Who, from the MCU, probably made a deal with Mephisto before Riri? Speculations explored

The latest Disney+ MCU series, Ironheart, finally brought the most-awaited character, Mephisto. To those who don’t know, Mephisto is the devil in Marvel Comics, and the same is applicable in Ironheart, too. We meet him for the first time in the finale of the series, i.e., the sixth episode, "The Past Is the Past".

In this episode, we learn that Mephisto has operated in the background for centuries and that he has made a deal with everyone in the MCU’s Forbes “Richest 100” list. Plus, Mephisto also reveals that almost everyone of significance in this cinematic universe has their power and privilege because of the deal with him.

This one scene in the sixth episode has fans wondering about all the characters we have seen who may have made a deal with the literal devil.

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Here are the possible MCU characters who made a deal with Mephisto

Here are some of the possible candidates across the MCU’s past who may have made a deal with Mephisto:

• Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays Valentina in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was introduced in 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Then we saw her again in other MCU projects like Black Widow and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But it is in this year’s Thunderbolts*/The New Avengers that we are given a small glimpse into her past.

Thanks to the Sentry’s power, adult Valentina relives a traumatic event from the past in which her father is killed by some mysterious men. We are not given much context about this scene later in the movie, but we learn that she is someone who immigrated to the US and made her way up. Thus, many suspect that a deal with Sacha Baron Cohen’s Mephisto helped her meteoric rise.

• Aldrich Killian

Played by actor Guy Pearce, we are introduced to Killian for the first time in the opening scene of Iron Man 3. In the opening scene of the movie, we see Killian as a man who uses a cane to help him walk, and he looks shabby. This scene takes place in 1999, i.e., years before the events of 2008’s Iron Man. Then, years later, Killian mysteriously returns.

Now, healed with Extremis, Killian can walk without the cane and even looks better. It is revealed that the Extremis treatment gives Killian the power to breathe fire. But we don’t know much about Killian’s life between the opening scene of Iron Man 3 to the rest of the movie remains unknown, giving credence to the idea that he made a deal with Mephisto.

• Obadiah Stane

The very first MCU villain, Obadiah Stane, is easily a subject of not one but two internet fan theories. The first theory is that, much like What If...? Season 3, Episode 3, "What If... the Red Guardian Stopped the Winter Soldier?", Obadiah is responsible for the death of Howard and Maria Stark on December 16, 1991. Thus, many fans believe that Stane might be a part of HYDRA.

Furthermore, other fan theory posits that the way Obadiah Stane became a part of HYDRA in the first place is by making a deal with Mephisto.

• Quentin Beck/Mysterio

The first time we encountered Mysterio was in the second movie of Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man franchise, Spider-Man: Far From Home. In that movie, Beck introduces himself as “Mysterio”, a warrior from an alternate Earth. He strikes up a partnership and friendship with young Peter to take down these otherworldly monsters who can destroy the Earth.

However, in the second act of the movie, these monsters are revealed to be illusions by none other than Beck himself. We learn that Beck is a former Stark Enterprises employee who is bitter about Tony Stark slighting him. Learning that the B.A.R.F. (Binary Augmented Retro-Framing) glasses, the technology that Beck developed in Captain America: Civil War, were handed off to a child (Peter Parker), Beck decided to get the glasses, which he viewed as his.

He does so by acquiring a crew for himself, and with their help, he formulates a plan to get the B.A.R.F./E.D.I.T.H. glasses back. Many believe that Beck made a deal with the devil somewhere between Civil War and Far From Home.

• Wilson Fisk Kingpin

Hawkeye reintroduced us to Vincent D'Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk in the MCU. In the finale of Hawkeye, Fisk is shot in the face by Maya Lopez/Echo. But, somehow, Fisk manages to survive this shot. This is why some theorize that Fisk died after Maya shot him, but he was revived thanks to Mephisto. Furthermore, some believe that Fisk becoming New York’s mayor is also a part of the devil.

• N'Jadaka/Erik Stevens/Killmonger

One of the MCU's best antagonists, Killmonger, is also a possible candidate. Young Erik had a rough life after the death of his father in the opening minutes of Black Panther. After that, we are told that Erik managed to do well for himself after graduating from MIT and the Naval Academy.

Given that he and Riri share the same college, a young and possibly desperate Erik might’ve come across Mephisto, where the devil might’ve shown the former his deepest desires. Convinced, the young man might’ve shaken hands with the devil, setting him on the destructive path as seen in Black Panther.

However, of all the possibilities, Killmonger might be the least likely character to have made a deal with Mephisto.

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Who else do you think may have made a deal with the devil in the MCU? Let us know.