Mephisto: Sacha Baron Cohen Said to Join MCU as Demon Lord in Ironheart

Sacha Baron Cohen might be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Deadline cites an unnamed source close to production, who claims that the Borat star is likely to play Mephisto on Ironheart, the Dominique Thorne-led series, which will branch out of the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While not as concrete as usual reports, it claims that the actor was recently spotted at the Marvel facilities, at the UK's Pinewood Studios. Better take this with a pinch of salt, as Marvel is notorious for deliberately "leaking" misinformation. Ironheart is part of Marvel's Phase 5 lineup and is slated to release in autumn 2023 on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar.

Deadline's sources claim that after Ironheart, Cohen could appear in other upcoming MCU projects, as well. If confirmed to be playing Mephisto, the extra-terrestrial demon lord, there's a chance he would appear in Agatha: Coven of Chaos, slated for a winter 2023 release on Disney+ Hotstar. Fans were convinced that the ruler of Hell would show up in the Elizabeth Olsen-led WandaVision series, revealed as the corrupting influence behind Wanda's Hex. But a shift from the comic book canon proved that it was Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) all along.

Word of Cohen's involvement with Marvel started spreading on social media last week, with tipster Lizzie Hill reporting that he might be playing a “dark lord, but it isn't Dormammu.” Speaking to Mashable in 2021, WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer confirmed that she never intended to bring Mephisto to life, or imply his involvement in the series. “There was never any conscious intention on my part to create any Mephisto red herrings, because I didn't know who Mephisto was until I started doing press,” she said. “He wasn't ever part of our storytelling conversations. We were very clear that the big bad is grief. And then the external bad is Agatha.”

In the Marvel comics, Wanda used shards of Mephisto's own soul to give birth to twins Billy and Tommy. Things ended in tragedy, when Mephisto absorbed her children, urging Agatha to erase all of Wanda's memories, as a way to soften the pain of loss. However, the plan backfired, sending Wanda into a nervous breakdown, killing Agatha in the process, and eventually, leading to the “House of M” run.

Cohen is expected to first appear in Ironheart, which stars Thorne (Judas and the Black Messiah) in the lead as Riri Williams. The six-episode series is directed by Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes (Atlanta), each covering three episodes.

The Disney+ show also stars Lyric Ross as best friend Natalie Washington, Anthony Ramos (In the Heights) as a villain, Regan Aliyah, Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Manny Montana, and Harper Anthony.

As I said before, Ironheart will first appear in the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, set to release November 11 in theatres.

Marvel's Ironheart is slated to premiere in autumn 2023 on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar.