Marvel fans have been anticipating the debut of the demonic villain Mephisto in the MCU for years now, with speculation originally ramping up with WandaVision, which came and went without an appearance. Now that WandaVision's sequel series Agatha All Along is streaming, fans are once again searching for signs of Mephisto, especially in Aubrey Plaza's mysterious character Rio Vidal, who is expected to have a big reveal later in the season.
Mephisto may be one of Marvel's most iconic, enduring villains - and that's no surprise considering he's based on the archetype of the Christian devil, pretty much the most iconic 'villain' in religion, folklore, and in some cases, even as a metaphorical force in world history.
Marvel's comic book take on the concept of an omnipotent, omniscient infernal manipulator who rules over his own realm of eternal punishment through treachery and torture has had a similar impact on the history of the Marvel Universe.
Though he originally showed up in Marvel Comics as an enemy of Thor and especially the Silver Surfer, in the years since, Mephisto has challenged much of the Marvel Universe, and made arch-enemies of Doctor Strange and Spider-Man in particular.
Here's everything you need to know about Mephisto's comic book history. And if you're curious about all the cinematic clues you may have missed, you might want to dig into the shows and movies you should watch before Agatha All Along.
Who is Mephisto?
The being known to mortals as Mephisto is one of the first demons to be birthed from the cosmic chaos at the dawn of time. As such, he has witnessed and influenced countless events throughout the entirety of Marvel history - all the way back to witnessing the so-called Celestial Progenitor die on Earth, with the effects of the Celestial's dying vomit eventually giving rise to the planet's large population of super-beings.
But it's unclear if Mephisto is even the demon's real name (it's a shortened version of the name 'Mephistopheles', popularized by playwright Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus), or what he actually looks like.
Mephisto himself has admitted he enjoys playing up the religious iconography of the devil both in his appearance and his actions to prey on human fears, down to his traditionally devilish appearance, and his penchant for calling his own realm both 'Hell' and 'Hades.'
Mephisto has even implied that he could be responsible for some of the Biblical and theological stories attributed to the devil in the Marvel Universe, though Marvel Comics has generally shied away from drawing too many defining lines about how or if 'real' versions of Christian theological figures including God and the Devil actually exist in the Marvel Universe, usually employing caveats like Mephisto's love of tricking humans with their own fears.
In terms of the modern Marvel Universe, Mephisto made his first comic book appearance in 1968's Silver Surfer #3, becoming a primary nemesis for the so-called Sentinel of the Spaceways, who co-creator Stan Lee wrote in a somewhat philosophical, messianic fashion befitting of a demonic adversary.
Since then, Mephisto has bedeviled nearly all of the Marvel Universe's most well-known characters, making especially strong enemies of Thor, Doctor Strange, and of course, Spider-Man, whose marriage to Mary jane Watson was ended as part of a bargain with Mephisto in the notorious story 'One More Day.'
Mephisto in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
So far, Mephisto isn't confirmed to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at all. However, we can't rule out that the ultimate deceiver has already appeared hiding in plain sight, perhaps even as another character.
Mephisto did appear in 2007's Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider film, but even with all the Multiverse variants and returning actors the MCU is employing, it seems unlikely we'll see that version of the character return - especially since Peter Fonda, who played him, passed away in 2019.
Oddly enough though, one of the film's other major villains was Mephisto's son Blackheart, played by actor Wes Bentley.
Spoilers ahead for Agatha All Along episodes 1 and 2.
In Agatha All Along episode one, when Agatha Harkness tells Rio Vidal she has no heart, Rio says "Yes I do. It's black, and it beats for you."
Then in episode two, when the coven needs their Green Witch, Lilia Calderu (Patti Lupone) says the list she wrote didn't have a name, only a "black heart" - indicating that they were meant to take Rio.
While some have speculated that Rio Vidal is Mephisto, it may be even more likely that she's an MCU version of Blackheart, the child of Mephisto. But even the clues presented so far could be misdirection.
Will Mephisto appear in Agatha All Along? Or has he already? The devil, as Agatha Harkness said in WandaVision, is in the details - and we have to agree that it looks like Marvel Studios is gearing up to reveal Mephisto's presence somewhere, somehow - probably when we least expect it.
On a Marvel kick? Here's how to watch all the Marvel movies and shows in order, along with every new MCU release we know about.
