This article contains spoilers for Ironheart Season 1.
In the Marvel Universe, life is rarely simple. But some souls—driven by desperation, ambition, or love—make it infinitely more dangerous by striking deals with forces they barely understand. Among them stands Mephisto, a being who may not be *the* Devil in name, but revels in playing the role. Cloaked in shadow and fire, he first emerged in 1968 and has since ensnared some of Marvel’s greatest minds and mightiest heroes in pacts that twist fate and fracture reality.
With his MCU debut in Ironheart, brought to chilling life by Sacha Baron Cohen, Mephisto now looms larger than ever. His presence stirs unease—not just among fans, but among characters whose stories are still unfolding. From the echoes of WandaVision to the multiversal chaos of Spider-Man: No Way Home, his fingerprints have long been etched into the fabric of the MCU. As the universe expands, so too does the possibility that others may find themselves caught in his infernal web.
Here, we revisit those who once dared to bargain with the devil—and those who might yet fall prey to his seductive whispers.
Shalla-Bal — Love Bound in Flame
Shalla-Bal, soon to be portrayed by Julia Garner in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, once made a fateful decision born from longing. In Silver Surfer #3, she traded her freedom for a chance to reunite with Norrin Rad, the Silver Surfer. Her price? Absolute obedience to Mephisto. The demon sent her to Earth, where she was gravely injured during transit—but not before setting in motion a chain of events that would haunt both lovers for years.
Though the Silver Surfer helped her recover, Mephisto’s interference did not end there. He orchestrated traps, dropped Shalla-Bal into the clutches of Doctor Doom in Latveria, and even forced the Surfer to descend into Hell itself to rescue her soul. Their love was tested at every turn, and always by the same crimson hand.
While Shalla-Bal's new cinematic incarnation exists outside the main MCU timeline, recent revelations about the Thunderbolts' journey into Earth-616 suggest that the path may one day converge. If the Silver Surfer and a variant of Shalla-Bal do emerge in the prime universe, Mephisto’s return could serve as a poetic echo of their comic origins—a fiery reunion written in ash and regret.
Doctor Doom — A Legacy Forged in Fire
Victor von Doom has never feared power—even when it burns. Bound to Mephisto from birth after his mother’s soul was sold to the demon, Doom later tried to undo fate itself. In Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment #1, he offered his own soul—and that of Doctor Strange—as payment to bring his mother back from Hell.
But the plan unraveled when Cynthia von Doom refused her son’s sacrifice, repulsed by the cost. In a rare moment of moral clarity, Doom withheld Strange from the deal, allowing his mother to ascend beyond Mephisto’s grasp. It was a rare act of mercy from a man who thrives on control.
As Robert Downey Jr. steps into the armor of Doom, the stage is set for an era of cosmic upheaval. Whether he’ll cross paths again with Mephisto remains uncertain—but if history teaches anything, it’s that Doom never forgets a debt.
Deadpool — The Deal That Broke Even the Devil
If anyone could outwit Mephisto, it’s Wade Wilson—the merc with a mouth and a mind that defies reason. In Deadpool: The End, the two struck a grim pact: kill his daughter Eleanor, and save his soul from eternal torment. But the devil underestimated Deadpool’s madness—or perhaps overestimated his humanity.
Eleanor appeared as an old woman, dying of cancer. She welcomed death, even bringing a black hole bomb to ensure it. In trying to stop her, Wade pulled the trigger—literally and figuratively—fulfilling the contract while twisting its meaning into something grotesquely poetic.
Mephisto was nearly the villain of Deadpool
