Marvel has reportedly cast the jaw-dropping villain we've been waiting years for

There have been a lot of rumors about the Marvel Cinematic Universe as of recently. But hey, let's be honest; the franchise has been spawning rumors and reports since its early years, with fans always enjoying speculating about the saga, when certain characters might debut, what stories it might adapt and so forth.

That has been clearer than ever in the Multiverse Saga. Ever since the MCU peaked with Avengers: Endgame in 2019, anticipation has been high to see if the new storyline can outdo it. It's been a bit hit and miss since, with a number of titles bringing Marvel Studios its most disappointing responses, both in terms of box office performances and fan reception. And yet, there is still an air of intrigue surrounding it, with the hopes that it can truly find its footing before it hits its peak with the concluding Avengers movies.

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding the saga - one that has continued since the beginning of Phase Four - may actually be answered pretty soon, as new reports have backed up long-running rumors that an evil force is about to make its presence felt on the MCU.

Sacha Baron Cohen is expected to play Mephisto in the MCU

After years of speculation about whether or not Mephisto would actually appear in the MCU, various outlets, insiders and scoopers are now reporting that the character is not only destined to appear in the very near-future, but that Sacha Baron Cohen is expected to play him. The rumors began back in 2022 when Deadline revealed that a source close to the production believed he would bring the devilish character to life on Disney Plus series Ironheart.

A year later Marvel confirmed that the actor would be part of the show as a copyright filing made by the studio with the U.S. Copyright Office for the first episode listed him among the cast, crediting his role as that of "Mystery Man". While that could, of course, mean that he's playing any character (especially given that Ironheart would be an unusual choice of show for such a supernatural character to surface in), subsequent reports from insiders have claimed that he will indeed be portraying the unearthly being in the series.

Insider Alex Perez, writing for The Cosmic Circus, reports that Mephisto will make his debut in Ironheart as he was the mysterious benefactor who purchased Avengers Tower from Tony Stark back in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming. If this indeed turns out to be the case, it would explain why the character makes his debut in such a technologically-focused show such as this one. It would also answer a near-decade-long mystery that MCU fans have been curious about, while also reiterating how much of a force to be reckoned with that Mephisto would have the potential to be.

The reason that all of this information has come up once again in discussions is down to the fact that fellow Marvel scooper HolyField News has backed it up with a new report, reiterating everything that Perez revealed while also adding that fans should expect to see Mephisto showcase other demonic forms through the series' run. The report also adds that we should expect to see him appear in more projects soon afterwards.

That same scooper has also stated that the character will have a major role going forward in recent weeks, revealing that audiences could expect to see him involved in projects centred on Ghost Rider and the Midnight Sons, and perhaps even Moon Knight season 2 (if Marvel chooses to renew that show for another season, that is). If so, those projects could explore the villain's more supernatural side, which would likely show off his versatility as an antagonist.

Years of build-up for Mephisto

To say that fans have been expecting Mephisto's presence for years would be an understatement. In the comics, the character is Marvel's version of the devil, and MCU fans have been predicting that he would make his live-action debut since 2021, as far back as the beginning of Phase Four.

Given WandaVision's affinity for the supernatural and the central mystery at the heart of it, fans were convinced that Mephisto was really the one pulling the strings all along, manipulating the Scarlet Witch from behind the scenes. He has a tendency for doing that in the comics, but it wasn't him on the Disney Plus show, as Agatha Harkness was the mastermind in the shadows. And yet fans continued to believe that Mephisto would play some kind of role in the franchise, with many believing that he would eventually surface in properties such as Loki, Moon Knight, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Werewolf by Night. And yet, here we are nearly two full years out from the latter title, and still no Mephisto.

The irony is that, on paper, all of those titles would have made more sense for him to appear in than a more grounded project like Ironheart. But there is another side to Mephisto, one that likes to manipulate those around him with charm and decadence, so if he does surface in the upcoming series, he will likely bring those elements with him. And besides, from all of the rumors and reports on Ironheart over the past few years, it sounds like it won't be as grounded as a show as initially expected.

If Mephisto does appear in the show, it's interesting to think about how it came about. Was it always Marvel Studios' intention to introduce the devilish villain in Phase Five, or were they influenced by the fact that the character became a bit of a social media phenomenon when fans were theorizing about his seemingly inevitable arrival in Phase Four? It's most likely the former, as Ironheart has been in the works for a long time, but we wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility that Kevin Feige and co. got curious about the buzz that Mephisto generated and took it as a sign to include him going forward.

Remember it's important to take all rumors with a grain of salt, but given the amount of evidence suggesting that Sacha Baron Cohen will appear in Ironheart (and likely do so as Mephisto), there is a strong possibility of this one turning out to be true.

Iornheart premieres on Disney Plus in 2025.