Two of Iron Man's MCU AIs will be recast for their next appearances, and there's a very good reason behind the decision. Paul Bettany's Vision is finally going solo in Fall 2026, thanks to VisionQuest, the final chapter in the WandaVision trilogy. Having begun his MCU journey in Avengers: Age of Ultron as a co-creation of Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, Vision will be joined on Disney+ by some of his AI siblings. His fellow Stark creations, such as FRIDAY, EDITH, JARVIS, and, of course, Ultron.
Marvel Studios opted to recast two of Tony Stark's AIs for their return in VisionQuest, which might mean more than meets the eye. After the New York Comic-Con exclusive trailer confirmed many of these usually voice-only characters will appear in human forms, their recasting seems to hint at bigger roles.
First up, the glasses AI that kickstarted the Mysterio debacle in Spider-Man: Far From Home, EDITH, will now be played by Schitt's Creek star Emily Hampshire, filling the void left by Dawn Michelle King.
Typically, King isn't an actress and is instead found in the editing department, where she served as first assistant editor on Far From Home. As EDITH gets a more significant, in-person role in VisionQuest, it seems natural for her to be brought to life by someone with more acting credits and experience.
EDITH isn't the only Stark interface to be recast for VisionQuest, as Star Trek: Picard actress Orla Brady will replace Kerry Condon as FRIDAY, ending her stint in the role from Avengers: Age of Ultron to Avengers: Endgame.
As Condon is a true actress who has had major roles in the likes of F1, The Banshees of Inisherin, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and Better Call Saul, her omission is slightly more confusing. One has to wonder if the decision came down to scheduling, as Condon recently reprised her voiceover role in Marvel Zombies.
Since he now plays Vision in the MCU and, of course, VisionQuest, Paul Bettany won't be returning as the humanified JARVIS. Instead, Agent Carter and Avengers: Endgame actor James D'Arcy will take over from Bettany in 2026.
D'Arcy's comeback offers a clever solution to VisionQuest's two Bettanys problem while paying homage to MCU lore, as he once played Howard Stark's human butler, Edwin Jarvis, whom Tony named his household helper interface after.
Paul Bettany, Emily Hampshire, and Kerry Condon will be joined in VisionQuest by James Spader, who is reprising Ultron. The series is also adding some new AIs, including Henry Lewis' DUM-E, Jonathan Sayer's U, and T'Nia Miller's Jocasta.
VisionQuest Will Be a Double Family Story
VisionQuest will continue White Vision's journey that began in WandaVision to reconnect with his memories and regain his humanity. It seems his digital brothers and sisters will be a key part of this journey, offering wisdom and help from within a mansion in Vision's mind, as revealed in VisionQuest's first official trailer.
The decision to recast multiple of these AIs, as opposed to simply omitting them, may suggest that they will all have a significant presence across Season 1. Only time will tell what quirky, varied personalities VisionQuest will bring to these characters to turn them into more distinct, fleshed-out characters.
Vision's Stark family won't be the only one he has to reconnect with in his Disney+ series, as Marvel Studios is also gearing to reintroduce his speedster son, Tommy Maximoff, aka Speed. This comes after Agatha All Along brought Billy, aka Wiccan, back to the MCU, finally putting both siblings back on the table after four years.
