We know that the Vision will be in Avengers: Age of Ultron, played by Paul Bettany. But is it possible that we’ve already seen the android Avenger in the Marvel movie-verse, albeit in a different form?

Flashback to Captain America: The First Avenger and what at the time seemed like a fun Easter egg more than anything else… but now could possibly have bigger ramifications. During the scene when Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes visit the Stark Expo, an inanimate, red-garbed figure can be glimpsed briefly, contained in a glass tube. It is a science exhibit at the fair, with a big sign hanging above that says “Dr. Phineas Horton Presents The Synthetic Man.” And who is the Synthetic Man? Well, it’s the original Human Torch of course (not to be confused with the Fantastic Four version), who debuted in 1939 in Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel eventually. He was an android created by the scientist Professor Horton, and in fact was also a partner of Captain America’s during World War II in the super-group known as the Invaders.

But his connection to Cap doesn’t end there. In the comics, the Torch (a.k.a. Jim Hammond) eventually morphed into the Vision, who would go on to join the Avengers. Originally it was revealed that the villainous Ultron had modified the Torch’s deactivated body and turned it into the Vision, complete with a wiped memory and new personality. That would later be retconned to explain that the time-travelling Avengers foe Immortus had created an alternate timeline version of the Human Torch; one version became the Vision under Ultron’s machinations, with the other remained the Torch (who was eventually revived in the modern era).

Of course, there’s no telling at this time whether or not the Torch spotted in Captain America: The First Avenger will somehow be connected to the creation of the Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron. But let’s not forget, Tony Stark’s father Howard was running Stark Expo where Horton was showing off his Synthetic Man. Maybe he’s still lying around Tony’s lab somewhere?

End Credits Scenes

TBD

Stan Lee Cameo