Mephisto Might Finally Have Made An Appearance In MCU

Mephisto! Mephisto! And, Mephisto! From the days of WandaVision to Spiderman: No Way Home, fans were ridiculously awaiting the cunning Marvel demon to make an appearance in

By Mohit Srivastava
September 9,2022
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Mephisto! Mephisto! And, Mephisto!

From the days of WandaVision to Spiderman: No Way Home, fans were ridiculously awaiting the cunning Marvel demon to make an appearance in the MCU. Almost every mishap or the mere mention of the word ‘demon’ or ‘devil’ were instantly connected to Mephisto by the fans. However, to their many disappointments one after another, Marvel never indeed acknowledged his presence. Until Now!

Marvel’s newest Disney+ show – ‘She-Hulk: Attorney At Law‘ might have finally given us a solid hint of the presence of the ‘devil’ himself in the MCU. So, let’s dig in.

Who is Mephisto?

Mephisto in comics

The character Mephisto first appeared in Silver Surfer #3 (1968). Mephisto is an extra-dimensional Demon who rules a fiery pocket dimension that he calls “Hell”. The “Hell” realm is inhabited by himself, by his minion demons, and by the astral forms of certain deceased human beings. These humans have been trapped in the bodies of demons. He does not have one true story of origin in the comics. 

Empowered by the souls of the damned, this demon strikes bargains with the living to collect residents for his hellish realm. Using the notable names of Mephistopheles, Lucifer, and even Satan, Mephisto has condemned many to his eternal service. Or, in some cases, “blessed” them with power. In the Infinity Gauntlet comic storyline, he had a heavy influence on Thanos’s mind. He manipulated him to eliminate half of the universe’s population. In previous Marvel movies (not MCU), the character Mephisto was portrayed by Peter Fonda in the 2007 film Ghost Rider. Later he was played by Ciaran Hinds in its 2011 sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

She-Hulk’s hint

An Illustration in She-Hulk’s credit

The 4th episode of She-Hulk followed Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) representing Wong (Benedict Wong) in a court case against Donny Blaze (Rhys Coiro). Donny is a stage magician who has been irresponsibly using the Mystic Arts in his show. One of Donny’s victims – Madisynn (Patty Guggenheim) testifies in court that she was sent to a Hell dimension by Donny using one of his sling rings. There she had to sign a pact with a talking demon goat named ‘Jake’ to escape. She claimed that the goat offered to save her from a lava pit in exchange for six drops of blood. Madisynn couldn’t recall the specifics of that pact. But she says that Jake would “reap her soul, and the souls of all (she) loves” otherwise. Marvel even featured an illustration of the scene in its credits.

One can argue that this does not qualify for “solid” confirmation of Mephisto. Also, the name ‘Jack’ is never used by Mephisto in the comics. However, the goblin-like creatures that emerge from the hell dimension from the portal, do resemble the minions of Mephisto in comics. Mephisto in the comics does sometimes go by the similar-sounding name of “Jack Scratch” — and he often sports a goat-like form.

The Implications

Mephisto and Thanos on a comic cover

Just like He Who Remains (Kang) said in Loki – he knows all that had happened and all that is about to happen. The same can be said about Mephisto. The only difference is that he has the power of mind manipulation. Mephisto, along with his devilish powers, can make anyone can do anything. Under his influence, good becomes bad, and bad becomes worst. If he does exist in the MCU, then he might bend the entire multiverse to his will and may pose a huge threat to the New Avengers in their way. 

Mephisto in the comics has enjoyed a pretty wild history of messing with countless heroes (and villains!). Thor, Daredevil, the Scarlet Witch, the X-Men, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, and even Doctor Doom have all run afoul of the troublesome demon over the decades. Mephisto would certainly present a formidable threat if ever he was to appear in live-action in the MCU.