VisionQuest has been pulling from a lot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s history, especially as it gets into the origins of artificial intelligence in the movies and delves into Vision’s relationship with his family. But last night’s penultimate episode brought a character into the fold that some folks might not realize has some pretty significant history in the comic books as he was the first Human Torch, long before Johnny Storm took on the name in the Fantastic Four comics. It’s time for a quick Marvel history lesson.
In the show, Paul Bettany plays J.I.M., also known as the Synthetic Man, and believe it or not, this guy is technically the first Marvel superhero, dating back to the first comic released under the brand in 1939. The character made his first appearance in the MCU in a brief cameo in Captain America: The First Avenger way back in 2011, but VisionQuest was the first time he had a proper speaking role. In the MCU, the Synthetic Man is the first of all synthetic life, and has become a cautionary tale for modern-day synthezoids like Vision because of the way he erupted into flame upon experiencing human-like emotion. He was created by Phineas Horton, who sought to rebuild his deceased son as an android, though his fixation on doing so lost him his family and fortune.
Their story has some more tragic consequences we won’t get into here, but the important bit here is that the Synthetic Man is the basis of all synthetic life in the MCU, and that’s why Vision has traces of him in his code, and why they share the same face. Vision notes that J.I.M. “wears [his] face,” to which the Synthetic Man responds, “No, you wear mine.”
Though it’s not an exact adaptation of the comics, Vision and the Synthetic Man have a connection in the original story, as Vision was originally created from a copy of the android’s body. However, because Vision’s creation differs in the MCU, with him being created from a robot body using the Mind Stone, this feels like Marvel bringing that connection back in a new way.
VisionQuest makes a point to never refer to him by his original superhero alias, which was, as many Marvel fans might not realize, the Human Torch. Most people know that as the superhero alias of Johnny Storm, one of the members of the Fantastic Four, an association strengthened by time and frequent appearances throughout modern Marvel media, leaving the android who held that mantle decades prior largely forgotten. VisionQuest hones in on the Synthetic Man’s inability to control his flames, but in the comics, he gains control of this power and uses it for good as a hero working alongside the likes of Namor and Captain America.
It remains to be seen if the Synthetic Man will play any major role in the MCU moving forward, but that’s something we can speculate on further after next week’s series finale premieres on November 10.
