Who Plays The Handler In Marvel's VisionQuest?

Contains spoilers for "VisionQuest" Season 1, Episode 6 – "Deadlock"

Marvel's Disney+ spin-off "VisionQuest" features several of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's prominent artificial intelligence entities in some way, shape, or form. It also introduces us to some brand new A.I. characters, such as Jocasta (T'Nia Miller), who's reimagined here as a murderous synthezoid that hosts the mind of neuroscientist Jo Carrington. In another case, the A.I. reveal turns out to be a plot twist: "VisionQuest" Episode 6, "Deadlock," reveals that bounty hunter Paladin's (Todd Stashwick) long-suffering operation controller, the Handler (Diane Morgan), is an artificial intelligence. 

"VisionQuest" has already recycled the scariest plot point of "WandaVision" by introducing the Mindspace as a place that can be used as a trap for artificial intelligences like Ultron (James Spader), in the same way Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) used the Hex bubble to trap the residents of Westview into her sitcom fantasies. In the Handler's case, the Mindspace is a fairly literal prison — a dilapidated office she's trapped in until E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire) hacks and liberates her. 

The Handler has featured in several "VisionQuest" episodes already, but "Deadlock" is where the character gets a bit more focus than her usual mission control role. If her deadpan sense of humor makes you wonder where you've seen the actress playing her before, there's a reason for that: Morgan is an experienced comedian whose most famous character has been gaining plenty of attention in recent years.

A noted presence on British television, Diane Morgan is familiar from her starring roles on the BBC comedy series "Motherland" and "Mandy" (which she also directs and writes), as well as "Ann Droid," which she co-writes. She has also played major character Kath on Ricky Gervais' Netflix comedy-drama "After Life."

However, for larger international audiences, Morgan is probably defined by arguably her most hilarious role. If you've spent any time at all online in recent years, you have likely bumped into clips of her factually challenged but eternally deadpan interviewer character, Philomena Cunk. 

Morgan started portraying Cunk on the culture review show "Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe," presented by "Black Mirror" creator Brooker. With Brooker aboard as one of the writers, Cunk has since gone on to appear in a number of Netflix specials, including "Cunk on Earth" and "Cunk on Life." Whether Cunk has anything to say about "VisionQuest" remains to be seen.