A day on and Marvel fans are still talking about the finale for its recent series “Ironheart”.
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR “IRONHEART”
More specifically, much of the conversation has centered around actor Sasha Barron Cohen’s appearance as The Devil-esque Marvel character Mephisto, who has finally appeared in the MCU after years of speculation.
Cohen’s hiring has been known for years, but his role in the show was unspecified until the episode’s airing. That said, it has been one of the worst-kept secrets in MCU history.
Series lead star Dominique Thorne recently revealed that she only learned of the character being Mephisto very late into the project’s shooting. She tells Variety:
“I learned in the midst of our shooting. So, by the time they gave me the correct name in the script, it was like ‘Whoa, the Reddit guy! The guy from all the rumors. He’s in this show? OK, y’all are serious!’
The true Marvel fans know that Marvel always has a plan. So, to know that they’ve chosen to introduce him here with Riri Williams, with Parker Robbins, it’s strategic and it has a place in the larger storytelling and in the larger twists and turns that this phase will continue to unveil. And it is just a joy to get a seat on that ride.”
On screen, the character is mostly seen as Cohen in an overly floral suit. At one point, however, his true visage is glimpsed in the reflection of a spoon – a look that appears pretty close to the comics.
So far, the fan reaction to the reveal has been quite positive, some labelling it as major introduction as Jonathan Majors playing He Who Remains in “Loki”.
The series ends with Riri making a deal with Mephisto, with both characters expected to return eventually. When they do, Thorne tells Deadline that Mephisto may have bitten enough more than he can chew when it comes to Riri:
“My gut is telling me that that is not the last we have seen of him, and I don’t think that is the last that we’ve seen of him in connection with Parker, and obviously, clearly not with Riri. I think Mephisto is probably in for a bit more of a headache than he bargained for with Miss Riri Williams. I think regardless of what Mephisto thinks is going to happen, Riri most certainly has other plans in mind.”
All six episodes of “Ironheart” are now available on Disney+.
