Marvel’s first superhero has finally made his proper debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 87 years after he first appeared in print. The original Human Torch, an android created by Carl Burgos, appears in the penultimate episode of the Disney+ series VisionQuest, titled “Immolation,” according to MovieWeb.
The character is not the Human Torch most viewers know. That version, Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four, came decades later. The original is Jim Hammond, an android who debuted on the cover of Marvel Comics #1 in October 1939, published by Timely Comics, the company that later became Marvel.
In VisionQuest, the character appears as the Synthetic Man, called J.I.M., and the episode ties him to Vision’s own origin. According to MovieWeb, the series establishes that Vision and other artificial intelligences are built on source code created by Phineas Horton for his Synthetic Man, and Paul Bettany plays both Vision and the Synthetic Man’s creator.
The original Human Torch previously appeared in the MCU only as a background exhibit, the Synthetic Man on display at the 1943 Stark Expo in Captain America: The First Avenger. His VisionQuest appearance marks his first full live-action debut, closing a gap that stretches back to the start of Marvel Comics.
Source: MovieWeb
