Actor Emily Hampshire is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as E.D.I.T.H., an artificial intelligence program in the upcoming Disney+ series VisionQuest. Hampshire joined the project through her previous work with showrunner Terry Matalas, noting that the experience has transformed her understanding of Marvel’s interconnected superhero stories.
According to interviews published in October 2026, Hampshire’s decision to join the series came from her working relationship with Matalas rather than any prior familiarity with the franchise. VisionQuest is scheduled to premiere on October 14, 2026, with episodes releasing weekly on Disney+ and regional platforms like JioHotstar in India.
Finding Humanity in an Artificial Intelligence
VisionQuest brings back Paul Bettany as Vision, the synthetic android from previous MCU projects. In the series, Vision grapples with an identity crisis and creates human avatars of other Tony Stark-created artificial intelligence programs within his operating system. Hampshire plays E.D.I.T.H., which stands for “Even Dead, I’m The Hero,” an augmented reality security and defense system originally introduced in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Discussing the challenge of portraying a computer program, Hampshire explained that her primary focus remained anchored in character depth. “My job as an actor is always to find humanity in a character,” she said. “If I’m playing a serial killer, somebody you think has no humanity, my job is to find it. So, it’s the same with an AI. I started in the same place I always do, which is: what is it like being an AI?”
Reuniting With Showrunner Terry Matalas
Hampshire admitted that she knew very little about the broader MCU when she accepted the role. She had previously worked with Matalas on the sci-fi series 12 Monkeys. Matalas reportedly kept her voice in mind while writing dialogue for E.D.I.T.H.
“I had done 12 Monkeys with Terry Matalas, the showrunner here. He told me that when he was writing Edith, he kept hearing my voice in her,” Hampshire explained. “In a way, I was lucky to join this massive, usually daunting universe through him. So, it kind of felt like going home in a way.”
Navigating Marvel’s Strict Secrecy Policies
To prepare for promotional duties, Hampshire underwent Marvel’s confidentiality orientation-jokingly referred to as “Disney training”-to avoid accidentally revealing plot details. She noted that the environment taught her to treat every interview question with extreme caution.
“I keep thinking every question might be a trap into making me tell a secret of the universe that I didn’t know was a secret. So, assume everything is a secret. That’s basically the biggest thing I learnt,” Hampshire said.
The series serves as the concluding installment of Marvel’s trilogy connecting Wanda and Vision’s fate following the events of Avengers: Endgame, following both WandaVision and Agatha All Along. Alongside Paul Bettany and Emily Hampshire, the ensemble cast features James Spader, Todd Stashwick, Ruaridh Mollica, Lauren Morais, James D’Arcy, Orla Brady, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and T’Nia Miller as Jocasta.
