VisionQuestwill mark the end of an era for Marvel Studios. It marks the end of a trilogy that began with WandaVision and Agatha All Along, and a shift in Marvel’s strategy for developing Disney+ television series. It’ll also see Paul Bettany return as the Vision — specifically, a version of the Vision struggling to reconcile his lack of emotions with memories of his past life. The Vision won’t be alone; his consciousness contains the different artificial intelligences created within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including his homicidal “father,” Ultron (James Spader). An exhibit at D23 may have featured a deep Marvel Comics cut that’s tied to Vision’s history.
At D23, fans noticed that the VisionQuest display featured a mysterious figure engulfed in flames and sporting a web of circuitry within its frame. This image might be teasing the arrival of Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch and the first-ever Marvel superhero. Long before Johnny Storm gained his fiery abilities and became part of The Fantastic Four, Hammond made his debut in Marvel Comics #1, eventually crossing paths with Namor the Sub-Mariner. If Hammond appears in VisionQuest, it’ll pay off one of the longest-running Easter eggs in MCU history.
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Jim Hammond Made a Cameo in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’
The Original Human Torch in a case in Captain America: The First Avenger.Image via Marvel Studios
In Captain America: The First Avenger, a key scene features Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) being taken to the Stark Expo by his best friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Jim Hammond is one of the exhibits at the Expo, renamed the “Synthetic Man.” This is both a nod to Hammond’s history as one of the first artificial intelligences in the Marvel Universe, but also his origin in the comics. When Hammond’s creator, Phineas Horton, first showcased his creation at a traveling fair, Hammond’s skin burst into flames when exposed to oxygen — transforming him into the Human Torch.After his battle against Namor, the Human Torch fought alongside Captain America in World War II and helped found the superhero team known as the Invaders. While Hammond remained a mere cameo in Captain America: The First Avenger, his presence hints that artificial intelligence has been in the works for decades in the MCU. Bringing him back into VisionQuest could be a great way for showrunner Terry Matalas to further explore that thread, and also give Vision another personality to interact with. Paul Bettany previously teased that VisionQuest may bring back more than a few characterspresumed to be dead during D23:
“It’s been an enormous joy playing Vision as he’s evolved through the years, helped turn the tide in some enormous battles… rather inconveniently died a number of times … Although I’m told in the Marvel universe no one is really dead, unless Kevin says they are.”
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Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap
Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?
🕷️Spider-Man
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😈Daredevil
🤖Iron Man
💀Punisher
⚡Thor
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🛡️Cap
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01
What drives you to do what’s right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.
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02
It’s 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you’d think.
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03
How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What’s yours?
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04
How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
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05
You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.
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06
What’s your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.
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07
Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.
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08
When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.
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09
What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
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10
The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.
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Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
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Queens, New York
🕷️ Spider-Man
You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.
You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.
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Hell’s Kitchen, New York
😈 Daredevil
You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.
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Stark Industries, Malibu
🤖 Iron Man
Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.
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New York City
💀 The Punisher
You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.
You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.
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Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms
⚡ Thor
Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.
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Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers
🛡️ Captain America
You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.
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Jim Hammond and the Vision Share a History
Jim Hammond appearing in VisionQuestwould be extremely fitting, given the Vision’s comic history. In his first appearances, it was revealed that Ultron used parts of Hammond’s body as the basis for the Vision, effectively making Hammond the Vision’s “grandfather.” VisionQuest could follow a similar path; if Hammond is revealed to be the first artificial intelligence in the MCU, how did that lead to the creation of other programs like J.A.R.V.I.S. and F.R.I.D.A.Y.? Could he be the key that Vision needs to reclaim his humanity? Fans will either have to wait until the Marvel Television and Animation panel at New York Comic Con, or until VisionQuest premieres to find out.
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The MCU has also been paying off a number of long-running Easter eggs in its latest releases, whether it’s Captain America: Brave New Worldfeaturing the Leader as its main foe orIronheartfinally featuring Ezekiel Stane in a main role. VisionQuest could be the latest project to do this, and it would actually fit its story like a glove.
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