Human Torch (Jim Hammond)

Real Name
None

Occupation 
Adventurer, War veteran; formerly CEO of Oracle Inc., Police officer
 
Citizenship
United States of America 

Place of Birth
None
 
Known Relatives 
Professor Phineas T. Horton (creator), Vision (rebuilt temporal copy), Pyronanos (Nanomachine robots based on his technology), Adam II, the Gremlins, Volton ("brothers" created by Prof. Horton), Tara ("daughter" created based on Prof. Horton's designs)

Group Affiliation 
Formely Secret Avengers, Descendants, Invaders, New Invaders, Avengers West Coast, V-Battalion, Heroes for Hire, CEO of Oracle Inc., Legion of the Unliving, All-Winners Squad

Education 
No formal education; Capacity for creative intelligence and unlimited self-motivated activity

Height
6'3"

Weight 
300lbs

Eyes 
Blue

Hair 
Blond

Powers 
The Human Torch has the ability to envelop his body in fiery plasma without harm to himself and to utilize this heat energy for various effects, including flight, formation of fiery shapes, energy releases in the form of heat blasts, "nova flame bursts" (highest intensity heat blasts, similar to the heat-pulse of a nuclear warhead), and concussive force blasts. He is also able to survive without oxygen for long periods.

Abilities 
The Torch received police academy training. He has received some training in unarmed combat by Captain America. The Torch is also an accomplished street fighter.

Other Info
The original Human Torch was an android created by Professor Phineas T. Horton for scientific purposes in 1939 in Brooklyn, New York. At a science fair unveiling, however, Horton's android burst into flames when exposed to oxygen. With human-like sentience, personality, and awareness, he rebelled against his creator. This led to a public outcry to have the Human Torch destroyed. However, Professor Horton couldn't destroy him, and instead, sealed him in concrete until he could find a way to control the android's flames. Unfortunately, due to a crack that let oxygen seep in, the Human Torch escaped. The Torch then inadvertently caused parts of New York City to burn. Fortunately, he eventually learned to control his flame and vowed to help humanity. (To learn about the Human Torch's creator, click on the highlighted name above.)

The Human Torch soon joined the police force as part of his "human cover" under the name Jim Hammond. Jim fought the good fight and helped fight crime as a police officer. Eventually, he dropped the human name and served the police force outright as the Human Torch.

One day, in a fit of rage against the human race, Namor, the Sub-Mariner attacked Staten Island. And it was the Human Torch that stood up against him. A brutal battle erupted with the two flying high above the city. In an unbelievable fight, Namor fought as best he could, but the Human Torch managed to defeat the Sub-Mariner and saved the day. This day became the day that people no longer feared the Human Torch, but applauded him as a hero. Eventually, Namor accepted the human race itself, and the Human Torch and Namor became uneasy allies. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about Namor.)

Soon after this, the Torch met a boy named Thomas "Toro" Raymond. Toro was the mutant son of two nuclear scientists whose exposure to radiation gave him the ability to control fire. However, when Toro lost his family in a horrible accident, the Torch took him under his wing, and became sort of a sidekick to Human Torch. (To learn about Toro, click on his highlighted name above.) 

During World War II, the Human Torch and Toro joined a team of heroes known as the Invaders to fight against the Axis powers. The team fought many battles and saw horrifying images of the cruelty that the Third Reich was capable of. Near the end of the war, the Human Torch came face-to-face with Adolf Hitler and killed him. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn more about the different characters.)

After the war, the heroes decided to remain together and fight crime in the U.S. instead as the All-Winners Squad. (To learn about the highlighted team above, just click on their name.)

Later on, the Human Torch was captured and placed in stasis in the Mojave Desert. He remained in coma for a few years until an atomic bomb testing woke him. He soon learned that Toro had been captured by the Soviets and brainwashed, and the Human Torch went and rescued his old partner. The mission was a success and after that, the two restarted their plight as superheros. However, soon after, the Torch learned that the radiation from the bomb that woke him from his coma, had vastly increased his powers and he once again had trouble controlling his powers. Eventually, fearing that he would cause damage to the people he swore to protect, the Torch made the ultimate sacrifice. He flew back to the desert and used up all of his energy reserves to effectively burn himself out of power and deactive himself.

More then 50 years later, the remains of the Human Torch were found and rebuilt by the Mad Thinker. The Mad Thinker restrained his flame and edited his memory so he would forget having been a hero. He then sent the Torch to kill the Fantastic Four. It was here that the Human Torch fought the new Human Torch; however, he was defeated by the team. After being defeated, he rebelled against his creator and returned to the Mad Thinker's lab refusing to be involved in murder. Unfortunately, the Mad Thinker disabled the Human Torch's ability to control his powers and he let him burn himself out once again. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the different characters and/or team.)

