Death comes to hero in Marvel’s Fantastic Four #587

In “Fantastic Four” #587, released early to comic-book shops today, Marvel revealed the death of a popular super-character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The Human Torch died heroically at the conclusion of the “Three” storyline by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting.  The Fantastic Four lose one of their founding members, who first appeared in “Fantastic Four” No. 1 in 1961.

“Jonathan Hickman [writer of Fantastic Four] came to us two years ago with a vision for evolving the characters and concepts introduced to fans 50 years ago in Fantastic Four #1 – and quite frankly his vision blew us away,” said Tom Brevoort, Marvel Entertainment SVP of Publishing, in a news release.  “The death of the Human Torch is the first major move in this incredibly exciting evolution of the legendary Fantastic Four franchise and a necessary part of the larger story we will be telling featuring the beloved characters moving forward.”

In the next issue, #588, the Fantastic Four disband, and the surviving characters seek a new role in the Marvel Universe.

- Matt Price