*Warning: This article contains spoilers for VisionQuest episode 7.*

Paul Bettany has wowed Marvel fans with a powerhouse performance in VisionQuest episode 7, which sees the franchise veteran take several distinct roles – including a legendary comic book character.

The Disney+ series picks up plot threads from WandaVision and Agatha All Along, with Bettany's factory reset ex-Avenger attempting to grapple with his mysterious past.

The series has made several allusions to 'Jim Hammond', the android character who first appeared in the pages of 1939's Marvel Comics #1, making him a founding member of the publisher's sprawling universe.

Hammond adopted the codename The Human Torch (decades before the debut of the Fantastic Four's Johnny Storm), and later stories retroactively imagined him on a World War II-era team called The Invaders.

There, he used his fire-wielding abilities to fight alongside fellow icons of Marvel's early years, including Namor the Submariner and Captain America.

The character hasn't enjoyed the same popularity as those two, however, which is why he's largely fallen out of use in both the comics and their many adaptations.

Up to now, the only MCU nod to him had been a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Easter egg in Captain America: The First Avenger, but VisionQuest pays respectful tribute to the character that started it all for Marvel.

In an odyssey through his deepest memories, Vision discovers his connection to Jim Hammond, whose base code was the foundation for subsequent AI pioneer Jo Carrington (T'Nia Miller).

In scenes set inside Vision's 'mindspace', the hero learns of the tragic reimagined origin of Jim Hammond; his creator, inventor Phineas Horton, had created him whilst in a pit of grief over his son, also named Jim, who died at a young age.

The synthetic Jim was intended to be invulnerable, even to emotional distress, but the android went on to develop the capability for love.

Alas, as this was not accounted for in the bot's design, it caused a malfunctioning Jim to catch alight – referencing his comic book moniker. In the end, Jim and his creator were both destroyed in the midst of a (literally) blazing row.

In VisionQuest, Bettany pulls triple-duty in the roles of Vision, Phineas and Jim, with fans taking to social media to praise his work in making the three characters distinct.

The twist also calls to mind Bettany's viral moment on the WandaVision press tour, when he had caused a wave of speculation that an A-list star would cameo in the show's series finale.

Bettany told YouTube channel Black Girl Nerds: "I've been wanting to work with [this actor] forever who is just unbelievable and we have some real fireworks together."

The comment would later be revealed as a tongue-in-cheek gag teasing Bettany's scenes with himself, as Wanda's conjured memory of Vision came face-to-face with the mind-wiped real-world White Vision.

If acting opposite a single other Bettany was a treat in WandaVision, then these scenes in VisionQuest – with a of Bettanys – must have reached a whole new level of delight for the celebrated actor.

VisionQuest concludes on Disney+ next week, when viewers will finally get a proper introduction to the mystery villain who has been pulling the strings all this time.

VisionQuest is available to stream on Disney+. The series finale drops next Wednesday 11th November. Sign-up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month.

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