Despite its so-so premiere episode, as well as the review-bombing that preceded its premiere, Marvel’s Ironheart series quickly ramped up to become a surprisingly solid addition to the 2025 TV schedule. Especially for a project that was expected to drop two years ago. Part of the lasting hype has revolved around the MCU’s long-awaited introduction of the comic demon Mephisto and his deal-affirming handshake with Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams in the finale.
At first glance, Riri entering into an agreement with the MCU’s nefarious soul-snatcher seems like a fool’s errand for the young hero, despite the evil entity seemingly offering up her greatest desire: for Lyric Ross’ Natalie to be alive again in full-fleshy form. The scarring marks that forms on her arm in the final seconds of the finale, combined with the Chicago teen’s connections to Iron Man and her Doctor Doom-esque mix of technology and magic, makes it look like Riri is indeed destined for villainy,
Not so fast, however, as that widespread assumption kind of ignores a big Mephisto detail from the Ironheart finale that should have audiences feeling less than confident about the tricky baddie’s potential to upend the MCU’s upcoming Phase 6 movies and beyond. Let’s never forget the time-honored idea that deals with the devil don’t go well for anyone.
Anthony Ramos’ put-upon antagonist desired power, wealth and respect, which Mephisto seemingly granted him in the form of his own magical hood. However, ronheart didn’t exactly start off with Parker depicted as a popular billionaire playboy, and despite enjoying his gang-leading role as “The Hood,” Parker was constantly struggling. His team members might have followed his orders, but their feelings soon spiraled away from anything representing respect as the cloak’s magic twisted his personality more and more.
Plus, once Riri put her mind on actually stopping Parker instead of following along with his schemes and ploys, her intellect and cunning rather quickly liberated him of Mephisto’s hood, making the demon’s promises of granting him more power negligible. So if Parker came out of that “deal” without any lasting power, wealth or respect, why should we think Riri’s deal will go differently?
Fan Theories Suggest Natalie’s Return Could Set Up Tony Stark’s Doomed Resurrection, But I’m Iffy About It
In the final minutes of Ironheart‘s finale, not counting the credits or mid-credits scene with Parker and Zelma, Riri is seen putting her brainpower to work with her Ironheart armor in the background, only with the striking non-focused detail of Mephisto’s hood resting on it. That, combined with the mysterious scars spreading across her arm as she hugged Natalie, not only point to a dark future for the brainiac, but fully introduce a new form of magical resurrection into the MCU. (The residents of Westview would have preferred that one to what they got in WandaVision, no doubt.)
Certain sections of the MCU fandom are keen on the idea that Mephisto was somehow behind the drive-by shooting that killed Natalie and Riri’s step-father, with an eventual goal of pushing Riri into such a dark corner that her only move would be to make a fate-sealing deal to bring her BFF back to life. With that precedent set, it’s possibly Riri or someone else could then make a deal for Tony Stark to return, but likely with repercussions akin to “The Monkey’s Paw” and Pet Sematary, leading to Victor Von Doom’s emergence, with the armored and morally tainted RIri at his side.
It’s a fun theory, don’t get me wrong, and it could very well turn out to be correct. But I don’t really buy it, since Natalie died years before Mephisto appeared to Riri. Even if Mephisto is a demon with a different view of time than humans, I think he’d have ways to get what he wanted quicker, and without an in-between like Parker being involved. Plus, you can’t tell me dozens (or even hundreds) of others wouldn’t have shaken hands with the devil to bring Tony back in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, so it would be silly that the otherwise unconnected Riri would be a required piece of that resurrection puzzle.
Ironheart’s Future Is Unknown, But I Don’t Think Riri And Mephisto Are Destined For Avengers: Doomsday At All
Dominique Thorne’s name wasn’t amongst the dozens of cast members announced via chair-back for Avengers: Doomsday — nor was Sacha Baron Cohen’s — and neither actor has been officially connected to the in-production sequel, and neither has been at the heart of substantial rumors. To be sure, the full Doomsday cast will no doubt remain unannounced until the movie is in audiences’ faces, so I can allow for Riri and Mephisto’s respective Avengers movie debuts as possibilities, especially without any renewal or cancellation news for Ironheart.
In contrast, though, the series was produced ahead of Kevin Feige & Co. shaking up their intentions for interconnections between Disney+ shows and theatrical features, and its release was reconfigured to serve as the swan song for Phase 5. Let’s also remember all the Mephisto-based excitement to date has stemmed mostly from the streaming TV side, with WandaVision and Agatha All Along serving up the bulk of the speculation fodder.
So even though Riri Williams was introduced as part of Black Panther 2, and even though her tech-heavy talents are probably easier to budget for a big-screen release, I think Ironheart is a hero that works best in episodic form, and is more suited to return in a second season, or in another series with a different group of heroes than the Avengers. I’m pretty sure her tech would go a long way in helping Agatha and Billy Maximoff track down his brother Tommy, too. Just saying.
As it goes, though, I could be way off-base here, and we might see Mephisto leading a whole army of Ironheart clones against Thor, Hawkeye and other heroes. We might also see Deadpool take over Professor X’s role leading the X-Men, or something equally ridiculous, like Marvel’s Blade movie finally getting made. We’ll just have to wait until Avengers: Doomsday hits the 2026 movie schedule on December 16, or until Marvel offers a legitimate update on the Disney+ series, whichever happens first.