WandaVision’s Josh Stamberg on Marvel Future: “Maybe I Am Mephisto”

While Josh Stamberg‘s Director Tyler Hayward may have initially seemed like a hero in WandaVision, by the end of the debut season, fans learned of his nefarious schemes, with the actor recently responding to what the future might hold for him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by joking that he might be Mephisto after all, a character who many fans thought was behind the events of the series. As with most MCU stars, Stamberg admitted that he’s not currently aware of when, or if he could make a return to the series, but noted how open he was to the possibility of a return.

“God, I wish I knew I still want the answer to that,” Stamberg shared with SiriusXM about his possible return. “And it was one of my first questions to them was like, ‘Do I die?’ I kept waiting because the last episode wasn’t written and when it finally, I was like, I don’t die. I kept emailing. Right. I’m still … and so when it came to reading led away in cuffs, I was like, ‘Yes, maybe I am Mephisto.’”

Given that WandaVision featured both Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo, two relatively minor characters from previous entries in the franchise, it’s clear that the series could never rule out the return of even trivial characters, though it might be years before such a return becomes a reality.

When discussing whether anyone at Marvel offers even hints of what’s coming in the future, Stamberg confirmed, “They don’t, there’s so little shared. I don’t even think that Paul Bettany knows what, how, and where he shows up next. I know that, you know, Lizzie Olsen’s in the middle of shooting the next one now. And I think beyond that, they just don’t share it. It’s not, there’s nothing contractual.”

Echoing just how little even Bettany knows about his character’s future, the actor previously revealed he thought he was being fired when WandaVision was being pitched to him.

“My contract was up and I just died twice in [Avengers:] Infinity War and I got a call from the boss [Kevin Feige] saying, ‘Come see me in the office,’” Bettany shared with Variety. “I looked at my wife and I think I’m getting canned. I went in and Louis D’Esposito and Kevin Feige were there and I didn’t want anybody to feel uncomfortable so I lead with, ‘Look, I totally get it. It’s been great. I’ve had a great run, guys.’ They were like, ‘Wait, are you quitting?’ And I went, ‘No, aren’t you firing me?’ They said, ‘No, we’re going to pitch you a TV show.’ So I went, ‘Okay, I’m in!’”

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier debuts new episodes on Disney+ on Fridays. No announcement has been made about the future of WandaVision.

Do you think Stamberg will return to the franchise? Let us know in the comments below!