Marvel Studios might have just teased Ghost Rider's MCU debut in the Ironheart series finale. Ghost Rider was played by Oscar-winner Nicholas Cage in two solo outings released in 2007 and 2012, in both of which he faced off with Mephisto. The Spirit of Vengeance was rumored to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' Illuminati until those plans fell through. While viewers met a version of Ghost Rider in Agents of SHIELD, the ABC series' canon status is often disputed, and fans are eager to see him join the MCU-proper.
Marvel Studios finally fulfilled four years of theories dating back to WandaVision in Ironheart by introducing Mephisto, played by Sacha Baron Cohen. While only appearing in the finale, Marvel's devil played an important role in giving Anthony Ramos' Parker Robbins his demonic hood. The two Marvel villains speak only a few times in Ironheart, but one line may have teased Ghost Rider's MCU debut.
As Robbins angrily called for the demon around the finale's halfway mark, Cohen's MCU villain stated he has been preoccupied and he is "not [his] only client," which may be setting up another Agent of Mephisto:
"Aw, I've been a little bit busy. You see, you're not my only client."
While Ironheart was Mephisto's first on-screen MCU appearance, he was referenced for the first time last year in Agatha All Along. Discussing what happened to Agatha Harkness' son after she supposedly traded him for the Darkhold, Jennifer Kale stated, "They say he might be... an agent of Mephisto."
Of course, this ultimately wasn't the case as Agatha's son, Nicholas Scratch, was actually taken by Death, and rumors that she traded him for the Darkhold proved false. As such, The Hood remains the first agent of Mephisto to appear in a Marvel Studios project, but there's no doubt that he won't be the last.
The Marvel superhero most famously tied to the devil is Ghost Rider, who gets his powers by bonding with the Spirit of Vengeance, Zarathos, after making a deal with Mephisto. The devil in the details of this deal varies between Ghost Riders, but in the case of motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze, it was to save his surrogate father.
As Mephisto teased that Robbins is "not [his] only client," he may already be in the business with a version of Ghost Rider. Agents of SHIELD introduced one Spirit of Vengeance with Gabriel Luna's Robbie Reyes, but as that show's canon status remains in question, fans are still waiting for his true MCU debut.
Here's When Ghost Rider Might Make His MCU Debut
Marvel Studios may be getting ready to introduce Ghost Rider to the MCU soon, as they are reportedly eyeing Barbie star Ryan Gosling to play him in Avengers: Doomsday, provided his filming schedule for Star Wars: Starfighter allows it.
It's unclear whether this Ghost Rider would be from the MCU or elsewhere in the Multiverse, but there's every reason to think he may be from Earth-616. The studio is seemingly developing a Midnight Sons movie to release after Avengers: Secret Wars and unite the MCU's supernatural characters, and with Ghost Rider rumored to lead the team, Gosling would be the perfect face for such an ensemble.
If Earth-616's Ghost Rider was Johnny Blaze, possibly played by Gosling, that could raise a major canon conflict with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. As Robbie Reyes had the Spirit of Vengeance passed to him by Blaze, seeing him as the current Ghost Rider could raise confusion and bring about even more canon considerations.
While Ironheart teased Mephisto as the villain for another MCU project, he may be a natural antagonist for the Midnight Sons to face. This would be especially true with Ghost Rider at the forefront, but that doesn't mean he is Marvel's only powerful supernatural villain who could feature.
Ultimately, there are no signs of Mephisto returning anytime soon, and even when he does, fans shouldn't expect to see him defeated easily. Across his many decades in Marvel Comics, Mephisto has appeared to be immortal and always returns from defeat, and his MCU adaptation ought to follow suit.
