The movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe like to hide details from the history of the comic label in the form of small Easter eggs. This has been the case since the first films. In the first part of Captain America, you can discover the first Marvel hero in history.
Who can be seen in Captain America: The First Avenger? In 2011, Captain America: The First Avenger was the 5th film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it was the first film featuring the titular hero.
For the first time, we see the past and the origin story of Steve Rogers. At the beginning of the film, before his transformation into a super-soldier, Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers are attending a show by Howard Stark, the future father of Tony.
Alongside a lot of new technology, you can discover the first superhero from the Marvel comics in a display case: Human Torch.
You can see a trailer for the film here:
Not the Human Torch that we know today
What can you see in the display case? If you pause the film at about minute 11:30 (the Disney+ version), you can see a red suit in a display case. Above the case, the title reads The Synthetic Man
. This suit is a reference to Human Torch, but not to Johnny Storm, whom you know from the Fantastic Four films.
In 1939, the very first issue of Marvel Comics introduced 3 heroes. In addition to Human Torch, there were also Namor and Ka-Zar. However, in a Thor comic from 2024, it was essentially confirmed that Human Torch is considered the first hero (via Screen Rant).
This Human Torch, however, is Jim Hammond. He was an android developed by scientist Phineas T. Horton in the 616 universe. Like Captain America, he fought in World War II and helped the Allies. Hammond has the same abilities as Johnny Storm. He can ignite himself, create fire, and is immune to it.
Nowadays, Johnny Storm is the character that most people know as Human Torch. This is also due to the old TV series and especially the Fox films. In various comic stories, he had occasional appearances. For instance, he was one of the inspirations from which Ultron built Vision.
Chris Evans knows about Human Torch. An amusing coincidence (or possibly intentional) is that the Easter egg with the Human Torch appears in a Captain America film. Chris Evans played Johnny Storm in the first two Fantastic Four films by Fox before taking on the role of Steve Rogers. This also led to a funny joke in Deadpool and Wolverine, which only exists in the German version: Deadpool & Wolverine has a brilliant joke that only exists in the German version
