diff --git a/vtkm/cont/ArrayCopy.cxx b/vtkm/cont/ArrayCopy.cxx
index f417ad229..ec5c103e4 100644
--- a/vtkm/cont/ArrayCopy.cxx
+++ b/vtkm/cont/ArrayCopy.cxx
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ struct CopyWorklet : vtkm::worklet::WorkletMapField
   using InputDomain = _1;
 
   template <typename InType, typename OutType>
-  void operator()(const InType& in, OutType& out) const
+  VTKM_EXEC void operator()(const InType& in, OutType& out) const
   {
     out = in;
   }
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ struct UnknownCopyFunctor2
 struct UnknownCopyFunctor1
 {
   template <typename InArrayType>
-  void operator()(const InArrayType& in, const vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& out) const
+  void operator()(const InArrayType& in, vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& out) const
   {
     out.Allocate(in.GetNumberOfValues());
 
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ struct UnknownCopyFunctor1
   }
 
   template <typename InArrayType>
-  void DoIt(const InArrayType& in, const vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& out, std::false_type) const
+  void DoIt(const InArrayType& in, vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& out, std::false_type) const
   {
     // Source is not float.
     using BaseComponentType = typename InArrayType::ValueType::ComponentType;
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ struct UnknownCopyFunctor1
   }
 
   template <typename InArrayType>
-  void DoIt(const InArrayType& in, const vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& out, std::true_type) const
+  void DoIt(const InArrayType& in, vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& out, std::true_type) const
   {
     // Source array is FloatDefault. That should be copiable to anything.
     out.CastAndCallWithExtractedArray(UnknownCopyFunctor2{}, in);
@@ -119,9 +119,14 @@ namespace cont
 {
 
 void ArrayCopy(const vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& source,
-               const vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& destination)
+               vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& destination)
 {
-  destination.CastAndCallWithExtractedArray(UnknownCopyFunctor1{}, source);
+  if (!destination.IsValid())
+  {
+    destination = source.NewInstanceBasic();
+  }
+
+  source.CastAndCallWithExtractedArray(UnknownCopyFunctor1{}, destination);
 }
 
 }
diff --git a/vtkm/cont/ArrayCopy.h b/vtkm/cont/ArrayCopy.h
index d077b06ad..053c93bd5 100644
--- a/vtkm/cont/ArrayCopy.h
+++ b/vtkm/cont/ArrayCopy.h
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ VTKM_CONT void ArrayCopy(const vtkm::cont::ArrayHandle<InValueType, InStorage>&
 
 
 VTKM_CONT_EXPORT void ArrayCopy(const vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& source,
-                                const vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& destination);
+                                vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& destination);
 
 template <typename T, typename S>
 VTKM_CONT void ArrayCopy(const vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& source,
@@ -175,7 +175,10 @@ VTKM_CONT void ArrayCopy(const vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle& source,
   }
   else
   {
-    ArrayCopy(source, vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle(destination));
+    vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle destWrapper(destination);
+    ArrayCopy(source, destWrapper);
+    // Destination array should not change, but just in case.
+    destWrapper.AsArrayHandle(destination);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/vtkm/cont/UnknownArrayHandle.cxx b/vtkm/cont/UnknownArrayHandle.cxx
index 6146d7f10..85b94de6c 100644
--- a/vtkm/cont/UnknownArrayHandle.cxx
+++ b/vtkm/cont/UnknownArrayHandle.cxx
@@ -128,6 +128,11 @@ VTKM_CONT bool UnknownArrayHandle::IsBaseComponentTypeImpl(
   return this->Container->BaseComponentType == type;
 }
 
+VTKM_CONT bool UnknownArrayHandle::IsValid() const
+{
+  return static_cast<bool>(this->Container);
+}
+
 VTKM_CONT UnknownArrayHandle UnknownArrayHandle::NewInstance() const
 {
   UnknownArrayHandle newArray;
diff --git a/vtkm/cont/UnknownArrayHandle.h b/vtkm/cont/UnknownArrayHandle.h
index e62af9098..f996081dc 100644
--- a/vtkm/cont/UnknownArrayHandle.h
+++ b/vtkm/cont/UnknownArrayHandle.h
@@ -386,6 +386,14 @@ public:
 
   UnknownArrayHandle& operator=(const vtkm::cont::UnknownArrayHandle&) = default;
 
+  /// \brief Returns whether an array is stored in this `UnknownArrayHandle`.
+  ///
+  /// If the `UnknownArrayHandle` is constructed without an `ArrayHandle`, it
+  /// will not have an underlying type, and therefore the operations will be
+  /// invalid. It is still possible to set this `UnknownArrayHandle` to an
+  /// `ArrayHandle`.
+  VTKM_CONT bool IsValid() const;
+
   /// \brief Create a new array of the same type as this array.
   ///
   /// This method creates a new array that is the same type as this one and