in exchange for a large canister of nitro. The Torch took the tank but still planned on punishing Sardo for using him in his scheme. The Torch began trashing the lab and Sardo grabbed a tank of sulfuric acid and threw it at the Torch but the heat caused the tank to explode and kill Sardo. The Torch grabbed the tank and greeted Horton outside. The police rushed to the scene because of reports of the Torch being at the fire, while the Torch used the large canister of nitro and gained total control of his powers.

The Torch began walking down the street and noticed a car following him. Frightened, the Torch sprinted down the street before being cornered by more cars. The Torch realized that they were police, and let them arrest him after turning his flames off. The police took the Torch to the police headquarters. The Torch explained to the chief what happened and Horton convinced the chief to let the Torch free in Horton's custody. On the way to Horton's home, the Torch told Horton about his mastery of his powers and demonstrated them at home. Horton told the Torch about the potential of the Torch's powers in making a fortune, and the Torch disagreed. The Torch then ignited and flew away while laughing into the night.

### Murder at the Race Track

Some time after leaving Horton, news of the Torch's escape spread and Horton was believed to be dead. The Torch learned of the Tipton Auto Races, and decided to see the race for himself. The Torch sat next to a woman who was reading the newspaper and the Torch, who was in a disguise, attempted to justify what happened by saying that Horton wanted to use the Torch in order to make a fortune and that the Torch didn't want to be used for such a purpose. The woman was confused as that information was not included in the paper and she was uncertain as to how the mysterious man could know that, but the race began which halted her train of thought. The Torch watched the race with excitement, but one of the cars suddenly crashed and burst into flame. The Torch transformed into his plasma form to save the driver but was too late, the man had died. More and more of the cars began to suddenly burst into flame with the drivers dying. The Torch saw a plane in the air and noticed it was always near one of the cars that burst into flames. The public blamed the Torch for the car fires and a police officer arrested him. The Torch went to the police station with the cop, knowing that since he was innocent there was nothing he needed to worry about. The Torch's cellmate, Johnson, informed the Torch that he knew he was innocent as he knew the real perpetrator was one of the racers, Blackie Ross, who was using a plane to shoot down some of the cars so he could win the prize money from the race. With this information, the Torch turned into his plasma form and burst out of the police station and evaded the police.

A few days later, the Torch decided to investigate another race in order to catch Ross in the act. Watching from a tall tree, the Torch saw the plane and used a fireball to crash the plane into a nearby field. The Torch then confronted the pilot, but the plane exploded which destroyed all evidence of the scheme and the Torch was forced to flee from the authorities. The Torch then decided to investigate a hotel that race car drivers were known to frequent to find a trail that led to Ross. While investigating, the Torch met a crying woman who informed him that her brother was one of the racers that was killed and told the Torch she knew where Ross was hiding at: the Elite Garage. The woman drove the Torch to the garage, but it was a trap and the Torch fell into a vat of water. The vat was sealed and transported to a lime pit outside the city. The Torch was dumped into the boiling lime. The Torch survived as he was able to turn into his plasma state and burned all the lime into ashes. The Torch then stole some clothes and snuck back into the city.

Back at the city, the Torch read a newspaper that detailed the next major race would be a day later at Auson City. The Torch hurried to Auson City, as it was a two day trip and he only had a day to get there. The Torch managed to get to the city, but was too late and the race had started. The Torch burst onto the track and moved with incredible speed to find Ross' car. Having found Ross, the Torch attempted to board it, but it crashed. Ross' henchmen began firing at the Torch were lured him to the stands which caught fire. Realizing that the audience would be maimed or killed, the Torch stopped and yelled which caused the fire to extinguish itself. The Torch then chased Ross' car which drove into Alton Steel Company. Ross and his henchmen then used fire-proof suits and water to keep the Torch at bay and dumped him into a vat of molten steel. The Torch managed to burst out of his steel coffin which caused the criminals to run away. The Torch was weighed down by the molten steel and used a fireball to block their escape route. The Torch then blinded one of the criminals, but the extreme heat caused the building to collapse. The criminals then used that as a chance to escape and they created a smoke screen which blocked the Torch from finding them. The Torch was met by Johnson who informed the Torch he made a deal with the police to help them on the case and offered to drive the Torch to the airport as that was where the criminals were most likely to be heading. The Torch took Johnson up on the offer, but he found the car too slow so he exited the vehicle, turned on his plasma form, and rushed to the airfield. The Torch arrived just in time as Ross's crew (including his girlfriend Lola, the same woman who led the Torch into the lime pit trap) were about to take off. The Torch threw a fireball which caused the plane to crash and created a ring of fire to trap them. The Torch punched the pilot, which seared his jaw. Blackie's car then arrived and Blackie attempted to run the Torch down. The Torch evades Ross' car and uses his fire to destroy it and launch it into the air and crash to the ground. Ross was stuck in the car and screamed for his life, causing the Torch to save Ross and remark that he had nothing to fear because Ross was still wearing his fireproof suit. Ross confessed to being the culprit and was arrested. While the police commissioner apologized for having the Torch arrested, the Torch simply left for more adventures.

