3-Time Oscar Nominee Joins Marvel Universe in ‘Ironheart’ Season 1 Finale

Ironheart’s season finale brought on a three-time Oscar nominee as a beloved Marvel character.

On Tuesday’s finale of the Marvel and Disney+ show, Sacha Baron Cohen was introduced as a long-rumored character.

Starring Dominique Thorne as the titular character, Ironheart premiered on June 24 and follows Thorne’s Riri Williams’ return to Chicago following the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The series introduced the demon Mephisto, who offered Riri a deal to bring back her AI best friend, Natalie, and she now has a new look. He also offered a deal to Anthony Ramos’ Peter Robinson/The Hood, giving him a cape powered by dark magic. If he’s without the cape, he will suffer physical pain.

This is the first time that Mephisto has been in the MCU, but fans have had theories that it wouldn’t be long until he made his debut. Fans thought he would appear in both WandaVision and Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2021, but it never happened. Although Ironheart is just a miniseries, fans should expect Mephisto to return to the MCU in the near future. How and in what capacity is unknown, but the most obvious would be Avengers: Doomsday in 2026. However, there hasn’t been any confirmation about his return. At least not yet.

Meanwhile, Ironheart marks Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest TV role, having starred in the 2024 Apple TV+ psychological erotic thriller miniseries Disclaimer. Other notable credits include The 11 O’Clock Show, Da Ai G Show, Who Is America?, The Spy, Borat, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Hugo, Les Misérables, Madagascar, and Luca, among many others. In addition to his Oscar nominations, Cohen has also been nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards and won two BAFTA TV Awards, three Golden Globes, and a SAG Award.

As of now, it’s up in the air as far as Mephisto’s return to the MCU, but there isn’t any end in sight for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so there is plenty of time. It might also depend on how the audience reacts to Mephisto, but there’s a good chance this isn’t the last that fans are seeing of him. For now, all six episodes of Ironheart are streaming on Disney+ along with most of the MCU films and shows.