This article contains spoilers about the Ironheart season finale.
Ironheart just made a deal with the devil.
After years of speculation, major Marvel villain Mephisto (Sacha Baron Cohen) finally debuted in the MCU in a surprise finale twist.
Fans have been wondering if/when/how the devilish character would ever arrive onscreen since the premiere of WandaVision four and a half years ago, and Ironheart creator Chinaka Hodge tells Entertainment Weekly that the decision to include that long-awaited moment in this series was not hers “alone.”
Dominique Thorne in ‘Ironheart’. Jalen Marlowe
“That’s a really great question,” Hodge says when EW asks her if Mephisto’s debut was a mandate from Marvel. “I wish I could answer it more plainly. It was not my decision alone. I was empowered by Marvel to make that decision… I don’t know what will happen next with the character or with Sasha in the MCU. But as a fan, I’m really hoping to see him make lots of appearances.”
While all of the characters assumed the powerful big bad haunting them was the inter-dimensional demon Dormammu (first glimpsed in Doctor Strange), he relished in revealing his true identity as the devil himself to Riri (Dominique Thorne) while making her the same mysteriously open-ended offer he gave Parker Robbins a.k.a. the Hood (Anthony Ramos).
The finale cliffhanger implies she accepted the deal from the devil, since her dead BFF Natalie (Lyric Ross) was resurrected and the tell-tale black veins previously spreading across Parker’s body began to appear on Riri’s arms.
“I was surprised by the ending just as much as the audience will be,” Hodge says of Riri’s choice. “I think it’s a really fun payoff, and we’re setting up Riri to make big, grown woman decisions in the MCU. I think our cliffhangers will excite our fans and allow them to dream around whatever doom might befall them.”
Thorne was “super excited” by Riri’s turn to the dark side in the finale. “I think it’s so yummy that Riri doesn’t have to walk the traditional hero path,” she tells EW. “She has already crossed some lines and figured she’ll handle the consequences on the other side. So what exactly is the scope? What’s the scale of those consequences? And does she continue to resist? Does she continue to do the right thing or does she lean into the other part of her?”
The actor adds that she wasn’t surprised by Riri’s decision to accept Mephisto’s offer.
Anthony Ramos in ‘Ironheart’. Jalen Marlowe
“It just helped to reinforce what we’ve been seeing from Riri since Wakanda Forever, which is that she’s not majorly committed to this superhero mantle,” Thorne says. “It’s not something that she goes out chasing or seeking, but it’s something that she has to think her way through and figure out and really make conscious choices at every major turning point until she gets to the truth of who she is and who therefore who Ironheart will be. That last moment brings it all home, boils it all down, and reiterates what we’ve been seeing since we’ve met Riri Williams, which is you have all this brilliance, you have all this potential, and you need to make a choice.”
The finale also teased future trouble from Parker in a mid-credits scene. After Riri defeated him by separating him from his demonically powered hood, Parker visited the Stanton’s magic shop and met Zelma (Reegan Aliyah). He asked her for some “Supreme-like help,” meaning he’s not done messing with magic to achieve power.
“I love this role and I’d love to have the opportunity to do more with him,” Ramos tells EW. “And to dive deeper into Parker and Mephisto’s relationship and how his failure affects him. But also, does Riri go bad, all the way there, and by some miracle, does Parker have to stop her now? Does she become overcome by the magic, and is it going to take him to be like, ‘Look what it did to me, don’t let this do this to you.’ That would be sick.”
Dominique Thorne and Lyric Ross in ‘Ironheart’. Jalen Marlowe
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Between Riri’s new deal with Mephisto, Natalie’s shocking resurrection, and Parker’s return in the mid-credits scene, there’s a lot left hanging by the end of Ironheart’s first season. And the creator hopes to continue exploring those stories in future seasons of this show rather than in other MCU projects.
“I’ll keep it with you a buck, I’m hoping for all work in Hollywood right now,” Hodge says. “Yes, a second season, a third season, a fourth season. Yes!”
As for what a second season of Ironheart would tackle, Hodge remains tight-lipped. “I look forward to answering that question with a staff of writers,” she says.
Ironheart season 1 is now streaming on Disney+.
