through Episode 4.<\/strong><\/p>\nIn the latest episode of VisionQuest, \u201cMalware,\u201d<\/u> the murderous synthezoid who has been lurking in the shadows and killing AI creators off is finally revealed to be Jocasta \u2013 aka Dr. Josephine Carrington. The character, played by T\u2019Nia Miller, had only been referred to on the show as the \u201cButcherbird Killer\u201d prior to this, but fans of the comics know all about Jocasta<\/u>, the so-called Bride of Ultron! We\u2019ve also known the character would be a part of VisionQuest, but there\u2019s another android character mentioned in the episode who is perhaps a bit more of a surprise\u2026 or at least it\u2019s a surprise how pivotal he may wind up being to the Disney+ series.<\/p>\n
Yes, after 15 years, the MCU is finally getting around to dealing with the original Human Torch.<\/p>\n
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VisionQuest: The Synthetic Man Images<\/h3>\n<\/span><\/output><\/p>\n
The Synthetic Man Is the Original Human Torch<\/h2>\n The character was first teased in Captain America: The First Avenger<\/u> all the way back in 2011. It was a blink-or-you\u2019ll-miss-it moment<\/u> during the 1943 Stark Expo scene where Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) go on a double date. At one point, an exhibit can be glimpsed for \u201cthe Synthetic Man,\u201d the creation of Dr. Phineas Horton. Encased in a glass case and seemingly deactivated, the Synthetic Man even had on the comics version of the Torch\u2019s red costume. (And as any Marvel fan worth his weight in newsprint comics knows, this is a completely different character from Johnny Storm, the other Human Torch who is best known as a member of the Fantastic Four.)<\/p>\n
Anyway, that was the last we saw or heard of the OG Torch\u2026 until now. Fans had pieced together<\/u> that the character would be part of VisionQuest in some way, based on promo art featuring a man ablaze. That, combined with the Torch and Vision\u2019s shared history in the comics, made it pretty clear that what was just a fun Easter egg in The First Avenger would now become something more meaningful and complete, as is the MCU\u2019s way.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nThe Human Torch, aka the Synthetic Man, as seen in Captain America: The First Avenger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
In \u201cMalware,\u201d Vision (Paul Bettany) and Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica) attend a charity event dubbed \u201cThe Re-evolution of Man.\u201d The gala is hosted by Mary McDonnell\u2019s Dr. Katerina Wells, a former colleague of Josephine Carrington\u2019s who, like Carrington, is also an expert on AI. Dr. Wells narrates a video presentation that is playing at the event, where she discusses the \u201cill-fated Synthetic Man\u201d and explains a bit about his history. Later, she tells the assembled guests that Dr. Phineas Horton was the \u201cgrandfather of robotics\u201d and that he was the creator of the Synthetic Man, also known as J.I.M. (notably, the Torch\u2019s alter ego in the comics is Jim Hammond). The Synthetic Man\u2019s source code, Wells explains, paved the way for all future artificial intelligence that followed. \u201cHe was the first of us,\u201d the Vision says. \u201cMiraculous, but flawed.\u201d<\/p>\n
We also learn that, unlike his comics counterpart, who was one of the original Marvel heroes and fought alongside Captain America and Namor in the super-group the Invaders during World War II, J.I.M. was deactivated after a series of \u201cincendiary mishaps.\u201d As Vision explains, \u201chis inability to process complex emotions spun his clockwork too quickly, flooded his solar cells with oxygen until his entire being was consumed in fire.\u201d Tommy responds, \u201cYou mean he felt <\/em>to death?\u201d Sad!<\/p>\n‘He was the first of us,’ the Vision says. ‘Miraculous, but flawed.’
\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/div>\nAs for why this same problem never became an issue for the Vision, apparently the otherworldly power of the Mind Stone helped him to keep himself in check \u2013 and even though he no longer possesses the Stone in his new form, he still has enough of its residual power within his being. Why then did Ultron never suffer the same fate as the Synthetic Man\/Human Torch? Could it be that his brief interaction with the Mind Stone\u2019s power also affected him? (But then one must also ask, what about Jocasta\u2026?)<\/p>\n
At any rate, we now know that the Synthetic Man truly was also a Torch\u2026 though for now, anyway, it sounds as though that was a curse rather than a gift.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nMary McDonnell\u2019s Dr. Katerina Wells stands amid relics of the Synthetic Man.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
Is the Human Torch the Real Villain of VisionQuest?<\/h2>\n While there are several apparent bad guys running around in VisionQuest right now, including Jocasta and Todd Stashwick\u2019s Paladin, it\u2019s clear that there\u2019s still a Big Bad waiting in the background. Jocasta is traditionally portrayed as a good guy (she was an Avenger in the comics!), so she may flip sides soon, and a sympathetic backstory for Paladin is being planted as well \u2013 though since both characters have already killed in cold blood, it\u2019s currently a bit difficult to see how they could be redeemed. But regardless, there\u2019s also that ominous voice to consider of whoever it was who hired Paladin to track down Vision\u2026<\/p>\n
We\u2019re halfway through VisionQuest at this point, so it seems likely that either the Human Torch or his creator, Dr. Horton, (or both) are being positioned to be behind that mysterious voice. Why else would VisionQuest give us so much information and backstory on the Torch? And if one of them is indeed the true villain of this series, the question then is why?<\/p>\n\n\nThe Human Torch or the Synthetic Man?<\/h2>\n Will VisionQuest, and the MCU in general, ever actually refer to J.I.M. as the Human Torch? You can see how there might be a corporate mandate that it would be confusing to viewers to do so, since there\u2019s already a Human Torch over at the Baxter Building. But then again, we\u2019ve already had two Hulks, two Captains America, and two Black Widows just in starring roles alone in the MCU. Plus, does anyone really remember The Fantastic Four: First Steps? I really hope J.I.M. gets to go by the Human Torch before this is all over.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n
By the end of Episode 4, there\u2019s also the matter of Ultron (James Spader) now having taken control of Vision\u2019s body. That\u2019s a dangerous situation to be sure, but VisionQuest has also hinted that there\u2019s more to Ultron\u2019s original design than we\u2019ve previously known about. While E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire) figures out during this episode that the various Stark AIs have all been based on real people, Ultron insists that he is the exception. But is it possible that Dr. Horton and\/or the Human Torch were somehow Ultron\u2019s inspiration when he was created?<\/p>\n
Of course, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner wouldn\u2019t have consciously used either figure to base Ultron on, but don\u2019t forget, Ultron just kind of came into existence on his own after the Science Bros thought they had failed. So something sparked Ultron into existence, but what? And is that same something now trying to track down its creation? VisionQuest is clearly about fathers and sons\u2026 so is Dr. Horton or the Torch Ultron\u2019s actual father? We\u2019ll find out soon enough.<\/p>\n
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Talk to Scott Collura <\/em>@scottcollura.bsky.social<\/em>, or listen to his <\/em>Star Trek podcast, Transporter Room 3<\/em>. Or do both!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/span><\/section>\n
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