WandaVision: Why Mephisto Is MCU Phase 4's Main Villain

WandaVision's second episode hints at the arrival of a famous Ghost Rider villain to the MCU...

by Ewan Paterson
WandaVision Agnes Mephisto
Marvel

The first two episodes of WandaVision dropped last Friday, and they've already prompted A LOT of fan theories amongst the Marvel faithful. There is one that is gaining particular traction though, mainly because it would have far-reaching implications for the rest of the MCU, but also because there may actually be a lot of weight to it.

The theory stems from the second episode, when Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) introduces Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) to Dottie, the proverbial Cul-de-Sac Queen who's at the centre of Westview's social circle. Dottie mentions that "the devil is in the details" while discussing things with the local committee, before Agnes interjects and says "that's not all he's in."

While this could be more patented snark from Hahn's character, some have taken this as a tacit indication that the figure pulling the strings behind the scenes, and keeping Wanda trapped in this classic slice of Americana, could in fact be Marvel's own version of the devil - Mephisto.

Mephisto, for those who don't know, is one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel Universe - and he has a history with Wanda Maximoff. More commonly associated with Ghost Rider than any other Marvel hero, being the man responsible for Johnny Blaze becoming the Spirit of Vengeance, the character rules over Hell and has had run-ins with Thanos, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man (although Spidey fans would probably want you to forget that last part).

He's the ideal candidate to take a leading role in MCU Phase 4, with WandaVision only just the beginning...

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.