In the season finale of Ironheart, Marvel Studios finally introduced the MCU's version of Mephisto. Played by Sacha Baron Cohen, he was revealed as the one who'd given Parker Robbins his Hood and ultimately acquired Riri Williams' soul in exchange for the resurrection of her long-dead best friend, Natalie.
The series ended with a post-credits scene suggesting that Parker planned to seek Wong's help to regain what he'd lost, and The Cosmic Circus has now shared some insights into what all this might be leading to.
According to their sources, the idea is to eventually adapt "Damnation," a 2018 storyline revolving around the Midnight Sons. That iteration of the team was comprised of Blade, Ghost Rider, Elsa Bloodstone, Man-Thing, Moon Knight, and Doctor Voodoo.
During the 4-issue event, Mephisto took over Las Vegas, creating Hell on Earth. In doing so, he transformed the Avengers into his demonic, Ghost Rider-like slaves, forcing Wong to assemble a new Midnight Sons to stop the villain before he takes over the world. Mephisto is ultimately defeated when Johnny Blaze sacrifices himself, though only after he's enlisted the help of an army of Multiversal Ghost Riders.
It sounds like Marvel Studios plans to start laying the groundwork for this in several upcoming projects, including Blade. The long-delayed movie's planned villain, Mia Goth's Lilith, is described as "one of the potential rivals to Mephisto by the time the events of Damnation come to pass."
The site adds, "Other projects currently being developed within the Midnight Sons storyline include a continuation to Werewolf by Night, with the goal of bringing in Jack Russell, Elsa Bloodstone, and Man-Thing back into the MCU; a Moon Knight sequel where Marc Spector and Steven Grant would be forced to solve a mystery that would eventually bring them face-to-face with the third personality, Jake Lockley."
"And a Strange Academy storyline featuring Wong and America Chavez," the piece continues, "along with some other mystical characters yet to be revealed, some of which we have already met in Ironheart, such as Zelma Stanton and The Hood."
As you might expect, the idea is for this storyline to culminate in a Midnight Sons movie. Before that, though, if Strange Academy does happen, it's reportedly set to introduce Runaways and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man character, Nico Minoru.
We also have some additional intel on Marvel Studios' Ghost Rider plans. It's already been widely reported that he'll make his MCU debut in Avengers: Doomsday, and the site claims to have learned that the studio "is currently focusing on the Johnny Blaze version of the character, as well as other notable demons such as Mephisto’s son, Blackheart, and Chthon."
For what it's worth, @MyTimeToShineH is also reporting that, "Mephisto will return in 3 upcoming MCU projects."
So, if this all pans out, exciting times lie ahead for the supernatural corner of the MCU. Marvel Studios has teased it in the Multiverse Saga with Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night, Agatha All Along, and now Ironheart, but fully embracing the concept moving forward feels like a smart move.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.