VisionQuest is finally here, and while Vision’s return to the MCU for the first time since WandaVision is fantastic, it may not be the only exciting return the series has to offer. With only two episodes available, many questions remain about what the rest of VisionQuest offers, including its connections to past MCU movies.
Episodes one and two of VisionQuest show what the titular snythezoid Avenger has been up to since we last saw him. In the premiere episode, we learn that Vision has been attempting to reconnect with his former self, as well as hoping to learn more about the human experience. However, he finds out that an unknown antagonist has hired a bounty hunter named Paladin to track him down. In the second episode, Vision discovers that Paladin has kidnapped a teenager named Tommy, whom he claims is Vision’s son. So, Vision heads out to rescue the boy, putting himself and the intelligences living in his Mindspace in grave danger.
Near the end of VisionQuest episode 2, Vision decides that he will fly to a facility where Paladin and his goons are holding Tommy. While Vision is confident that he can handle the squad, J.A.R.V.I.S. is worried. He warns Vision that emotions can lead artificial intelligences down a dangerous path, with him advising Vision to remember the story of the first of them. The camera then reveals a massive painting of a figure on fire, with this presumably being the first Stark AI that is being referenced.
It seems clear that this flaming robot is Jim Hammond. Hammond is the oldest Marvel superhero, with him having made his debut in Marvel Comics #1 in October 1939. He is an android who is able to completely cover himself with fire as well as control it, earning him the name Human Torch. While that title is more commonly used by the Fantastic Four’s Johnny Storm nowadays, the android is the original superhero to go by that name. The character was a popular hero in the early days of Marvel, crossing over with other heroes like Namor the Sub-Mariner and Captain America.
Interestingly, Jim Hammond has already had a cameo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, a scene set at the 1943 Stark Expo features several exciting pieces of technology. One of these is the Synthetic Man, an android in a red suit who is clearly designed to look like the original Human Torch. While this has been nothing more than an Easter egg for years now, it looks like VisionQuest may expand his role in the MCU, bringing this The First Avenger cameo back for a proper story in the Disney+ series.
Since Jim Hammond hasn’t been mentioned since The First Avenger, he probably isn’t around in the MCU anymore. A TV spot for an upcoming episode of VisionQuest confirms that we will see the character on-screen, but this could be entirely contained within a flashback sequence. It seems like Hammond’s demise came about as a result of him attempting to gain emotions, something that the Stark intelligences now view as playing with fire. We may see the character’s downfall in a future episode of VisionQuest, with the tragedy of the Human Torch being juxtaposed with Vision’s current arc.
First look at Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch, in ‘VISIONQUEST’. pic.twitter.com/QzrpriYgCF
However, it is also possible that Hammond could return as a main character alongside Vision and the other AIs. After all, the other Stark intelligences from throughout the MCU are now living in Vision’s MindSpace, meaning that Hammond could do the same. Even if Hammond died in the past, Vision has already been able to revive Ultron within his mind. So, it would make sense for the superhero to do the same for Hammond.
While this would be a fun direction to take the story, we don’t know why Vision would need to revive him. It is possible that Hammond could have a connection to the story of VisionQuest, with the Stark intelligences needing some information that only the first Stark AI would know. It could also be that they find the real-world Hammond android and enlist him in the fight against the mysterious Client. There are tons of reasons to bring John Hammond back, and for longtime MCU fans, his return is one of the most exciting aspects of VisionQuest.
What do you think about VisionQuest so far? Let us know on the ComicBook Forum!