### Clash with the Menace from Mars

Some time later, the Torch was on a train heading to Texas when he met Mr. Carson the owner of an explosives company. Carson was frightened by a broadcast depecting Martians attacking New York City, but the Torch assured Carson that the broadcast was from a film and not real. As Carson and the Torch were conversing, Carson witnessed one of the Martian aircrafts from the broadcast. The aircrafts then destroyed the the tracks and sent the train flying before it crashed to the ground. The Martians then boarded the train who wanted a new formula for an explosive made by Carson. The Torch moved to save Carson from the Martians. Carson gave the Torch the formula and instructed the Torch to deliver it to his daughter Diane, before dying. The Torch thensaved the conducter and the other passengers from boulders and fires.

The Torch then arrived at Carson's company to deliver the formula but saw Diane in an argument with buisness man Clifton Ritton over the formula. The Torch shooed Ritton out of the room before delivering the formula to Diane and explained what happened. Diane explained that Ritton had been obseseive over Martians for several years and as such it was strange that Martians had attacked the train for the formula at the same time Ritton wanted the formula. Diane then created tnt with the formula and tasked the Torch with testing some of it in an open field. As the Torch drove to the field, Martians began following the Torch and attacked him and captured him in an airtight container. The Martians delivered the Torch to Ritton and they plan to capture Diane as well in order to get the dynamite. The Martians captured Diane and Ritton placed the Torch into an electric chair. The Torch escaped and freed Diane and proceeded to capture Ritton and the Martians are convinced to leave the planet. However The Torch and Diane agree to help the Martians under the condidtion they take the tnt off of Earth and never return.

## Personality

After the Torch was created he seemed to have the mind of a child which can be seen by his fixation on the bell of the fire engine and his constant laughter. The Torch also seemed to delight in causing destruction to people he felt deserved it as he began giggling like a child while destroying Sardo's lab. The Torch had an ingrained sense of right and wrong which is proven by his anger at being used by Sardo for criminal purposes and disagreement of using his powers for profit. Despite this the Torch seemed not to have any compunctions regarding killing.

## Appearance

The Torch appeared to be the average Caucasian man. He stood at 6'3" tall and weighed 300 lbs because of his robotic nature and he had blonde hair, blue eyes, was clean shaven, and had a regular haircut. He had a muscular build. In Marvel Comics #1 he is shown to have red hair rather than blonde hair.

When the Torch's power was active he appeared to be a man perpetually on fire with fire trailing behind him whenever he moved.

## Attributes

### Powers

**Pyrokinesis**: Hammond was created with the innate ability to create, control, and expel fire from his body and his surroundings. Horton maintained that he was unsure how this ability manifested, although Reed Richards theorized that the Horton Cells that Hammond was composed of were unable to properly process the solar radiation they absorbed and oxygen was the factor that caused his body's ability to regulate his temperature to fail and cause Hammond to become so hot he turned on fire. Hammond initially had no control over this ability, although his exposure to an unknown chemical gave him the ability to control his fire.

