Toro is the name of two fictional characters appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. The first Toro was originally featured in

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and later published as a Marvel Comics superhero who appeared as the partner of the original

Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm) is a fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and ar ...

Publication history

The first Toro made his debut in

' ''Human Torch Comics'' #2 (premiering fall 1940 with no

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and as issue #2, having taken over the numbering from the single-issue '' Red Raven''). Toro appeared in numerous comics titles in the 1940s, both during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the post-war era. He starred with Bucky in '' Young Allies Comics'', and made appearances in various issues of ''Kid Comics'', ''Amazing Comics'', ''Complete Comics'', ''

Mystic Comics ''Mystic Comics'' is the name of three comic book series published by the company that eventually became Marvel Comics. The first two series were superhero anthologies published by Marvel's 1930-1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, during what fans a ...

'', '' All-Winners Comics'', and '' Sub-Mariner Comics''. In 1948, however, the Human Torch dropped Toro as a sidekick, picking up with Sun Girl instead. Toro and the Torch later appeared in

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

' ''Young Men'' #24 (December 1953). Toro also made several appearances in

titles, beginning with reprints of Human Torch stories in ''Marvel Super-Heroes'' #12–14 (Dec. 1967-May 1968), followed by a previously unpublished Atlas-era Human Torch story in #16 (Sep. 1968). Toro appeared in a new story in ''Prince Namor, The Sub-Mariner'' #14 (June 1969) where he was seemingly killed off. He subsequently appeared in flashbacks and historical stories, being a regular character in the 1970s ''Invaders'' series. After years of only appearing in flashback stories, he returned to current publication with the 2008 ''Avengers/Invaders'' maxiseries and the 2009 miniseries ''The Torch''. In 2014, as part of

Marvel Now! Marvel Now! (stylized as Marvel NOW!) is a comic book branding for the relaunch of several ongoing comic books published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in October 2012 with new #1 issues. The relaunch also included some new titles, including ''Un ...

, the '' All-New Invaders'' were relaunched and a flashback story was told about Toro during WWII in issues #6–7 and it is revealed Toro is an Inhuman in issue #10.

Fictional character biography

Thomas Raymond

Thomas Raymond was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to parents who were laboratory assistants to

Phineas Horton Haechi Haechi (Mark Sim) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Christopher Yost and Marcus To, he first appeared in ''New Warriors'' (vol. 5) #2 (March 2014). Sim is among the laten ...

, creator of the original

. After their employment with Horton ended, they were killed in a train derailment. Toro himself was found at the site of the accident by a traveling circus completely unscathed despite the blaze from the wreckage raging around him. He was found to have a natural immunity to fire. Adopted by the circus, his abilities were used to draw attention. Eventually the circus is visited by the Human Torch, and as he draws closer to Toro the younger man's flame powers fully emerge. The Human Torch teaches Toro how to control his flame powers, and from this point onward, Toro becomes a protégé and partner of the Torch. He later becomes a co-founder of the Invaders. Toro is the only member of the Invaders to survive the war mentally and physically intact. He marries Ann Raymond and assumes a pedestrian life, until he is killed in battle with the Mad Thinker. Toro's past self appears in the ''Avengers/Invaders'' miniseries, where he is temporarily transported to the present day and revealed to be a

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...

. In ''Avengers/Invaders'' #12,

Bucky Barnes James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in '' ...

resurrects Toro using a

Cosmic Cube The Cosmic Cube is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There are multiple Cubes in the Marvel Universe, all of which are depicted as containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although th ...

. In the 2009 miniseries ''The Torch'', the Mad Thinker imprisons Toro and vivisects him to learn more about his powers. He discovers that Toro possesses artificial cells similar to the Human Torch.''The Torch'' #1 In ''

Infinity Infinity is something which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is denoted by \infty, called the infinity symbol. From the time of the Ancient Greek mathematics, ancient Greeks, the Infinity (philosophy), philosophic ...

