The Marvel Cinematic Universe has benefited from a treasure trove of characters and stories from which it can pull to weave into new narratives. Among some of Marvel’s greatest resources is its villains. While many of the more challenging and unique ones have already made it to the screen, one character, in particular, remains missing: Mephisto. One of the oldest of Marvel’s villains, Mephisto is one of several characters that act as Satanic or Devil-like figures in the universe. He has been a nemesis for many heroes over the years including Spider-Man, Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange. Mephisto has been described as the most dangerous villain in the Marvel universe.
Mephisto was introduced in 1968 by Stan Lee and John Buscema in Silver Surfer #3. In more recent years, he was responsible for the reset of Peter Parker’s life in the marriage-destroying event, “One More Day,” serving as the inspiration for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Mephisto has most recently revealed to have been targeting Peter Parker’s life for years. Mephisto was also the instigator behind the Scarlet Witch’s madness, creating her two children from fragments of his own soul.
Based on the Mephistopheles of the Faust legend, Mephisto has morphed over time to become Marvel’s Devil, embodying the old stereotypes of the red-clad, clawed, soul-bargaining demon. Within Marvel Comics, his abilities are vast: super-strength, invulnerability, immortality, shapeshifting, soul acquisition, sorcery, memory manipulation, time alteration, energy absorption, energy blasts, and reality alteration. There’s probably even more that he can do beyond this. However, as shown just in the comics, Mephisto’s powers seem to show no upper limit.
Clearly many fans are very excited about the idea of Mephisto making the leap into the MCU. Several repeatedly insisted that he would appear in Wandavision, if not be the ultimate baddie, even as evidence mounted that there was no such plan. While it's become a bit of a joke now, the prospect seized many viewers' expectations and imaginations.
Mephisto would be a great anchor to galvanize and unite the various supernaturally-powered heroes around. If the long-rumored Midnight Sons film ever becomes reality, bringing together Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, Blade, and others, Mephisto would be the perfect villain. More so, Mephisto would function well in a Thanos role: the power behind the power of other supernatural baddies until a confrontation with him is necessary.
However, there is one big difficulty. Within the MCU, magical power seems to be running amok and the levels of supernatural power keep increasing and there appears to be no limit to the power of some magical wielders. To enter the MCU, Mephisto’s abilities would need to be reigned in. At times, his powers have been wildly out of control, nearly omnipotent. That fact exacerbates the constant expansion of magical power within the MCU into even more of a problem. So, his introduction should be done cautiously.
Most of his abilities are possessed by other villains but some seem quite challenging to bring into the MCU. In particular, immortality would be a difficult ability in a universe aiming towards reality. However, his commerce in souls is particularly unique. Marvel still has not fully addressed how it views the soul and the afterlife in the MCU. The MCU has explored space, mind, reality, power, and time. So, now that fans are seeing other realities, timelines, and dimensions, perhaps there is a dimension of the soul. Mephisto as a character could explore what a being that could operate within the realm of souls would be like within the MCU. The Soul Stone was a significant part of the Infinity War, and it led to the death of the Black Widow, but what happens in the Stone and the nature of souls, in general, was left a mystery. Mephisto’s true commerce is in souls and without that aspect of him, any version would be far less powerful.
Slowly, more supernaturally-powered heroes are entering the MCU. Mephisto provides a unique catalyst to bring them together. His nefarious dealings could create conflict and subterfuge that would be a challenge even the most powerful of Marvel’s magic users. Now is the time for Mephisto to make his appearance, even if it is just the equivalent of a thirty-second, end-credits cameo to highlight his machinations behind the scenes.
Source: Trendz OH
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