In last night's episode of VisionQuest, titled "Immolation," we're finally introduced to J.I.M., the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Synthetic Man and an android best known to comic book fans as the original Human Torch.
The big twist—one of many in this penultimate chapter—is that J.I.M. has Vision's face...or Vision has his. And J.I.M. boasts the likeness of his creator and "father," Phineas Horton, the human scientist who created the first AI.
Below, you can see the MCU's first Human Torch in action, a moment fans have been waiting for since 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger.
As you can see, Paul Bettany donned a comic-accurate costume to portray J.I.M., and even got to briefly flame on (in this world, it was J.I.M.'s emotions that caused him to set alight). It's an incredible sight, and one that allowed the actor to take on yet another comic book role.
This now means that Bettany has played seven characters in the MCU:
- J.A.R.V.I.S. — Tony Stark's AI, whose voice was first heard in 2008's Iron Man.
- Vision — Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and J.A.R.V.I.S. were all used in the creation of Vision in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, with the Mind Stone giving Ultron's ultimate form life.
- Hex Vision — Created by the Scarlet Witch in 2021's WandaVision, he vanished when the Hex came down.
- White Vision — S.W.O.R.D. rebuilt and reprogrammed Vision after he died in Avengers: Infinity War; he's since taken centre stage in VisionQuest.
- Phineas Horton — The creator of AI in the MCU, he built J.I.M. as a replacement for the son he lost.
- J.I.M. — The Synthetic Man and the original Human Torch.
- Ultron — Thanks to VisionQuest, Bettany has been able to show us what might have been had Ultron succeeded in his mission to inhabit the body he created in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Check out the Human Torch's MCU debut in VisionQuest in the player below.
In VisionQuest, Vision, rebooted and having escaped from those who sought to weaponise him, has been in hiding. Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H., J.A.R.V.I.S., and the infamous Ultron.
His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head thrusts him on the run with Thomas Shepard, a mysterious boy who may be Vision's son, reincarnated. As Vision evades capture, he must confront his nature, resist Ultron's influence, and unravel the enigma that is his young companion if he’s to survive.
VisionQuest stars Paul Bettany, James Spader, Ruaridh Mollica, Todd Stashwick, T'Nia Miller, Lauren Morais, Orla Brady, Diane Morgan, Polly Frame, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, with Emily Hampshire and James D'Arcy.
In our full season review, we concluded, "Paul Bettany and James Spader are masterful in VisionQuest, a staggering achievement by Marvel Studios and Terry Matalas that understands its characters, does right by them, and delivers one of the best MCU stories ever told."
Six episodes of VisionQuest are now streaming on Disney+.