From Spider-Man and Doctor Strange to the Avengers, almost all of Marvel’s heroes have had to deal with Mephisto, Marvel’s most cunning demon.
When one thinks of Marvel’s most important villains, the names that come to mind include the likes of Thanos, Doctor Doom, and Magneto. But one slightly lesser-known character is just as dangerous, if not more so, as these heavy hitters. Mephisto is functionally the Marvel Universe’s equivalent of the Devil. As such he poses a massive threat to all of its characters, physically, emotionally, and psychologically. As physically powerful as he is, arguably his most dangerous skill is his ability to corrupt Marvel’s heroes by tempting them with their most desperate desires. Although he doesn’t appear directly as often as the aforementioned big names, Mephisto’s influence can almost constantly be found in certain corners of the universe and he seems to be responsible, either directly or indirectly, for several current story arcs.
Created by Stan Lee and Sal Buscema, Mephisto first appeared in Silver Surfer #3 in 1968. An immortal demon possessing nearly limitless magical power, Mephisto is based on the character Mephistopheles from Faust legend and often acts as the Judeo-Christian Satan would. Although he continued to battle the Silver Surfer, he is not any one hero’s archenemy, but instead a menace to the Avengers and the entire Marvel Universe. Given his command over dark magic, mystical characters like Doctor Strange encounter him most often, but Mephisto has also frequently tormented more grounded crime fighters such as Daredevil and Spider-Man.
He also tortures both heroes and villains equally. Doctor Doom’s mother, Cynthia von Doom, was herself skilled in magic and bargained with Mephisto for the power to protect her people from a corrupt Baron. But when her new powers caused the deaths of innocents, she renounced them and was killed. As famously revealed in Roger Stern and Mike Mignola’s 1989 tale, Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment, Her soul was then sent to Mephisto’s realm, where she was tortured. Learning of his mother’s fate inspired Victor’s early interest in the mystic arts and eventually, he managed to save her. Doom teamed with Doctor Strange but betrayed him, offering Strange to Mephisto in exchange for his mother’s soul. Cynthia rejected her son’s treacherous offer and doing so redeemed her soul. When a battle broke out, causing Mephisto to accidentally free her, Cynthia ascended to Heaven.
Mephisto is also involved with the convoluted history of the Ghost Riders. Originally it was believed that Satan himself had made the deal with Johnny Blaze that bonded the demon Zarathos to his soul, but it was later said that this was actually Mephisto in his Satan guise. Subsequent retcons have gone back and forth on who it truly was. Regardless, various Ghost Riders have continued to battle Mephisto.
Mephisto also has a disturbing connection to the family of Avenger Wanda Maximoff/the Scarlet Witch. When Wanda used her reality-altering powers to make it possible for her and her android husband, Vision, to have children she unknowingly used two wayward fragments of Mephisto’s soul to create her sons, Thomas and William. Eventually, Mephisto reabsorbed them into himself. The loss of her children was arguably the crucial factor that lead to Wanda’s reality-altering mental breakdown depicted in Avengers Disassembled and House of M, although her sons would later be reincarnated as Speed and Wiccan of the Young Avengers.
But it’s Mephisto’s involvement in the Spider-Man franchise that’s probably the most well-known, for better or worse. The demon plays a crucial role in J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada’s infamously controversial 2007 Spider-Man story “One More Day.” With his Aunt May dying from a gunshot wound as an indirect result of his decision to publicly reveal his secret identity in Civil War, Peter Parker becomes desperate enough to make a deal with Mephisto. The dark villain offers to save May’s life if Peter and Mary Jane agree to have their marriage erased from history. They agree and Mephisto keeps his word, healing May and erasing the public’s knowledge of Peter’s identity. The story outraged a large number of fans, and it continues to reverberate around Spider-Man’s world to this day.
Despite this, rumors have started to swirl that the upcoming third MCU Spider-Man film might adapt elements of “One More Day”. Peter’s identity was exposed by Mysterio, who also framed him for murder, at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Given this, and the fact that the third film has also been described as a continuation of story threads from WandaVision and a precursor to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Mephisto seems primed to make a debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, since the protagonists of all three properties have histories with him in the comics.
Mephisto’s influence continues to be felt in current and upcoming comics. The Spider-Man story arc “Last Remains” serves as a sequel of sorts to “One More Day,” with the villain Kindred aware of Peter’s deal. It also suggests that Mephisto has manipulated Peter to even greater extents than previously known. After operating from behind the scenes for several years, Mephisto’s long-gestating plans against the Avengers will come to fruition in the upcoming “Heroes Reborn” event, which will completely alter the Marvel Universe by removing the Avengers from history.
Even though he doesn’t have one dedicated superhero nemesis, Mephisto has still deceived his way into the upper echelons of Marvel villainy, and it doesn’t seem like he’ll be stopping any time soon.
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