Marvel fans have been anticipating the debut of the demonic villain Mephisto in the MCU for years now, with speculation originally ramping up with WandaVision , which came and went without an appearance. Now that WandaVision's sequel series Agatha All Along is streaming, fans are once again searching for signs of Mephisto, especially in Aubrey Plaza's mysterious character Rio Vidal , who is expected to have a big reveal later in the season. Mephisto may be one of Marvel's most iconic, enduring villains - and that's no surprise considering he's based on the archetype of the Christian devil, pretty much the most iconic 'villain' in religion, folklore, and in some cases, even as a metaphorical force in world history.
Marvel's comic book take on the concept of an omnipotent, omniscient infernal manipulator who rules over his own realm of eternal punishment through treachery and torture has had a similar impact on the history of the Marvel Universe. Though he originally showed up in Marvel Comics as an enemy of Thor and especially the Silver Surfer, in the years since, Mephisto has challenged much of the Marvel Universe, and made arch-enemies of Doctor Strange and Spider-Man in particular. Here's everything you need to know about Mephisto's comic book history.
And if you're curious about all the cinematic clues you may have missed, you might want to dig into the shows and movies you should watch before Agatha All Along. Who is Mephisto? The being known to mortals as Mephisto is on.