Marvel's upcoming Ironheart TV show could finally bring Mephisto to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
According to Deadline(Opens in a new tab), the demonic entity will make its debut in the Marvel Phase 5 project. Marvel reportedly cast Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Trial of the Chicago 7) to play Mephisto, whose appearance potential as the devil himself would be a fascinating sight. According to prominent Marvel leaker MyTimetoShineHello(Opens in a new tab), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian) was originally approached by Marvel to play Mephisto, but he reportedly turned down the role.
The report comes days after the first rumors of Cohen's hiring hit the internet. Several MCU insiders, including MyTimetoShineHello(Opens in a new tab) and MCU Status(Opens in a new tab), have claimed that Cohen's Mephisto will appear in Ironheart. Given the track record of MyTimetoShineHello, it seemed likely that they would, and Deadline's own report only adds fuel to the fire.
If Mephisto makes his MCU debut in Ironheart, that would be a long time coming. In early 2021, when WandaVision, the first MCU TV show, aired on Disney Plus, viewers became more convinced that Mephisto was the one pulling the strings behind the TV series. Fan speculation grew so high, in fact, that it powered WandaVision's online theory factory for weeks, not to mention increasing the subscriber base of Disney Plus.
Unfortunately, Mephisto was never revealed to be the main antagonist of WandaVision. That job went to Agatha Harkness, who gets her own Disney Plus or Marvel special presentation show in 2023.
However, with Ironheart set to explore the battle between technology and magic (Anthony Ramos' The Hood, the main villain of the series, is another wizard in the Marvel Universe), it looks like Marvel is finally ready to introduce Mephisto in the MCU. Let's hope this isn't another mystical misdirection.
Analysis: who is Mephisto, the Marvel version of the devil?
Mephisto is the Marvel Universe's version of the Devil, who was introduced by Stan Lee and John Buscema in the comic book giant's great rogues gallery in December 1968. Mephisto made his comic book debut in The Silver Surfer #3 and is inspired by largely on Mephistopheles. - a demon from German folklore that originally appeared in the Faust legend.
As an immortal being, Mephisto is an extremely powerful supervillain with many abilities. By manipulating the forces of magic, Mephisto can grant himself superhuman strength, the ability to shapeshift, cast illusions, alter the weather, and manipulate people's memories. He also can't be damaged by most weapons, which is not a good thing for the vast majority of Marvel heroes. If Mephisto's physical form is destroyed, he will eventually reform into his realm as well, so there is no way to truly defeat him. Oh, and he has been known to collect the souls of interested parties by bartering with them. Hey, he is the devil, after all.
Though he was primarily a thorn in the side of The Silver Surfer and Johnny Blaze's iteration of Ghost Rider, Mephisto has also battled with other notable Marvel superheroes. He's also fought Thor, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, Vision and Scarlet Witch (hence the ties to WandaVision), and Daredevil. He also appeared in the 1985 Secret Wars II comic, as well as Avengers West Coast.
However, Mephisto is arguably best known for his appearance in the controversial Spider-Man comic titled One More Day. Here, Mephisto agrees to rescue Aunt May from Peter Parker after she is mortally wounded by a stray bullet. However, to save her, Peter and Mary Jane are forced to give up their marriage to Mephisto in return, a decision that alters their personal timelines, causing Mary Jane to completely forget who Peter is in his everyday, superhero guise. , bring Harry Osborn back. afterlife in Spectacular Spider-Man #200, and causes his daughter to never be born. He talks about a one-sided deal.
J. Michael Straczynski and Jose Quesada's 2007 four-issue comic was so controversial that to this day, it is considered the most polarizing Spider-Man story ever created. Fans and critics alike called it "downright disrespectful" and a "sapper" to the Spider-Man character as a whole.
Still, from Mephisto's perspective, this was the ideal comic. The controversy surrounding One More Day catapulted Mephisto into the Marvel spotlight, and the villain has made notable appearances in various comic book series since then, including War of the Realms and Sinister War.
Mephisto has previously appeared in non-comedic Marvel projects, such as Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, the 2007 film Ghost Rider, and various video games. However, Ironheart will mark his MCU debut, and it will be very interesting to see if he appears in other magical or supernatural MCU productions in the future, such as the Doctor Strange 2 sequel Agatha: Coven of Chaos. .? season 2 and the next two Avengers movies in Phase 6.
For more MCU-based content, check out our Marvel Movies in Order Hub. If not, read our ranking of every MCU villain to date, or find out what happened in the She-Hulk season 1 finale.
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