English actor Sacha Baron Cohen is reportedly heading to the MCU, with the lauded comedian widely speculated to assume the role of Marvel’s own devilish figure, Mephisto, in the upcoming Ironheart series.
Even for those less aware of Marvel Comics, Mephisto became a more familiar name around the time WandaVision came out due to the miniseries’ spawning several fan theories that he would be the main villain. Although at that time no specific actors were tied to the character, Baron Cohen’s pops up right after the MCU has all but added Harrison Ford to replace the late William Hurt as Thunderbolt Ross in Captain America: New World Order.
According to Deadline’s sources, it’s widely believed in the Ironheart set that Baron Cohen will be cast to play Mephisto, after the actor has been spotted at Marvel’s UK headquarters, located at Pinewood Studios, however, neither Cohen nor the studio have commented on the matter. The news was quickly picked up by several Marvel-focused accounts online, all of which coincided that if Baron Cohen were to join the MCU, then Mephisto looks like the most likely role right now.
While Baron Cohen is most famous for playing over-the-top satirical characters like Borat and Ali G, both of which have won him plenty of awards and praise, his acting range extends far beyond comedy as proven by his parts in Netflix’s The Spy or 2020’s The Trial of the Chicago 7. Dominique Thorne and Anthony Ramos have been cast in major superhero roles for the show, playing the titular character Riri Williams and The Hood, respectively, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set to introduce Ironheart to the MCU.
Traditionally, Mephisto is closely tied with Marvel’s more paranormal or mystic side, think Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch or even Ghost Rider, but as one of the most devious villains out there, it’s not hard to imagine him being adapted into something like Ironheart, especially if Williams has to call on other heroes’ helping hands. Naturally, it is expected that if Baron Cohen joins the MCU it will be in a multifilm or series capacity, meaning he would also be a likely candidate to appear in Agatha: Coven of Chaos.
Despite Kang being the main villain for Phases Five and Six, Marvel Studios is assembling a fearsome lineup of potential foes in a universe where the Avengers no longer exist, formally speaking. Mephisto would join Kingpin and The Leader in a world where Doctor Doom’s arrival looks all the more imminent, so yes, for all its faults, the Multiverse saga is not lacking bad guys.
Source: Deadline