Bill Murray’s First Marvel Role Won’t Be In Ant-Man 3
For his first Marvel role, Bill Murray voice Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, for a Marvel radio drama.
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Everyone is anxiously waiting to find out who exactly Bill Murray will be playing in the MCU when he appears in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, but it turns out that Murray has already played a Marvel character way back in the 1970s. While we’re pretty sure that Murray won’t be playing Johnny Storm–aka The Human Torch of the Fantastic Four–you can still listen to him voice the character in serialized radio drama on the Internet Archive. Along with Murray, you’ll also be treated to the dulcet tones of the late Stan Lee narrating the serial.
The landscape of superhero media was undoubtedly different in the 1970s. This Fantastic Four radio drama only lasted for ten episodes. Now, the upcoming MCU Fantastic Four movie is one of the most highly-anticipated blockbusters in the coming years.
Things have changed as Marvel has become a juggernaut in modern pop culture. When Bill Murray recorded his lines as the Human Torch, the average American probably couldn’t name a single member of the Guardians of the Galaxy (and since the Guardians we know of today hadn’t joined the team yet, anyone who could name them would just be looked at funny). Now the Guardians can pull in over $863 million at the box office.
Bill Murray enjoyed a similar trajectory. When he was recording these Fantastic Four episodes, he was still a struggling comedian and actor. He would eventually reach Hollywood superstardom when he nabbed a spot on Saturday Night Live in 1977.
Things are coming full circle now, as Bill Murray will be appearing in a huge Marvel blockbuster that will kick off Phase 5 of the massively successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania will feature Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly returning in the titular roles alongside Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Ant-Man 3 will also feature Jonathan Majors as a Kang variant. We first saw Majors as a more benevolent version of Kang in Loki, but you can expect this version to be much more villainous. Kang the Conquerer is being set up as the next big threat for the Avengers, comparable to Thanos if not even more dangerous.
With Kang featuring prominently in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, the film will likely be a crucial component of the MCU’s long-term plans. It’ll be interesting to see how Bill Murray factor into everything.
Meanwhile, the MCU is building up to its proper introduction of the Fantastic Four. As enjoyable as it is to hear Bill Murray yell “Flame On,” he wouldn’t really fit the part of the young Johnny Storm anymore. MCU fans are waiting on pins and needles to see who will end up with the roles of Marvel‘s first family.
We saw fan-favorite John Krasinski appear as Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be playing the role in the upcoming movie, considering that was a Mr. Fantastic variant. It would be cool if Bill Murray played a character associated with the Fantastic Four, but that remains to be seen. You can find out who Murray is playing for yourself when Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17, 2023.
