Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Marvel’s Ironheart
TheMCUmay have just set up the darkest means of solving the biggest problem facingSpider-Man: Brand New Day. Meant to be the start of the new MCU trilogy for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker,Brand New Daywill continue the Webslinger’s superhero journey after 2021’sSpider-Man: No Way Home. However, Spider-Man’s status quo is quite different from what it had been.
At Peter Parker’s request, Doctor Strange cast a second spell to set things right inSpider-Man:No Way Home’sending, undoing the first broken spell that tore a hole in reality. Tragically, this new spell made the entire world forget Peter, including his friends and loved ones.However, a newly introduced MCU villain could provide a dark solution forSpider-Man: Brand New Dayand Peter’s major status quo shift: Mephisto.
Mephisto Has Finally Made His MCU Debut
Introduced in Ironheart’s Finale
Having been speculated about by fans since 2021’sWandaVisionand officially teased since 2024’sAgatha All Along,the demon lord Mephisto finally made his MCU debut in Marvel’s recentIronheartseries.Played by actor Sacha Baron Cohen, Mephisto was revealed to be the dark benefactor who gave Parker Robbins his mystical hood and the promise of riches and power. He also made a truly dark deal with Riri Williams' Ironheart herself.
Mephisto was inspired by the demon Mephistopheles of German folklore and Faustian legend. In the comics,Mephisto was originally a villain of the Silver Surferbefore gradually becoming a big bad across the entire Marvel Universe, created in 1968 by Stan Lee and John Buscema. A supernatural “demon lord” ruling from a fiery netherworld, Mephisto is all about making deals and claiming souls, playing on the fears of mortals that he’s the biblical Devil.
Mephisto is best known for his role in Ghost Rider’s origins, binding Johnny Blaze’s soul to the Spirit of Vengeance. He’s also the reason why Doctor Doom is just as skilled in sorcery as he is in science, having kept the soul of Doom’s mother captive for years.That said, Mephisto also once targeted Spider-Man in a story that has since become one of Marvel Comics' most infamous events.
Spider-Man’s Comics History With Mephisto Explained
One Of Marvel’s Most Controversial Storylines
In the fallout of the comics’Civil War,2007’sOne More Daywas a controversial four-part Spider-Man eventthat began with Aunt May being fatally shot. This was the result of a hit man hired by Kingpin to kill Peter Parker following his public unmasking duringCivil War. At the time, Peter Parker was a high school science teacher and was married to Mary Jane Watson.
InOne More Day,Mephisto approaches Peter and MJ, offering to save May in exchange for their “marriage”. Agreeing to Mephisto’s terms, a vast portion of Spider-Man’s life was rewritten as if it’d never happened, never marrying Mary Jane with much of his life reverting to when he was still struggling to balance between being Peter and Spider-Man. HisCivil Warunmasking was also undone.
One More Daywas Marvel’s editorial team soft-rebooting Spider-Man back to what they believed was a more typical status quo. Subsequently, this led to a new storyline entitledBrand New Day,which happens to be the title of the MCU’sSpider-Man 4.Naturally, this has led many comic fans to wonder if we might see Mephisto in the upcoming movie, especially now that he’s debuted inIronheart.
Will Mephisto Have A Role In Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
There’s Some Logical Narrative Potential
Currently, there’s very little we know aboutSpider-Man: Brand New Dayand its overall plot. However, we do know that Zendaya and Jacob Batalon are returning to play Michelle Jones Watson and Ned Leeds, despite the fact that they forgot Peter at the end ofNo Way Home. It’s also worth remembering that Peter’s Aunt May was killed by the Green Goblin inNo Way Homeas well.
Considering Spider-Man’s current MCU status quo where he’s living alone with no friends and loved ones, there’s at least some logical narrative potential for Mephisto to be involved inBrand New Day. It could be with the promise of bringing Aunt May back like we just saw inIronheartwith Riri’s deceased best friend Natalie. He could also possibly offer to undo the spell that made everyone forget Peter.
While it’s technically and narratively possible, the odds still feel low that Mephisto will have any kind of major role inBrand New Day. After all, Marvel Studios has faced a lot of major shifts and changes to their overall production plans sinceIronheartwas filmed back in 2022. I feel pretty confident thatMephisto likely won’t be seen again until after the Multiverse Saga concludes.
How Mephisto Could Rewrite Spider-Man’s MCU Reality
It would certainly be exciting to see Mephisto in some sort of background role withBrand New Daysetting up a greater potential future. One could argue for Mephisto being the solution that gets Marvel Studios and Sony out of thenatural narrative challenges that come withNo Way Home’sending. However, including Mephisto wouldn’t be without its own unique challenges.
Any restorative deal Spider-Man might make with Mephisto in the MCU would undoubtedly come with a dark cost. Both Parker Robbins and Riri Williams were shown with growing black scars running across their bodies following their deals with the devil. It’s a visual representation of their souls having been claimed/corrupted by the demon lord.
It’s also been confirmed thatSadie Sink has a role inSpider-Man: Brand New Day.Rumors suggest she might be playing Mayday Parker, a version of Spider-Man and Mary Jane’s daughter known as Spider-Girl.The comics would eventually reveal that Mayday was the real reason for Mephisto wanting Peter and MJ’s marriage, attempting to prevent Mayday’s existence after seeing a future where she brings about his demise.
Perhaps we could see something similar in the MCU with Mephisto going after Spider-Man with hidden agendas and ulterior motives.Currently, anything’s possible forSpider-Man: Brand New Day,and Mephisto’s involvement is but one exciting and compelling option we might see in the upcoming MCU movie.
All episodes ofIronheartare now streaming on Disney+.Spider-Man: Brand New Dayreleases July 31st, 2026.
Ironheart
Cast
Ironheart: Following Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ironheart introduces Riri Williams, a prodigious inventor navigating her path back in Chicago. Balancing her inventive prowess in creating iron suits with the enigmatic presence of Parker Robbins, known as The Hood, Riri finds herself at the intersection of technology and magic.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the first sequel to the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland as the titular wall-crawler. After wiping his identity from the public’s memory in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker continues his crime-fighting adventures without the aid of Iron Man technology or the support of his former allies.