'', Toro is

retconned Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...

to be an Inhuman.''All-New Invaders'' #8 (September 2014)

Benito Serrano

A new Toro appears as a member of the

Young Allies Young Allies, in comics, may refer to one of the following superhero teams: * Young Allies (DC Comics), a team made up of young superheroes featured in ''Young All-Stars'' published by DC Comics * Young Allies (Marvel Comics), several superher ...

. This Toro is Benito Serrano (the same identity as the Toro from Counter-Earth), but is from the "normal" Earth-616 Marvel Universe. During the "Secret Empire" storyline, Toro appears as a member of the Underground when Hydra took over the United States.

Powers and abilities

Toro has superhuman abilities which are similar to those of the Human Torch (the ability to fly and burst into flames, as well as flame resistance). These were originally thought to be caused by his parents' exposure to radiation prior to his conception, making Toro a genetic

. Investigation by the Mad Thinker reveals that the similarity is because his nervous system has incorporated artificial power cells, exactly the same kind of power cells that power the original Human Torch. Reed Richards confirmed that these cells interfered with the natural expression of his mutant powers, causing him to mimic the Human Torch.''The Torch'' #4 Many years later, Toro's origins were retroactively changed again, to explain his powers in fact came from recessive Inhuman genes. After exposure to Terrigen Mists, he cocooned and expressed his full powers. Where previously he "subconsciously duplicated" the Human Torch's appearance, now Toro's body was composed of pink, gaseous, chemical flame. Toro's metabolism is enhanced when he activates his flame powers, once recovering from heart surgery within a few minutes, and once healing extensive damage inflicted by the Mad Thinker's experiments to the point that open wounds healed and scarred over in the time it took him to fly from the North Atlantic Ocean to New York City. The second Toro has the power to change himself into a superhuman form with bull-like horns and skin, greater physical mass, superhuman strength and the ability to leap far distances.

Other versions

Before an Earth-616 counterpart appeared in the second ''Young Allies'' series, the Toro of

Counter-Earth The Counter-Earth is a : Hypothetical bodies of the Solar System, hypothetical body of the Solar System that orbits on the other side of the Solar System from Earth. A Counter-Earth or ''Antichthon'' () was hypothesized by the pre-Socratic philoso ...

is called Benito Serrano. He is a member of the Young Allies of Counter-Earth, who can transform into a super-strong

Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (, ''Mīnṓtauros''), also known as Asterion, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "par ...

-like humanoid (''toro'' means "bull" in Italian and in Spanish). In the future timeline where the Hulk became the

Maestro Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning " master" or "teacher," plural: maestros or maestri) is an honorific title of respect, sometimes abbreviated Mo. The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and oper ...

, Toro gradually lost his powers and served as the Maestro's First Minister (having previously served the original Maestro, Hercules).''Maestro: World War M'' #3

In other media

* The Thomas Raymond incarnation of Toro appears in ''

The Super Hero Squad Show ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation that aired from 2009 to 2011. It is based on the Hasbro toyline " Marvel Super Hero Squad", which portrays the Avengers, the X-Men, and various ...

'' episode "World War Witch!", voiced by

Tara Strong Tara Lyn Strong (; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The Powerpuff Girls'', '' The Fair ...

. This version is a member of the Invaders. * Benito Serrano appears in '' Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell'', voiced by Michael Robles while his monstrous form's vocal effects are provided by Edward Bosco. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version was transformed into a Minotaur by

Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...

to serve as his anchor to the mortal world. While the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

and

Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...

help free Serrano, his astral form is compromised, leaving him trapped in his monstrous form. Subsequently, he joins the

Howling Commandos The Howling Commandos is the name of several fictional groups appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team also appears in the franchises developed for other media. Fictional team history Original Incarnation (1963) T ...

while waiting for Strange to find a way to restore him to normal.

References

External links

Toro in the Marvel Universe
{{GoldenAge Characters created by Carl Burgos Comics characters introduced in 1940 Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities Fictional circus performers Fictional World War II veterans Golden Age superheroes Inhumans Marvel Comics male superheroes Marvel Comics mutants Marvel Comics orphans Marvel Comics sidekicks Marvel Comics superheroes Timely Comics characters