New rumors have suggested that Sacha Baron Cohen could have been cast as the long-awaited character Mephisto in the MCU, but is he?

For over four years, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have been predicting the arrival of Mephisto in the MCU, touting his possible appearance in WandaVision, Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and most recently, She-Hulk. Could their wait almost be over? A new rumor reported by Deadline has suggested so, with it being thought that the Marvel Comics demon could be making his first appearance in the upcoming Ironheart series, with Sacha Baron Cohen suggested as having been in talks to take on the huge Marvel role.

It should be pointed out pretty much immediately that Cohen’s representatives have refused to comment on the rumor, as have Marvel Studios…but we all know that this kind of silence is not always a denial. What is known is that Ironheart wrapped filming recently, and although there is little known about the series based on the character of Riri Williams, there are some small indicators that the rumor could have some ground.
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Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorne, will make her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and her solo series will follow this up, allowing Marvel Studios to further develop the tech-centric heroine on her own terms. While there will certainly be plenty of elements of Iron Man in the series, Ironheart will have a selection of supernatural enemies for the youngster to deal with, which does give the idea of a Mephisto cameo a certain amount of possibility.

Additionally, the Disney+ series will see Anthony Ramos playing Parker Robbins, aka The Hood, who in the comic books is granted his powers by Dormammu. As we know, the being from the Dark Dimension has already appeared in the MCU in Doctor Strange, and although there has been more of a hint of him returning, thanks to the Doctor Strange 2 post-credits scene, the possible casting of Mephisto has opened up the idea that The Hood’s powers could instead be granted by Mephisto in one of those fleeting looks at a future big Marvel villain.

Related:Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Star Discusses Influence Ironheart Will Have on MCU

Who Is Mephisto?

In Marvel Comics, Mephisto is essentially a devil-like demon character who has crossed paths with numerous Marvel heroes. Most notably, Mephisto has been linked to Ghost Rider, the Silver Surfer, and has often come into conflict with Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom, among others. The possible introduction of him at this moment in the MCU’s timeline is certainly interesting, with the Fantastic Four making their debut soon, as well as new Doctor Strange and Spider-Man movies in the works.

One thing that is clear is that Jonathan Majors’ Kang is the current big bad of the MCU, and if Mephisto does appear in Ironheart, it will likely be an appearance akin to that of Thanos back in the post-credits scene of Avengers. This will not be the first time the demon has appeared on screen, as he has previously been a part of both Ghost Rider and its sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, when played by Peter Fonda and Ciaran Hinds respectively. Whether Sacha Baron Cohen will be taking over the role next is yet to be seen, but the rumor will be enough to get some fans once more on the Mephisto trail.