WARNING: There are spoilers ahead for Ironheart! The Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally paid off its longest tease ever by introducing Mephisto (Sacha Baron Cohen), and now that he’s here, there’s practically no limit to the storylines he could turn up in. Some fans are looking straight at Avengers: Doomsday and other big crossover events, but a new rumor from The Cosmic Circus suggests that Mephisto’s next scheme might start with Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac). Sources familiar with Marvel Studios’ plan told the outlet that they plan to bring the “Damnation” story to the MCU. If so, it would either need some tweaking to work with the current line-up, or a lot of characters would need to be introduced quickly beforehand.
“Damnation” is a four-issue series written by Donny Cates and Nick Spencer, with art by Rod Reis. It was a crossover event in other monthly titles as well. In it, Mephisto took over Las Vegas and did his best to transform it into a literal hell on earth. Opposing him were The Midnight Sons — a team consisting of Moon Knight, Blade, Ghost Rider, Elsa Bloodstone, Man-Thing, and Doctor Voodoo. They also had to contend with the Avengers, who were enthralled by Mephisto to fight on his side.
It’s a fun story, and it’s easy to imagine how it would thrive on the screen. Of course, the MCU is missing most of the characters it would need, but by now it’s clear that the franchise isn’t interested in direct adaptations of comic book storylines. The MCU always puts its own twist on these plots, and perhaps in this case, it could do so by using the characters it already has on hand.
“Damnation” is all about breaking Mephisto’s spell and freeing heroes from his control, and after the finale of Ironheart, that might be very necessary for Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne). It would make sense for her to be an unwilling pawn of Mephisto for a time before helping to set herself free. Unfortunately, she won’t be able to break that spell for quite some time if the rumored timeline holds true.
Insiders claimed that Marvel plans to dive into this “Damnation” plotline after the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga, and even then, it will need more set-up. First, the long-awaited Blade movie will introduce both him and the villain Lilith, then new seasons of Moon Knight and Werewolf by Night will start to bring The Midnight Sons team together. The magical aspects of the MCU will then be further explored in a “Strange Academy” adaptation starring Wong (Benedict Wong), America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), The Hood (Anthony Ramos), Zelma Stanton (Reagan Aliyah), and other magic-users. Ghost Rider may be introduced as well, along with more demons like Mephisto, before we finally get to this big crossover, which would likely take the form of a movie.
All of this is unconfirmed rumor so far, and even if it is Marvel’s plan for its next arc, it could change at any point in the process. After the stumbling start of the Multiverse Saga, it’s clearer than ever that these stories need to be flexible. Right now it’s unclear when we’ll see most of the characters mentioned here next, but the MCU returns to theaters later this month with The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25th.
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