Watching WandaVision, we all thought the series would include an appearance from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's devil, Mephisto. There were certainly enough hints that might be the case, but for whatever reason, Marvel Studios decided against including the fan-favourite villain.
Since then, we've continued to see speculation online about future plans for the character, though he's yet to make his presence felt. If nothing else, Marvel Studios must now be aware that fans are anxious to see Mephisto in action, which could explain why Russell Crowe's Thor: Love and Thunder role underwent a significant change.
As you can see below, an early idea called for the actor to play a devil who, we'd guess, was probably based loosely on Mephisto.
While artist Miles Teves doesn't mention the villain's name, it appears Mephisto was going to be used as a throwaway joke. Then again, it's possible the God of Thunder would have turned to the devil for help before Marvel Studios decided that heading to Omnipotence City made more sense (especially as it led to a big introduction later in the movie).
Valhalla is mentioned a lot in Thor: Love and Thunder, so exploring the MCU's version of Hell/Hel could have played nicely into that idea. We also can't help but think Crowe would have had a lot of fun with this role.
Check out this new Thor: Love and Thunder concept art below:
The movie finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor.
Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.
Directed by Taika Waititi, the movie stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Russell Crowe, Jaimie Alexander, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, and Sean Gunn among others.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing in theaters!