If you mention the name Mephisto to a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan, the response you’ll get is either going to be stifled laughter or a roll of the eyes, with the comic book demon having become a running joke already, and we’re not even a year into Phase Four yet.
Countless WandaVision rumors and theories touted Mephisto as the big bad all along, with a lot of people left looking pretty foolish when none of it came to fruition. The character’s name was brought up again in conjunction with Loki, leading the creative team to outline that fans were running down blind alleys yet again.
After the first trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home dropped, another line of inquiry began making the rounds, positing that the unusual behavior being displayed by Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange was because he had in fact been replaced by Mephisto, who is seeking to assert some level of influence or control over the multiverse.
During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Cumberbatch was asked directly about the Mephisto speculation, and his answer was a firm “no”. Not that anybody believes a word to come out of the mouth of anyone associated with the MCU, but it would be fair to say that we’re getting tired of hearing the devil’s name so often with nothing to show for it.
