The Fantastic Four’s Human Torch admits that Daredevil is one of Marvel’s greatest heroes. The worlds the two travel in are vastly different, and when the Human Torch attempts to walk a mile in Daredevil’s shoes in 1988’s Daredevil #261, he fails miserably. The experience gives Johnny Storm a deeper appreciation for what Daredevil endures on a regular basis. The issue was written by Ann Nocenti and illustrated by John Romita Jr.

The brash and impulsive Human Torch is part of the cosmos-hopping Fantastic Four, regularly defending the planet from the likes of Galactus and Annihilus. While Daredevil has taken on some heavy hitters in his career, he tends to stick to street-level crime, protecting Hell’s Kitchen from the likes of Kingpin, Bullseye and Typhoid Mary. In Daredevil #260, Nocenti and Romita Jr. depict a stark contrast between the two heroes' differing worlds; as a heat-wave induced riot tears through Hell’s Kitchen, Human Torch flies overhead. Witnessing the carnage below, he debates helping calm the crowd, but ultimately leaves it to Daredevil and the police, flying off to answer the Fantastic Four’s latest distress call. Later, under the influence of Typhoid Mary, Daredevil goes missing, and Hell’s Kitchen continues to descend into chaos.

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In Daredevil #261, the Human Torch agrees to help Karen Page search for Daredevil. The Torch ingratiates himself to Page almost immediately, attempting to lighten spirits in the wake of a bad situation; Page eventually apologizes, conceding that she feels a sense of dread about the entire affair. Later, the Human Torch and Page hit the streets, but not before the Torch decks himself out in a ridiculously over the top tough-guy outfit, wearing a shirt that literally says “bad” in bold letters. The duo track Daredevil through the gritty bars and dives of Hell’s Kitchen; the Human Torch eventually provokes a bar fight, and attempts to fight without his powers, amazingly managing to overpower a man twice his size.

Human Torch admits Daredevil is a great hero

As the Torch attempts to walk away, the crowd pelts him with bottles and food. Having had enough, the Human Torch lashes out with his powers, causing the bar to go up in smoke. The Human Torch, realizing that his continuing presence will make an already bad situation worse, backs out of the search, but not before concluding that Daredevil must have something “special” to operate successfully in the gritty confines of Hell’s Kitchen. He apologizes to Page, and flies away.

Certain elements of the story, such as the Human Torch’s cheesy outfit, are played for laughs, but Johnny’s realization that he could never operate successfully in Hell’s Kitchen and fill Daredevil’s shoes is a powerful character moment. So much of the Human Torch’s character has been based around his youth and self-assuredness, but his experiences searching for Daredevil humbled him, and showed him a side of life vastly different from gallivanting around the Negative Zone, or wooing an alien princess. The experience traumatizes him so much, he bows out before Daredevil is found, flying away with his tail tucked between his legs. His newfound admiration for Daredevil is born out of the realization that the two operate in different worlds, and what works in one does not work in the other.

The story also serves as a stark reminder of how diverse the Marvel Universe truly is, that high-concept science fiction heroes such as the Human Torch and the Fantastic Four exist alongside gritty, street-level heroes such as Daredevil. When their two worlds collided, the experience led the Human Torch to conclude that Daredevil was one of Marvel’s best.

Next: The Fantastic Four Aren't Superheroes (& Marvel Should Stop Pretending)