There are some reveals in MCU history that fans will never forget. There was collective grief after the Snap, the subsequent celebration following Endgame, the “friend from work” reveal in Thor: Ragnarok, and the Three Spideys twist in Spider-Man: No Way Home. But unlike all these satisfying moments, one teased reveal will be remembered as the most frustrating rumor in the MCU: Mephisto in WandaVision.
Two years later we’ve returned to this old classic, but with a new glimmer of hope thanks to Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen.
When WandaVision premiered in 2020 and introduced the Disney+ television format to the MCU, fans were convinced the plot would borrow a huge villain from the comics: Mephisto, Marvel’s take on the devil. There were leaks, there were theories, and all the show’s mysteries felt like Mephisto’s hidden presence could answer them. But there was no sign of him after the dust cleared.
Mephisto became a meme in the fandom, with theories claiming he was behind the TVA in Loki (nope, just He Who Remains) or that he took the form of Dr. Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home (nope, just a weird character choice). Now the rumor has found new life with a big name attached.
Leaker @MCUstatus claims that Sacha Baron Cohen will play Mephisto in the upcoming series Ironheart, and other notable accounts have corroborated them. It’s easily the most credible Mephisto rumor we’ve seen yet, and the first one to have an actor attached, but it’s still just a rumor that should be taken with a few grains of salt, if not the whole shaker.
It’s also unclear how Mephisto would factor into Ironheart, which will follow MIT whiz kid Riri Williams after her introduction in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Ironheart is expected to be a relatively grounded series, so bringing in the literal devil would be quite the departure. However, knowing the MCU, it wouldn’t be completely out of the picture. Maybe Mephisto will be reinvented as a more human foe, or maybe Riri will tangle with the MCU’s metaphysical side too.
This rumor may look believable, but MCU fans have been burned before, so this may become a leaker who cried Man-Wolf moment. If it is true, it would certainly be a shocking reveal. If no one believes a tired old rumor, they’ll actually be surprised when it finally comes true. But until then, it’s best to wait and see. We wouldn’t get our hopes up quite yet but, at the same time, remember the devil’s greatest trick was convincing the world he doesn’t exist.
Ironheart premieres Fall 2023 on Disney+.
