MCU Phase 4 Director Confirms Its Biggest Villain Rumor Was Never Planned
Summary
- WandaVision director Matt Shakman confirmed that Mephisto was never part of the plan for the show, debunking popular theories.
- Despite this, Mephisto is still heavily rumored to appear in upcoming MCU projects like Ironheart and Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, and could even have his own Special Presentation.
- Mephisto's long-standing presence in Marvel Comics and connections to established MCU characters make him a fitting addition to the current timeline.
Matt Shakman has confirmed that a major villain, who was heavily rumored to be appearing in WandaVision, was never actually a part of Marvel Studios' Phase 4 plan. WandaVision kicked off Phase 4 of the MCU and the Multiverse Saga in 2021, marking the first of Marvel Studios' TV shows on Disney+. The series caught up with Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany's Vision in the wake of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, taking place in a sitcom-style world created by Maximoff's reality-altering power as the Scarlet Witch. However, many suspected another villain may have been behind the Westview Hex, yet this powerful foe never actually made an appearance.
During a recent interview with Inverse, in which he promoted the upcoming release of his Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, WandaVision director Matt Shakman addressed resounding rumors that emerged during the Phase 4 series. These rumors suggested that Mephisto, Marvel Comics' depiction of Mephistopheles from Faust legend, was set to debut during the Disney+ series. However, Shakman has now confirmed that "Mephisto was never a part of [Marvel's] plan" for WandaVision, with the series instead focusing on Kathryn Hahn's Salem witch Agatha Harkness and the Scarlet Witch herself as the villains. Nevertheless, Mephisto has still been heavily rumored to be appearing in any number of upcoming MCU projects.
There were some deep readings of the text that led to certain conclusions that were wrong. Mephisto was never a part of our plan. So that was a head-scratcher. But hey, he's a great character.