VisionQuest: Who is Jim Hammond? Exploring the history of Episode 2's most important Easter Egg

The second episode, VisionQuest, "Theseus", introduces the most important Marvel Comics character: the Human Torch. Upon seeing the name "The Human Torch", you may instantly think about the Fantastic Four's Johnny Storm; however, that's not the case. The very first version of the Human Torch in Marvel lore is an android created by a scientist named Professor Phineas Horton.

After rebelling against Horton, the Human Torch joined the NYC police force under the human identity "Jim Hammond". In the second episode, the Human Torch appears in a painting inside Vision's mansion inside his head. Apart from that, VisionQuest doesn't go inside the character's MCU history.

What role does the Human Torch play in VisionQuest Episode 2?

As mentioned earlier, the Human Torch appears in VisionQuest Episode 2 for just a few minutes. In the third act of the episode, we see Vision flying to the facility in which Thomas Shepherd, the reborn form of Tommy Maximoff, is being held hostage. As Vision is about to fly to the facility, J.A.R.V.I.S. warns the android Avenger about emotions.

It is while delivering this warning that J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision look at the painting of a mysterious figure in fire. This one scene prompted Instagram user @jenkz.p to post an interesting theory:

This fan put forth the theory that the MCU is establishing The Human Torch as the first android. We even saw this android in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. We see this still figure as a display in the 1940s Stark Expo. But instead of The Human Torch, the figure is called "Synthetic Man", probably due to rights issues, as Marvel did not own the rights of the Fantastic Four at that time.

In the image above, on the top right side of the frame, we can even see a circular figure, which almost looks like J.A.R.V.I.S.'s digital AI form in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Thus, there is merit to the theory that The Human Torch might be the synthetic life form in the MCU, even before D.U.M.-E. and U., both of whom were created by Tony Stark when he was just sixteen.

As for The Human Torch's appearance in the Disney+ MCU series, we see a figure on fire in a recent VisionQuest trailer, as the scene cuts to the painting. This moment suggests that we might be getting more of The Human Torch in the series. As for the character's appearance, here's why it is important.

The Human Torch is one of the earliest Marvel characters:

Jim Hammond/The Human Torch is important because, alongside Namor, he is one of the earliest Marvel characters. His first appearance was in Marvel Comics #1, which was published in October 1939. In his first appearance, the Human Torch scared everyone as soon as he burst into flames. The painting in VisionQuest Episode 2 even alludes to this event.

But over time, it seems that the MCU version of the hero might retain this comic storyline, as J.A.R.V.I.S. describes the character as the first of their kind. This could set up Hammond's appearance in an upcoming episode of the Disney+ series.

Do we know which episode Jim Hammond is appearing in the series?

As of now, we don't know which episode the classic Marvel Comics character will appear. We just know that a fiery figure would appear in an upcoming episode of the series. That's because the trailer, which was released two weeks ago, already revealed the moment at the one-minute forty-two-second mark. There, the mysterious figure bursts up in flame inside a library.

Apart from that, we are not given any context to this scene. Thus, we have to wait for the next four weeks to know whether Jim Hammond will appear in the sci-fi Disney+ MCU series or not.

"Vision, rebooted and having escaped from those who sought to weaponize him, has been in hiding. Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including Friday, Edith, Jarvis, and the infamous Ultron. His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head thrusts him on the run with Thomas Shepherd, a mysterious boy who may be Vision’s son, reincarnate."

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Do you think that Jim Hammond is a part of the upcoming six episodes of VisionQuest? Let us know.

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