There were rumors that Sacha Baron Cohen had joined the MCU as Mephisto even before Ironheart entered production over 5 years ago, but Marvel Studios never actually made his casting official, and still managed to make his debut in the season finale feel like a pretty big deal.
As expected, the demonic sorcerer turns out to be the one who provided The Hood with his powerful cloak, but when Riri Williams defeats her former ally, Mephisto sets his eye on the budding hero instead.
After a sit-down, Williams strikes a Faustian bargain with "The Devil," with her friend Natalie resurrected in exchange for... her soul? That appears to be the implication, though what this means for Ironheart's "superhero" status moving forward remains to be seen.
We haven't had many updates on Mephisto since, but during a new interview with Screen Rant, Cohen was asked who audiences can expect to see return next between Borat and Mephisto.
"I think Mephisto," he replied. "I don't think Borat will ever return."
It's not much to go on, but there are theories that the manipulative sorcerer could make his presence felt in VisionQuest.
Kevin Feige has previously indicated that there are plans in place for Mephisto's return.
"The enthusiasm with which he was theorised on that was certainly cool and fun to watch. And he's another character that, pre-MCU, would have been hard to do. He's a devil. How do you do that character? But he's a formative character. He was a big part of Thanos' storyline in the comics. So again, now that he's here, the potential is clear."
"After being expelled from MIT and stripped of her tech, teen genius Riri Williams returns to Chicago. A chance encounter leads her into the orbit of a dangerous crew, and when she uses a brain-mapping device to repair her broken suit, she accidentally brings back a hologram AI of her dead best friend."
Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams made her MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and this series takes place after the events of the sequel, as Riri returns to her hometown of Chicago and sets her mind to building a state-of-the-art iron suit.
"Set after the events of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Ironheart” pits technology against magic when Riri—determined to make her mark on the world—returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins aka 'The Hood' (Anthony Ramos)."
The series also stars Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam and Anji White. Chinaka Hodge is head writer; episodes are directed by Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes. Executive producers include Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Zoie Nagelhout, Chinaka Hodge, Ryan Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler. Music is by Dara Taylor.
Produced in association with Proximity Media, Ironheart launched on Disney+ on June 24, 2025.