Marvel Studios has teased the existence of Mephisto in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for several years, and the demonic supervillain might finally be ready to make his debut. Inspired by Mephistopheles, a demonic character from Faust legend, Mephisto made his first appearance in Marvel Comics back in 1968’s Silver Surfer #3. Since then, he has become one of the most prominent, threatening, dangerous, and powerful supervillains, facing the likes of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch, and many more, perfectly priming him for a new live-action makeover.
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Mephisto was previously played by Peter Fonda in 2007’s Ghost Rider, and then by Ciarán Hinds in 2011’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, but he is yet to make his MCU debut. Despite not yet making a physical appearance, there have been several hints, teases, and references regarding Mephisto in the MCU, dating all the way back to 2012’s The Avengers. This has picked up in recent years as Mephisto seems ready to finally debut in the MCU, with speculation suggesting he’ll pop up in Ironheart’s upcoming episodes, and perhaps even in his own Special Presentation.
6) Mephisto’s Name Was Glimpsed Back in 2012’s The Avengers
2012’s The Avengers was the first MCU project to mention Mephisto, though this was only in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, non-explicit moment. Mephisto’s name appears in a file on the Tesseract that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) hands to Steve Rogers’ Captain America (Chris Evans). While Rogers’ finger blocks most of the paragraph, the file seems to suggest that Mephisto was a consultant for SHIELD during the organization’s investigation of the Space Stone. Mephisto had dealings with the Infinity Stones in Marvel Comics, so this makes sense, but it seems this detail has since been retconned or ignored out of existence.
5) WandaVision Included a Lot of Devil Imagery
Mephisto debut theories were rife during WandaVision’s release on Disney+ in 2021. Aside from Agatha Harkness’ (Kathryn Hahn) suggestion that “in the details” isn’t the only place that the “Devil” resides, surely hinting at Mephisto, the appearance of Billy and Tommy Maximoff also connects back to Mephisto. In the comics, the Maximoff twins were magically created by the Scarlet Witch using pieces of Mephisto’s soul. The fake Pietro Maximoff (Evan Peters) also referred to the twins as “Demon Spawn,” spurring countless theories – but Mephisto never actually made a physical appearance in the Phase 4 series.
4) Loki Teased a Devil in the Window
Loki’s premiere in 2021, “Glorious Purpose,” saw Time Variance Authority analyst Mobius (Owen Wilson) clearing up a disturbance on the Sacred Timeline in a French church in the 1500s. One of the church’s stained-glass windows depicted a devil-like figure with a blue tongue that many attributed to be Mephisto. “It’s honestly just a super weird coincidence,” Loki director Kate Herron confirmed during a 2021 interview with ET Online, however. “Like, it’s genuinely a reference to Loki – the horns, he was cast out of heaven, that’s what it’s a reference to… it’s not a nod to [Mephisto].”
3) Madisynn Might Have Crossed Paths With Mephisto in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Madisynn King (Patty Guggenheim) was a fan-favorite addition to She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s cast, especially because of her unlikely friendship with Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong). During her first appearance alongside Donny Blaze (Rhys Coiro), Madisynn was sent to a hell-like dimension through a portal, where she struck a deal with a demonic goat named “Jake.” Theories have suggested that Jake may be connected to Mephisto, perhaps residing in his hell dimension, or even being the villain himself in disguise, but Marvel Studios hasn’t yet confirmed this.
2) Jennifer Kale Name-Dropped Mephisto in Agatha All Along
While discussing the fate of Agatha Harkness’ son with Billy Maximoff (Joe Locke) in Agatha All Along episode 3, “Through Many Miles / Of Tricks and Trials,” Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) name-dropped Mephisto. This was the first actual mention of Mephisto by name in the MCU, confirming the supervillain does, indeed, exist. Kale’s comment also implies that there are already “Agents of Mephisto” running round, which creates some exciting possibilities for upcoming Marvel projects. While Scratch is not an Agent of Mephisto, it’s good to finally hear his name in the MCU.
1) Ironheart’s First Three Episodes Clearly Set Up Mephisto’s MCU Debut
The latest MCU series to release is Ironheart, which debuted with its first three episodes on June 24, 2025. Ironheart has long been rumored to be including Mephisto’s first appearance in the MCU – expected to take place in the last three episodes, releasing on July 1, 2025. Ironheart’s first three episodes have already teased the demon many times, most notably with the debut of Parker Robbins’ Hood (Anthony Ramos), who seems to have struck a deal with Mephisto, who he hears through disembodied voices and strange visions, to become a superpowered criminal.
In Ironheart’s premiere, the Hood exclaims, “Holy Hell,” when Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) first flies into Chicago in her Ironheart suit. Several other mentions, including Riri’s mother (Anji White) stating, “Get behind me, Satan,” when NATALIE (Lyric Ross) appears on her painting, Robbins suggested “He” did something to turn him into the Hood, and Clown (Sonia Denis) questioning whether Robbins “wrestled [the Hood] off a demon,” all also hint at Mephisto and demonic imagery. This was also seen in the music choice, as Nina Simone’s version of “Sinnerman” from 1965 repeats the lyric, “Go to the Devil.”
Posters painted with the word “Faust” can be seen behind Riri while she’s speaking to the NATALIE artificial intelligence, with some figures that sport horns – clearly reminiscent of Mephisto. The demon’s voice also repeatedly appears throughout these first episodes, at one time asking, “What is it you most desire?” – a classic Mephisto move, while Robbins also sees hallucinatory visions of his partner in crime, John (Manny Montana), dying, and of Riri Williams. There’s little doubt Mephisto will finally appear in Ironheart’s upcoming episodes, and could have a very bright future in many future MCU stories.
Do you want to see Mephisto in the MCU after all these years? Let us know in the comments!
