VisionQuest just unveiled the first look at a man on fire, who may well be the series' take on Human Torch. This October, Marvel Television will complete the WandaVision trilogy with VisionQuest, an eight-episode Disney+ series that could be considered a mini-crossover event for the MCU. VisionQuest will officially feature multiple MCU superheroes, and there have been growing signs that a Golden Age version of the Human Torch may be among them.
Marvel Studios released a brand new promo for VisionQuest that notably features a flaming man within Vision's Mind Space. Based on recent rumors and reports, the burning individual is Jim Hammond, better known as Marvel Comics' original Human Torch, who is said to finally be entering the MCU properly in VisionQuest.
Marvel Studios teased VisionQuest's new Human Torch at D23 Expo with promo art of a mysterious flaming man in the middle of a street. Fans can only assume that this is the very same figure who appeared in the WandaVision sequel's latest promo, and there is a high chance that audiences have seen him before.
Some may remember that the android Human Torch was spotted at the 1943 Stark Expo in Captain America: The First Avenger. Unlike in Marvel Comics, this Human Torch was labeled as Synthetic Man - a name he could go by in VisionQuest to avoid confusion with another hot head who is returning in Phase 6.
The flaming figure appears to be in a library within Vision's internal Mind Space in the promo, with Paul Bettany's Avenging Synthezoid looking down on him. As The First Avenger teased Stark Industries' Human Torch (known in the comics as Jim Hammond) as an android created by Phineas T. Horton for the tech empire, it stands to reason that he joins many other Iron Man-related AIs in the Mind Space.
Fans shouldn't let Jim Hammond's superhero moniker fool them, as VisionQuest's Human Torch has nothing to do with Joseph Quinn's Johnny Storm. The Fantastic Four superhero debuted decades after the Golden Age Human Torch; they just so happen to share pyrokinesis superpowers and a fiery alter ego.
Jim Hammond was introduced almost 90 years ago, in 1939, in Marvel Comics #1, sharing the issue with Namor the Sub-Mariner himself. The android Human Torch debuted as a scientific disaster but went on to become a superhero with a secret identity as NYPD police officer Jim Hammond, although his presence has been minor over the decades, perhaps due to sharing an alias with Johnny Storm.
Those eager to see more Johnny Storm on their screens won't have to wait long, as he will return on December 18 in Avengers: Doomsday, just weeks after VisionQuest wraps up on Wednesday, December 2. The burning man will also be back next December in Avengers: Secret Wars and, hopefully, with a sequel to The Fantastic Four, which is in the works for Phase 7 or beyond.
VisionQuest is set to premiere on Disney+ on Wednesday, October 14, with its eight episodes releasing weekly until Wednesday, December 2.
How Could a Human Torch Fit Into VisionQuest's Story?
Back in Captain America: The First Avenger, Jim Hammond was a powered-down android encased in glass, so he still has no actor attached for the MCU. Marvel Studios is keeping details about the Human Torch in VisionQuest top secret, including the identity of the actor who will bring the flaming android to life.
A recent VisionQuest merch listing from Hot Topic referred to a prototype for JIM by Burgos Labs (the character was created by comic writer Carl Burgos in 1939). It appears that the android superhero will go by JIM in the MCU, which is undeniably a logical decision, as two unrelated Human Torches could confuse audiences.
The fact that JIM is on fire inside the paper-lined library of Vision's Mind Space may be a sign that he is there to wreak havoc, but why? Well, if JIM is the same Synthetic Man from 1939, his older programming may leave him vulnerable to hijacking, allowing some external villain a way into Vision.
So far, VisionQuest's trailers have shown these AI programs only inside the Mind Space and in their human avatars, except for a brief glimpse of the robotic Ultron. Perhaps those with physical forms, which could include JIM, will also be exploring the real world with Vision, whatever adventure he is going on.
