Marvel's Longest-Anticipated Character Finally Joins the MCU but Fans Aren't Happy
The one villain whose arrival was speculated about for so long that it became a meme seems to finally make his way into the MCU — but admittedly, it’s too late and wrong.
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is vast and has numerous heroes and villains, it’s nowhere near as large as the comics. In the comics, there are countless iconic characters who still haven’t made their way into the MCU, and fans keep speculating about when and whether some of them will appear in the upcoming live-actions.
Some of the original characters have been so shamelessly teased (and then never added) throughout the many years of the MCU’s existence that their addition became a meme in the fan community. This is not exactly a good sign for the franchise since it would now be incredibly hard to introduce those heroes or villains in a satisfying way.
In the long list of long-anticipated comic characters, Mephisto definitely holds one of the highest positions. This inherently evil and immensely powerful devil-ish dude is known for his endless machinations and interventions in mortal affairs for the fun of it, and while there have been numerous hints at his involvement in the MCU, he never actually joined the rooster.
And now that Mephisto’s involvement has become a running gag among Marvel fans, a new announcement suddenly suggested the devil will finally make his appearance in Ironheart. To no one’s surprise, no one’s exactly happy with that.
The Direct reported that Marvel Studios’ recent copyright filing proved that Sacha Baron Cohen, the actor who was long expected to take the role of Mephisto officially joined the cast of Ironheart, Marvel’s new Disney Plus series, as one Mystery Man. This borderline screams “Hey, Mephisto is coming!” — but fans are frustrated.
Mephisto was largely expected to appear in WandaVision, Loki, or Multiverse of Madness; those projects were perfect for him. How in the world our good old devil guy would fit into Ironheart, of all things? Nobody knows, and fans generally consider it a terrible idea. Why use him in Ironheart when there’s a new Ghost Rider looming over the horizon?
The incredibly long anticipation of Sacha Baron Cohen putting on the devilish grin of Mephisto and the poorly chosen project upset and frustrated the community, and we can’t blame the fans. Mephisto is far too important to be wasted in the wrong setting.
But you know what would be really funny? If this “Mystery Man” turns out to be an entirely different character and Marvel rubs Mephisto’s absence in fans’ faces once again. At least, this would allow for the running gag to continue as it was before.
Source: The Direct