Marvel’s Vision Snags Battlestar Galactica Legend for Mystery Role
Battlestar Galactica alum joins Marvel’s Vision on Disney+ in a mystery role, as creator Terry Matalas extends Paul Bettany’s post-WandaVision arc with James Spader back as Ultron and fresh faces in tow.
Marvel just quietly leveled up its next Vision series: Mary McDonnell is in. The Battlestar Galactica icon is joining the Disney+ show in a role Marvel is keeping sealed for now, which frankly tracks. This is the Vision follow-up from showrunner Terry Matalas (Star Trek: Picard), continuing Paul Bettany’s android saga after WandaVision.
Mary McDonnell boards Vision
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that McDonnell has joined the cast, though Marvel isn’t saying who she’s playing. She’s a two-time Oscar nominee (Dances With Wolves, Passion Fish), forever President Roslin to Battlestar fans, and has been busy lately with The Fall of the House of Usher. On the film side, you’ve seen her in Scream 4, Donnie Darko, Independence Day, and Sneakers. On TV, she led Major Crimes, popped up on Grey’s Anatomy, and earned Emmy nominations for The Closer and ER. In short: heavyweight get.
The cast is stacked, and the AI angle is delightfully weird
Matalas is steering the series, and Marvel is leaning into an 'inside baseball' hook: human versions of classic Marvel AIs mingling with the synthezoid himself. Here’s how the lineup is shaping up:
- Paul Bettany as Vision
- James Spader back as Ultron
- Emily Hampshire as a human incarnation of E.D.I.T.H., the tech Tony Stark built and passed to Peter Parker in Avengers: Endgame
- Orla Brady as F.R.I.D.A.Y.
- James D'Arcy returning as Edwin Jarvis
- T'nia Miller as Jocasta
- Faran Tahir returning as Raza, the Ten Rings leader
- Ruaridh Mollica reportedly as Tommy Maximoff, aka Speed
- And now, Mary McDonnell in an undisclosed role
"Cunning, powerful and driven by revenge."
That’s how Jocasta is being described, which should perk up longtime Marvel readers.
Where this fits in the MCU
Marvel Television is positioning Vision as the third chapter in a loose trilogy that kicked off with WandaVision and continues with Agatha All Along. So if you’ve been following the Wanda/Vision corner of the MCU, this is the next stop.
Production status
Filming wrapped over the summer. Disney+ hasn’t dated it yet, so we’re in the waiting room on a premiere.
Note: THR confirmed McDonnell’s casting; the initial tip came via Vritti Johar at SuperHeroHype.