The article contains spoilers for the finale of “Ironheart”

A group of Marvel fans has been eagerly speculating about the introduction of Mephisto, Marvel’s Comics Code-friendly version of the Devil, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following “Avengers: Endgame.” The speculation peaked during “WandaVision,” where every demonic allusion or “666” Easter egg fueled hopes that Mephisto would be the series’ main antagonist. However, these signs turned out to be mere distractions. Subsequently, fans anticipated Mephisto’s first appearance in either “Spider-Man: No Way Home” or “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” These predictions also proved inaccurate.

Later whispers suggested that Sacha Baron-Cohen would portray Mephisto in an hour-long “Marvel Presents” special. The name Mephisto was finally spoken in the MCU by Jennifer Kale (played by Sasheer Zamata) in Episode 3 of “Agatha All Along,” although sharp-eyed fans noted it had been referenced in SHIELD documents regarding the Tesseract as far back as 2012’s “The Avengers.”

Finally, Sacha Baron-Cohen has taken the spotlight as Mephisto in the finale of “Ironheart.” Those who were let down by “WandaVision” not fulfilling its hints should be quite thrilled to see Mephisto’s official introduction in “Ironheart.”

In “Ironheart,” protagonist Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) finds herself working for and eventually fighting Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), a gang leader and master thief known as “The Hood,” thanks to a hood that gives him magical powers. Studying a sample of Parker’s hood with help from sorcerer Zelma Stanton (Regan Aliyah), Riri comes to believe its source of power is Dormammu (the villain from “Doctor Strange”). The finale reveals that Parker actually got the hood through a deal with Mephisto.

Flashbacks show Mephisto giving Parker powers to fulfill the wish of becoming “stupid, disgusting, greasy rich.” When Parker asks what Mephisto wants in exchange, Mephisto answered, “Something you won’t even miss.” The cost of such power is apparent in how each use of the hood results in Parker being covered in veiny scars he tries to hide with tattoos. In the present, Parker begs to get more out of Mephisto, a request that the demon laughs off, telling Parker he’ll consider it if the latter can “hold on to what I gave you.”

Riri takes away Parker’s hood with her new magic-enhanced suit — making her Mephisto’s new choice to “replace” Parker. Mephisto manipulates Riri’s ambitious nature and her feelings of being “unseen” and “unheard” to try and convince her to make a deal with him. She agrees, but rather than seeking power for herself, she instead has him bring her best friend Natalie (Lyric Ross) back from the dead.

It’s unknown when we’ll see either Mephisto or Riri next in the MCU, but this deal with the devil begs for further exploration. Obviously Mephisto’s deals inevitably come with consequences, but without getting to see those, the “Ironheart” finale plays as the most ominous “happy ending” possible. 

On its own, “Ironheart” is almost the opposite of “WandaVision” — where Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) tried to use magic to forget the loss of her beloved Vision (Paul Bettany) before reaching a place of acceptance, “Ironheart” makes magical necromancy its conclusion rather than its inciting incident. Natalie’s earlier A.I.-based resurrection was already unnerving to many of Riri’s peers, so what could this actual resurrection mean?

One detail that could have bigger implications for the MCU is Mephisto’s casual reveal that he’s made deals with everyone on Forbes’ “100 Richest” list… as well as “14 kings, three popes, and also a Beatle — Ringo.” Riri’s inspiration, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), has been dead for a while now, so he wouldn’t be on the current Forbes list. But with RDJ’s casting as Doctor Doom in “Avengers: Doomsday” implying a potential connection to Tony Stark, and Doctor Doom’s terrifying combination of science and magic paralleling what we’ve seen in “Ironheart,” Mephisto’s dealings could very well have a greater impact on the MCU than we’re aware of.