* **Plasma Form**: Hammond can amplify the heat his body exudes to the point that his body is covered with fiery plasma. While Hammond initially had no control over this and being exposed to oxygen caused his entire body to burst into flame, exposure to an unknown chemical and training allowed Hammond to have full control of this ability. Hammond can control which part of his body is covered in the plasma and the degree of heat that is expelled from his body. Hammond's control ranges from covering a small area like the tip of his finger to his entire body and heat of 780 degrees to even hotter than the surface of the sun (9,941 degrees Fahrenheit). How long Hammond can maintain his plasma form is dependent on the amount of his body is covered by his plasma and the temperature it is emitting. If Hammond were to cover a small part of his body with the lowest temperature possible then he could theoretically do it forever as he replenishes more energy than he expends. If Hammond were to cover his whole body with the lowest temperature possible then he would be able to maintain the form for months. If Hammond were to use the hottest flames possible while covering his whole body then, he would be able to maintain it for a few days. When using this form, the Torch usually creates an aura of fire around him that can range from 1 inch to a foot away from him. Unless someone was wearing fireproof clothing or was naturally resistant to fire then it would be extremely dangerous to be close to Hammond in this form, especially when he reaches his upper levels.
	+ **Nova Flame**: When Hammond exceeds the hottest form he can normally reach he enters a state he refers to as his "Nova Form". The upper limit of the heat that Hammond can reach is unknown but the hottest that it was been recorded as is 1 million degrees Fahrenheit. The longest that Hammond has ever been able to maintain this form without assistance is for 16 hours. The aura that this form creates can range to be about 3 feet.
		- **Nova Burst**: While in his Nova Flame, Hammond can expel all the energy from his form into a massive omnidirectional blast from his body. this blast, called the Nova Burst, is as powerful as a small nuclear warhead and at higher levels of flame could destroy a moon. Using this ability requires Hammond to use all his energy which depowers him temporarily (the time in which the energy will replenish can range from 12 hours to several days) and can also cause physical harm to Hammond. The diameter of the blast is generally around 900 feet.
* **Fire Manipulation**: Hammond could control the fire that he emitted in any way he wished. While he initially had trouble doing so, through training Hammond got the ability. Hammond only had control of the fire he created, but that control was so thorough he could shape his fire in any way he wanted and even "sculpt" objects and weapons out of his fire. Hammond maintains this ability even without his plasma form.
	+ **Fire Balls and other Projectiles**: In his plasma form, Hammond can shape his plasma into projectile weapons like fireballs and through them. How hot, the shape, and how far they can go is dependent on Hammond.**Thermokinesis**: Hammond has complete control of his body's temperature. While this is obvious in his ability to heat his body to temperatures that eclipse the heat of the sun it also manifests in the ability to cool his body to freezing temperatures. In addition to his body, Hammond has some control over the heat of other objects. This includes causing fire he didn't create to become more fierce and even absorbing the heat of objects and even from people. Hammond has this ability even without his plasma form.
* **Flight**: In his plasma form, Hammond can fly through the heat he is expelling causing the air around him to become buoyant enough to carry him. In addition, Hammond can fire jetstreams from his body to fly faster (being able to fly faster than an SR-71).
* **Immunity to Fire & Heat**: Because of Hammond's natural abilities, Hammond was completely immune to fire and extreme heat.
* **Radiation Generation**: Through unknown circumstances, Hammond was able to generate radiation from his body.

## Paraphernalia

### Transport

**Flight**: The Torch most often flew to transport more

**Horton's Car**: When driving home from the police headquarters, Horton and the Torch used Horton's car.

## Relationships

### Family

**Professor Horton**

Horton created the Human Torch. It is evident that the Torch has some sort of love or respect for Horton as he greeted him after defeating Sardo. When the Torch learned that Horton planned to use him for profit the Torch left him.

### Enemies

**Tony Sardo**

The Torch initially though that Sardo was helping him and thusly had a positive opinion of him. When the Torch learned the truth of Sardo's intentions he turned on him and had no qualms killing him or burning down his house.

**Red**

Like Sardo, the Torch thought that Red was helping him but turned on him. The Torch killed him without any second thoughts and seemed happy with the result.

## Quotes

> "I'm burning alive! Why must everything I touch turn to flame?"
>
> **Human Torch**, Marvel Comics Vol 1 #!

## Miscellaneous Information

### Crimes

**Marvel Comics Vol 1 #1**

* **Arson**: The Torch unintentionally sets several buildings on fire.
* **Manslaughter**: Assuming that the unnamed civilian is dead then the Human Torch is guilty of manslaughter.
* **Murder**: The Torch directly kills Red, possibly kills several of Sardo's men, and is indirectly responsible for Sardo's death.

### Related Deaths

#### Direct Murders

* **Red**: Broiled him alive while standing on the car that Red was hiding under. (Marvel Comics Volume 1 #1)

#### Indirect Killings

* **Tony Sardo**: Sardo threw a tank of sulfuric acid at the Torch that exploded and burned Sardo to death. (Marvel Comics Volume 1 #1)

#### Possible Deaths

* **Unnamed Citizen**: While the Torch was running through the streets of Brooklyn, one man caught on fire. It's unclear what happened to the man. (Marvel Comics Volume 1 #1)
* **Sardo's Men**: The Torch turned the water in Sardo's pool into steam. Several mobsters jumped in the pool and it is unknown whether they were scalded to death or if they were just badly burned. (Marvel Comics Volume 1 #1)