A recent Marvel Studios promotional piece may have just revealed the MCU's next character to strike a bargain with the devil himself. After years of anticipation following 2021's WandaVision, Mephisto (portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen) finally made his long-awaited MCU debut in Disney+'s Ironheart in 2025. Now, a newly surfaced connection between a familiar Marvel Comics character and an upcoming MCU project has sparked speculation that a third soul may soon be sold.
For Avengers: Doomsday, directors Joe and Anthony Russo appeared at a Doctor Doom-themed pop-up coffee shop called "Dom Latveria Coffee" at SXSW London.
While many MCU fans hoped the surprise would be the long-awaited online trailer, the tease turned out to be the menu itself, including Easter eggs from Doctor Doom's comic book history.
Among the most recognizable were "Cynthia's Blend," a matcha latte referencing Doom's deceased Romani sorceress mother Cynthia Von Doom, and "Zefiro," a nod to the Romani Zefiro Clan.
In the 1989 comic Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment, Cynthia is a major part of the story where Doom and Strange journey down into Mephisto's Hell to rescue her soul, which she had surrendered in a deal with the devil.
If Marvel Studios adapts Doom's mother, Cynthia, in any way, even just a mention by Robert Downey Jr.'s version of the character, she could become the third MCU character connected to a Mephisto deal, joining Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos) and Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) from Ironheart.
Marvel Characters With Mephisto Deals
Cynthia Von Doom (Comics)
A user of considerable magical skill, as is expected by Victor in Doomsday, Cynthia Von Doom's spells one night drew the attention of Mephisto, and when he made his pitch, she refused him.
What ultimately broke her was that Mephisto reframed the deal entirely, promising that her people would finally have a homeland and that her son, Victor, would grow up to be a king. That appeal to her love for her child and her clan is what Cynthia couldn't say no to. Of course, just like any deal with the devil, the agreement went catastrophically wrong by design.
Mephisto granted her only raw destructive force, not the control to wield it, and the resulting magic killed not just Latveria's Baron soldiers but innocent children in the village as well. Filled with horror and guilt, Cynthia renounced the power and was killed, and her soul was claimed by Mephisto and brought to hell.
For years, Doom fought Mephisto's forces every Midsummer's Eve, trying to free her, but never made any progress until a sorcery tournament among the world's most powerful wizards gave him his shot.
Strange won the contest and the title of Sorcerer Supreme, but Doom came in second, which meant Strange owed him a favor, and Doom had one request: go to Hell together and bring his mother back.
Once inside Hades, the two were split up, and each was put through their own version of torture. Strange was tormented with visions of a darker life, while Doom was simply offered world domination as a bribe.
Mephisto then made his big move, offering to trade Cynthia's soul for Strange's, and Doom took the deal, handing Strange over to Mephisto and briefly getting his mother back, only for Cynthia to call him a traitor and refuse the rescue, landing her soul right back ck in Mephisto's hands.
What Mephisto didn't know was that Doom had slipped Strange a hidden device to break free, and during the chaos of Strange's escape, Mephisto accidentally destroyed the container holding Cynthia's soul. Because she had chosen her own principles over her freedom, she had earned her redemption and was finally released.
With Doomsday being the first time MCU fans are truly getting the villain in live-action, making familial and comic book connections like this could be key for character development. As he says in the trailer, "Before this day is done, we shall be faced with an unthinkable decision." The context around that seems multiversal, but perhaps it's more personal than anyone is currently expecting.
Parker Robbins (MCU)
Ironheart spent its entire six-episode, two-week run building toward the reveal that Parker Robbins hadn't found his powerful red hood by chance; he had earned it through a deal with Mephisto.
As shown in a flashback to kick off the finale, Mephisto is a villain who preys on ambition and manipulates people's deepest desires, and Parker was an ideal mark.
The magical hood granted Parker great dark power, which only enhanced the longer he wore it, but so did the corruption. Mephisto finally stepped out of the shadows in the finale, confirming himself as the unseen architect behind everything Parker had done, and then acquired his next target.
Riri Williams (MCU)
After defeating the Hood (but not killing) in the Ironheart finale, Riri Williams found herself face-to-face with Mephisto.
Targeting her grief over the loss of her best friend Natalie (Lyric Ross), Mephisto promised to bring Natalie back not as an AI, but as a living, breathing person.
Despite her initial refusals, Riri reached out her hand to seal the bargain. This was quite the shock for MCU fans, as this is not the typical ending for heroes on their own Disney+ series. Season 1 ends with Riri making a deal that will certainly have consequences, as teased by the darkness rising up her arm right before the credits begin.
It also seems like the list is longer than what was shown in Ironheart, as Mephisto teased past deals, which could include other MCU characters like Howard Stark, Scarlet Witch, Phil Coulson, and more.
