Warning! This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Summary
Deadpool & Wolverineoriginally had another vision for the fight between Johnny Storm and Pyro. Evans’ Johnny Storm was the most shocking ofDeadpool & Wolverine’s cameos. TheMarvel Cinematic Universeteased a Captain America return before ultimately revealing he was playing his version of the Human Torch from the 2000s Fantastic Four movies. While Evans’ return was fun, Johnny Storm lost his fight to Pyro way too easily, and the controversial moment was not always meant to play out like that.
Speaking toRadioTimes.com,Pyro actor Aaron Stanford revealed that his fight with Chris Evans' Johnny Storm inDeadpool & Wolverinewas meant to be longer. According to Stanford, the initial idea was for the two characters to have a “real battle,” but as filming started, the team behind the MCU movie realized it was “the easiest thing in the world” for Pyro." It was also revealed that Evans' scenes as Johnny Storm were filmed before the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, with Stanford filming his as Pyro after, which meant the actors were not together. Check out the full quote below:
“I think the initial idea was for it to be a real struggle, a real battle between two superpowers. But, as we were filming, I realized that, for Pyro, it’s not a battle because this is what he does, and he has now found himself up against the ideal opponent because it’s not a struggle. For him, this is the easiest thing in the world. Anybody else he was up against, it would be difficult. But for him, this is like a snap. So we figured out, alright, he should suck all the flame out, and then he just winks it out like it’s nothing.”
How The Human Torch’s Fight Against Pyro In Deadpool & Wolverine Compares To The Comics
The Marvel Fights Were Very Different
While most of the movie’s major surprise characters would play a role until close toDeadpool & Wolverine’s ending, Chris Evans' Johnny Storm was a different case. The actor first appeared as the Human Torch to fight Stanford’s Pyro when Cassandra Nova’s team arrived to take Johnny, Deadpool, and Wolverine back to her. The Human Torch initially shouted his catchphrase, “Flame On,” and soared, throwing his flames directly at Pyro. As Stanford described, the villain did not break a sweat, extinguishing the flames with ease. Johnny then falls from the sky and is later killed by Cassandra Nova.
I’m Furious With Deadpool & Wolverine For How It Treated Chris Evans' Johnny Storm & His Ending
Chris Evans returned to the MCU as Johnny Storm — not Captain America — in Deadpool & Wolverine, and though it was a fun role, I disliked key choices.
Anyone who has not read the comics might take that outcome as Pyro being more powerful than the Human Torch. However, that does not track. In Marvel Comics, Pyro and Johnny Storm have fought two times. In both times, Pyro did show the ability to manipulate the Human Torch’s fiery form. However, he has never been able to simply extinguish the hero’s flames like he did inDeadpool & Wolverine. The MCU movie gave the X-Men villain a power boost.
Adding to that, while Pyro could manipulate Johnny Storm’s Human Torch form, the Fantastic Four hero was able to win both fights against the X-Men villain, unlikeDeadpool & Wolverine’s outcome to their fight. In the comics, Johnny’s versatility and the sheer level of power that his fire abilities can reach make him a formidable threat that Pywo should not be able to measure up to. Johnny can generate his flames, while Pyro can only control pre-existing fire. Based on their comic book history, Chris Evans' Johnny Storm should have defeated Pyro inDeadpool & Wolverine.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Cast
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
