[Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers for Marvel‘s “Ironheart” finale.]
The place had been you whenever you first discovered about Mephisto?
I used to be at my dad and mom’ home throughout COVID, when Marvel started its erratic foray into tv with the highly effective “WandaVision.” In Marvel Comics, Mephisto is actually the satan; he crops up with varied heroes and villains throughout the comics underneath skinny aliases (Beelzebub? who may that be?), leaving his mark on the lives of everybody from Spider-Man to Physician Unusual, and extra. He’s linked to Scarlet Witch by means of her sons, who had been launched in Jac Schaeffer’s Emmy-winning sequence.
And because the world Wanda (Elisabeth Olsen) constructed round herself began to fracture, followers thought the satan was within the particulars — however he by no means broke by means of. Keen theorists tabled their disappointment (simple to do when Kathryn Hahn is the one guiding you into the unknown) with the hope that Mephisto would pop up within the upcoming slate of movies and exhibits.
However he didn’t.
There have been whispers round “Loki” and “Spider-Man: No Means Dwelling.” Absolutely he’d seem in “The Multiverse of Insanity,” which introduced Scarlet Witch face-to-face with Physician Unusual (Benedict Cumberbatch). By then, nevertheless, the villain of the section had been launched as Kang (Jonathan Majors), with items falling into place for an epic battle in opposition to him, leaving little room for a second huge dangerous.
As somebody who was scrambling for Mephisto crumbs throughout “WandaVision,” I’ve been saddened by my rising distance from the MCU since then. However between “Thunderbolts” and “Ironheart,” I really feel one thing stirring that has been dormant because the days of lockdown.
For one factor, I used to be eliminated sufficient to overlook the whispers that Mephisto would debut in “Ironheart,” and if I did catch this information merchandise blowing the whole reveal over two years in the past, I merely forgot! Watching the screeners abruptly meant no week-to-week theorizing, so by the point Sacha Baron Cohen arrived on display I used to be too absorbed in stunt casting to even contemplate who he was taking part in. It wasn’t till a couple of traces earlier than the character identifies himself that I remembered a reputation I had lengthy forgotten — and realized that not solely may this be him, but it surely needed to be.
“You possibly can name me Mephisto,” he stated. To my very own shock, I shrieked. Mephisto is the one who gave Parker (Anthony Ramos) his hood as a part of a sinister “deal,” and he’s the satan who will supply Riri (Dominique Thorne) what she most needs in alternate for what’s certain to be a lethal worth. The shriek was much less of shock than disbelief — or possibly I’ve been holding it in for years? Lastly, we received there — so the place will we go subsequent?
This character and “Ironheart” took a very long time to succeed in our screens (that 2022 leak was from the set), however seeing Baron Cohen eat up the function was immensely satisfying, whatever the wait. Not solely is it a departure from the actor’s normal repertoire (I couldn’t ID him with full confidence with the American accent), but it surely immediately stood out from the slew of gratuitous and garish MCU cameos up to now few years. (Harry Types and Brett Goldstein come to thoughts.)
Mephisto has presence and goal, and his powers stay a thriller to the viewers as a result of they’re a thriller to our protagonist. Their deal barely betrays Riri’s journey with grief all through the season, however that’s the sort of character heel flip that signifies a bigger plan inside the franchise.
The MCU has struggled with memorable villains (bear in mind Malekith? after all you don’t) sufficient to strategy them extra thoughtfully over time; crafting one is difficult sufficient, and greater than separately would dilute their total impression. With Kang out of the image, there was a quick a gap for HBIC (Head Beelzebub in Cost, if you’ll), however that function received reworked into Physician Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), whos scheduled to be the central villain of 2026’s “Avengers: Doomsday.”
“Ironheart” was initially filmed earlier than Marvel lower ties with Majors, so there was at the very least a plan for Mephisto to coexist with Kang, if not others upon his introduction. There’s all the time the possibility that it is a lengthy sport and Mephisto will work within the shadows all through the occasions main as much as and following “Doomsday,” getting into the highlight throughout Part… 7?? Admittedly, that’s not as engaging as imagining him in “Implausible 4: The First Steps” later this month, given his overlap with these characters, and it’s additionally completely potential that this character missed his window and joined the celebration too late.
However a method or one other, Mephisto has lastly entered the MCU, and the timing is such that I’m much less involved in regards to the path ahead than the street it took to get right here. By means of two Phases, 16 exhibits, and 13 motion pictures, I lastly received to launch that scream, and I’d simply dare to get enthusiastic about what the longer term would possibly carry.
All episodes of “Ironheart” are actually streaming on Disney+.