Marvel Reveals Mind-Bending New Mephistos

The driving force of Jason Aaron's "The Age of Khonshu" has been a new mission by Moon Knight. Having seen a vision of a world shaped by Mephisto, the hero has taken to stealing the powers of The Avengers and shaping the world into his own image to prevent it. This hasn't stopped the Marvel Universe's devil stand-in who was seemingly killed by Moon Knight and a Khonshu infused Mjolnir in Avengers #34. "I'll burn his flesh to ash with the Ghost Rider's Hellfire," Moon Knight said. "Then pulverize that ash with the Iron Fist. And lace whatever molecules remaing with the fiercest enchantments of the Sorcerer Supreme. Mkolnir will scatter those remains across the cosmos for millions of light-years. And that will be the end of Mephisto."

Khonshu himself replied, "You know it won't. You know this doesn't end with him. Not this version of him at least. There are already others at play here, going back a million years to--" Though the Moon god was cut off, the other versions of Mephisto that he teased have finally shown up.

Avengers #35 kicked off with one, a Pirate Mephisto, which the issue describes as "wielding revolvers that fired briumstone bullets. Soul-piercing rounds. A grizzled devil with burning gravel in his guts, who'd no doubt gunned down billions in whatever deep and distant hell he'd spawned from." He was quickly dispatched by Khonshu and was just the first of many. The issue further revealed even more versions including Viking Mephisto, Gladiator Mephisto, Gangster Mephisto, Cowboy Mephisto, Pharaoh Mephisto, Karate Mephisto, Shakespeare Mephsito, and Generalissimo Mephisto, all dead at the hand of Khonshu. Check out the image below!

As we learned yesterday, these deaths will seemingly play into the next story arc of The Avengers as the solicitation for Avengers #38 teases the death of the prime version of the character. The issue will also feature "heretofore untold chapters of Earth's Mightiest Heroes" with regard to Mephisto and a lingering threat to the Earth and the Avengers. Given his place in the Marvel universe though, and this wide variety of different versions, it seem likely Mephisto will return again one day, perhaps with a birthday hat.

You can read the full solicitation for Avengers #38

AVENGERS #38
JASON AARON (W) • ED McGUINNESS (A/C)
BLACK PANTHER PHOENIX VARIANT COVER BY AARON KUDER
BLACK PANTHER NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE TRIBUTE VARIANT COVER BY JEFFREY VEREGGE
EXIT THE AGE OF KHONSHU. ENTER THE PHOENIX.
The Avengers have saved Earth from the god of the Moon, but the return of a certain planet-burning cosmic firebird isn't going to give them much time to catch their breath. Plus: The devil may be dead, but the threat of Mephisto lingers on, with a legacy interwoven in heretofore untold chapters of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
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