Mephisto Confirmed As The MCU’s Next Big Bad Villain (But When Will He Appear?)

Kevin Feige has confirmed the next big villain that will loom over the Marvel Cinematic Universe in future projects. The Marvel universe, both on screen and in the comics, has some of the most iconic villains out there. Green Goblin, Thanos, Doctor Doom, Galactus, Loki, and many others have challenged our equally iconic heroes mentally and physically. Even after over 35 Marvel movies, there are still a ton of villains still on the board and fans are finally starting to get ones they’ve waited years to see. Later this week, we’ll see the MCU debut of Galactus and the Silver Surfer in The Fantastic Four: First Steps and next year, Doctor Doom will be introduced in Avengers: Doomsday.

All of this is very exciting, especially after fans began to wonder who would be the “next Thanos” in a post-Endgame world. However, Doctor Doom won’t be the only major threat to the Marvel universe in upcoming projects. Recently, the coveted Marvel villain Mephisto made his long-awaited MCU debut in Ironheart. The character’s appearance was pretty brief, but scratched an itch fans have had since Wandavision in 2021. It was heavily theorized that Mephisto was involved in that show, but he never appeared nor was he even mentioned. Fans have wanted to see him appear for some time as Mephisto is a nefarious character that largely represents Marvel’s version of the devil himself.

Mephisto Will Play a Prominent Role in Future MCU Projects

As the ruler of Hell itself, Mephisto is all-powerful and a menacing force… and he’s here to stay in the MCU. Kevin Feige confirmed during a recent roundtable interview press (via Deadline) that actor Sacha Baron Cohen will reprise his role as Mephisto in future MCU projects and will play a prominent role in the franchise going forward. As of right now, Feige is staying tight lipped on where Mephisto will show up next, but it’s clear that the character’s mere nature allows him to pop up just about anywhere.

Of course, the most obvious MCU project that Sacha Barron Cohen could show up in as Mephisto is Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In the comic book Spider-Man: One More Day, Aunt May is on death’s door due to a bullet meant for Spider-Man himself. After exhausting his options, Peter Parker encounters Mephisto and agrees to trade his marriage with Mary Jane for Aunt May’s life. However, this deal with the devil has all kinds of other consequences that radically change Spider-Man’s life.

Spider-Man: No Way Home very loosely adapted this story beat by having Peter essentially wish away his whole life in order to save the day. The film’s sequel, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, borrows its title from the comic book sequel to One More Day. It’s the first time a Spider-Man title has named after a specific comic book storyline, so the implications are notable. It’s entirely possible that Mephisto will show up in the movie to offer Peter Parker some sort of deal, but only time will tell. Feige noted in the aforementioned interview that Mephisto’s whole deal is offering “Faustian bargains” to various characters, so it certainly seems like that will be part of his role in future MCU stories.

With that said, Kevin Feige has also teased a “reset” for the MCU after Avengers: Secret Wars. That certainly implies some sort of significant event to bring things back to basics and reset the playing field for the future of the franchise, perhaps it is born out of a deal with Mephisto. Marvel is currently mapping out the future of the MCU and is planning the next three phases with movies being plotted out to 2032.

Where would you like to see Mephisto next in the MCU? Let me know in the comments.

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