One of the big moments in VisionQuest episode 7, “Immolation,” was the reveal that the “source code” for all of Vision’s and Ultron’s AI programming comes from the android J.I.M., which stands for Joule Individual Machine. And he’s also played by Paul Bettany. Marvel fans will know J.I.M. as the MCU version of Jim Hammond, a.k.a. the original android hero the Human Torch, Marvel’s first-ever superhero from World War II. In a post-episode interview in Entertainment Weekly, VisionQuest showrunner Terry Matalas said he has ideas for a J.I.M.-centric series, set in the past. Here’s what he had to say:
That should be a show. When he gets emotional, he overloads. It’s such a great metaphor. I’ve got some crazy ideas about how to tell that story, but, yeah, you would love to see him run around in World War II and be a part of things…. I wanna see that guy go up against the Nazis.
Matalas also mentioned they purposely avoided using J.I.M.’s comic book codename “the Human Torch,” to avoid brand confusion with Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four. After all, Johnny is the more famous superhero with that codename. He said, “At the time we were making this, The Fantastic Four: First Steps hadn’t even come out yet. So we didn’t wanna confuse the audience.” Although they never state outright in VisionQuest that he never used the name.
VisionQuest Gives Us the MCU Backstory of the Human Torch
J.I.M., the first synthetic man, was created back in 1939. Dr. Horton (also played by Bettany) created him partially to replace his lost son, James, who died some time earlier. He hoped to create a being free of emotion, so as to not suffer grief and pain as he did. But as we learned in this episode, J.I.M. developed emotions regardless, and he couldn’t handle them. As a result, his solar power cells overloaded. He then went up in a giant blaze, taking his creator with him. But before that, Dr. Horton called him a hero, someone who once saved lives. And that lines up with his comic book history.
Jim Hammond, the Human Torch, Was Marvel’s First Superhero
The Human Torch was the first Marvel hero, debuting in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939. He was one of publisher Timely Comics’ trinity of main superheroes, along with Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Captain America. Eventually, the Human Torch, along with most superheroes, went away after the end of the ’40s. In the Silver Age, Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four took on the name the Human Torch. But Marvel would later reveal that in World War II, the Torch, Namor, and Cap were a team that took on the Axis powers, called the Invaders. They even headlined their own Invaders comic book series in the ’70s.
Could a J.I.M./Human Torch MCU Project Feature Captain America and Namor?
So could a Human Torch series happen? And could it involve the Invaders? Well, we think Tenoch Huerta might be down to play Namor in a World War II project, but it might be very difficult to get Chris Evans to play a younger version of Steve Rogers. But maybe this becomes an animated project? Or, just maybe, they make the big decision and recast a younger Steve Rogers. This is definitely something we hope Marvel Studios plans to explore in the future, in one form or another. It’s a concept with a lot of potential. And who doesn’t want more Paul Bettany? Here’s hoping Terry Matalas can make it happen.