After four long years of waiting, the MCU has finally introduced a terrifying villain in a shocking twist.
In the latest episode of Ironheart, Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) comes face-to-face with Parker Robbins’ (Anthony Ramos) mysterious benefactor, the enigmatic stranger (Sacha Baron Cohen).
After a bit of back and forth, the stranger introduces himself as none other than the Prince of Liars, Mephisto and offers her a tempting deal.
Now we won’t reveal if Riri agrees to the demon’s bargain, but needless to say, Mephisto’s appearance is a massive deal.
Mephisto is the Marvel Universe’s equivalent of Satan, and his appearance has been a long time coming.
Superhero fans have been predicting and hoping that the Lord of all that is Evil would appear in the MCU for years now.
In fact, they’ve been waiting four long years ever since the WandaVision finale back in 2021, where a popular fan theory suggested the Seducer of the Seven Sins (sorry, Mephisto has a lot of titles) would appear as the series’ true big bad.
That fan theory didn’t turn out to be true – the rumour was Al Pacino was going to play him – but it’s not stopped fans predicting that the Lord of Temptation (another one!) would one day make his MCU debut.
Needless to say, the Marvel faithful are delighted that the Great Red Serpent has finally appeared, and they’ve taken to social media to make their joy known.
@giselleb1234 wrote on X: ‘Ironheart being the one show that introduced Mephisto was so unexpected, but I’m so ecstatic that he’s finally here after all these years.’
Why Mephisto’s appearance matters…
Our Deputy TV editor explains why Mephisto’s cameo is kind of a big deal, actually…
If you weren’t watching WandaVision when it aired, then it’ll be difficult for you to understand what a monumental moment this is for Marvel.
But back in 2021 – before Marvel shows lost their novelty – there was a genuine sense that anything could happen in WandaVision.
I remember seeing rumours that the X-Men would cameo, that Doctor Strange was going to save the day, and that the real big bad was Mephisto.
Ever the cynic, I presumed these rumours were all a load of rubbish. Imagine my delight then when Evan Peters turned up as Quicksilver.
My mind was honestly blown, and the once impossible seemed possible.
I was hardly alone in this, either. I remember enthusiastically discussing the show with friends online and off, and there was palpable excitement for the finale and the ultimate reveal of Mephisto.
Of course, Mephisto never appeared. Still, the anticipation fans felt in the build-up made the disappointment bearable, and it gave Marvel fans a fun meme.
For the next few years, whenever a mystery character was introduced, you’d find people joking that they were ‘obviously Mephisto’.
Now, though, we don’t need to joke because Mephisto is here in all his terrible glory.
‘This scene SOLD me on Mephisto like Sacha Baron Cohen’s performance is SPINE-CHILLING’, added @wandasattorney.
Meanwhile, @tonisattorne declared ‘We’re so back and I will be expecting a season 2’ after the Mephisto reveal.
@Onlykayoo, however, probably had the highest praise telling his followers ‘Arghhh, Human Mephisto in Ironheart? … This just became top 3 Marvel TV!!!’
The enthusiasm isn’t confined to X either; on Reddit, fans were equally pleased with his appearance.
The_King95 wrote ‘Sacha nailed Mephisto’ while InnocentTailor claimed they wanted him to become the ‘overarching villain’ of the next saga.
InnocentTailor isn’t alone in wanting to see more from Mephisto, and there are already several theories about where we might see the arch-deceiver next.
Some fans are speculating he could be the villain in a Young Avengers movie, with the team trying to save Riri from the devil’s machinations.
Others are hoping Mephisto’s appearance is setting up a movie based on the Strange Academy comic books – think of it as Hogwarts if Doctor Strange ran the school.
Sadly, there’s no official word on where Mephisto might turn up next, but we’re sure we’ll see this mystic menace again.
Ironheart is available to stream now on Disney Plus.
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