At one point, Immortus created a duplicate of the Human Torch which was taken by the robot Ultron. Using this body and the brain patterns of Wonder Man, Ultron created the Vision. (To learn about the characters, just click on their highlighted names above. Note: Beware of the form-fitting outfit of Ultron in a woman-form on his bio page.)

Later on, the Human Torch was revived again, this time by the Scarlet Witch and Toro's widow. The Human Torch woke up in a new era: telephones, TV's, computers, and most of his friends had died. With nowhere else to go, Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch invited the Human Torch to stay with the Avenger's West Coast branch. He happily accepted and became a full time member of the superhero team for a time. (Click the highlighted names above to learn about the characters and/or team. Note: Beware of the revealing outfits worn by some on Scarlet Witch on her bio page.)

The Human Torch served the Avengers until he lost his powers to save his the former teammate from the Invaders: Spitfire. With his powers gone, the Torch became the CEO of Oracle Inc. (a company run by Namor). He also briefly became the leader of the Heroes for Hire which was funded by Oracle Inc. (Click on the highlighted character, company, and/or team to learn more about them.. Note: Beware of the revealing outfits worn by some on the Heroes for Hire's bio page.)

When the group disbanded, the Torch and some of his old WWII teammates funded and became heads of a new organization named V-Battalion. The group was somewhat of a peacekeeping organization. (Click the highlighted names above to learn about the team. Also, the Human Torch in his V-Battalion outfit is shown as the last picture posted above.)

Afters some time, the Human Torch left the V-Battalion and worked with the New Invaders. The group was compromised of old war heroes like Spitfire as well as newcomers like Union Jack and Tara. However, the Human Torch became attached to Tara (she being a recently-constructed female android based on him), whom he came to regard as a daughter of sorts. Unfortunately, Tara was revealed to be a plant, created by the Red Skull, with overrides on her developing personality allowing the Invaders' enemies, the Axis Mundi, to use her as a weapon against the team. Refusing to believe that she was truly gone, the Human Torch found himself able to flame on again, and tried to channel the heat from her system to shut her down before she overloaded and killed all the Invaders, herself included. Once again, the Torch again sacrificed himself to stop her meltdown which resulted in his own systems not being able to handle the heat. So, he flew high into the atmosphere before detonating. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the team and/or characters. Note: Beware of the form-fitting outfits worn on Tara and Axis Mundi's bio pages.) 

The whole superhero community mourned the loss of a great hero--the first true superhero of earth. In fact, some months later, after the superhuman Civil War, a superhuman training camp was named Camp Hammond, in honor of the Human Torch, Jim Hammond. (To learn about the superhuman Civil War, click on the highlighted name above.)

Later on, the Mad Thinker revived the Human Torch as a living weapon the Thinker intended to sell to A.I.M.. Though set on a course for destruction, the Torch was stopped  by his old friend, Toro.(To learn about A.I.M., click on the highlighted name above.)

The Torch is later offered membership in the Secret Avengers by Captain America after Hawkeye takes over as the team's leader. During his first mission with the group, they traveled to the Core (a subterranean city inhabited by an advanced race of robots called Descendants). The Human Torch found that the Descendants worshiped him and respectfully refered to him as "Grandfather." He soon learned that the city was created by a man known as the "Father," who created the Descendants back in the 1940's as part of a failed attempt to replicate Professor Horton's work. Unfortunately, the Torch is badly damaged during the Avengers' escape from the Core, and was placed in stasis until his body can be repaired. However, Black Ant (an agent of the Descendants) later frees the Torch and teleported him back to the Core, where he was repaired by Father and convinced to join their side. Afterward, the Human Torch led an army of robots on a raid to New York, with the goal of forcibly assimilating the human race through the use of nanotechnology and giving the control of the world to the machines, robots, and cyborgs. Luckily, Captain Britain got the Torch to come to his senses, and the Human Torch fought switched sides and started fighting against the Descendant. He ultimately destoryed the Orb of Necromancy (the artifact that granted life to the Descendants). Although the human race was saved, the Descendants were all killed. Distraught from killing an entire race, the Human Torch quits the Avengers and flew away (To learn about the above highlighted team and/or characters, just click on their names.)

To learn a more about the Human Torach (android), Jim Hammond, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Human_Torch_%28Jim_Hammond%29.

In the film Captain America: The First Avenger, Jim Hammond made a brief cameo as a synthezoid on display in an oxygen deprived glass tube at the Stark Expo. (The second picture posted above shows his appearance.)

Also, Jim Hammond, the Original Human Torch, first appeared in Marvel Comics #1 (1939), making him one of the first Marvel characters and its first true superhero.