‘Ironheart’ Featured the Debut of a Huge Marvel Character

The following post contains major SPOILERS for the season finale of Ironheart. You would need to make a deal with the devil himself to forget it once you’ve read the paragraphs below.

The sixth episode of Ironheart reveals the origin of Parker Robbins’ supernatural cloak. And it all involves the Marvel Cinematic Universe debut of one of the biggest and most powerful villains in the history of Marvel — and the MCU debut of one of the biggest actors to join the franchise in quite a while.

As you could probably predict — especially if you’ve read any of the Marvel Comics involving the Hood — Parker Robbins got his powers from Mephisto. Who, as rumors have had it for quite a few months, is played by none other than Sacha Baron Cohen.

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Mephisto is basically Marvel’s non-denominational version of Satan. He’s all-powerful demon who loves making Faustian bargains with Marvel characters. The original Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, got his powers after making a deal with Mephisto that was decidedly not all that it was cracked up to be. Later, Spider-Man made a pact with the character to save Aunt May’s life (she had been shot by an assassin aiming for Peter and because of her old age and frail condition normal medicine supposedly couldn’t heal her). Aunt May survived her bullet wound, and Mephisto also restored Peter’s secret identity — which was revealed during the comic-book version of Civil War — but the deal wound up costing him his marriage to Mary Jane.

True to form, a flashback in the Ironheart finale shows how Parker Robbins got his cloak — during a meeting with Cohen’s Mephisto, depicted on the show as a bearded charmer of seemingly limitless supernatural power. He’s the sort of devil who loves to make a deal, and so he makes one with Robbins, offering him “the tools” to get what he wants in life, i.e. money, respect, and power. And the tool, in this case, is the cloak.

Back in the present, Mephisto returns as the episode reaches its climax. The Hood asks him for more power, and complains that Mephisto has not lived up to his deal — but Mephisto insists he has honored their bargain says he would prefer to replace the Hood with a more effective follower, namely Riri Williams, who has begun pairing her Iron Man-esque suit of armor with magical spell powers.

After Riri defeats the Hood in battle and takes his cloak, she has her own encounter with Mephisto, where he makes her a similar offer. The scene cuts away before Riri gives her answer — but back in Riri’s garage, Natalie reappears, not as the AI she has been for most of the season but a flesh-and-blood being. The episode cuts back to the prior meeting between Riri and Mephisto, where she agrees to his terms provided he never comes after her friends or family, only her. Back at her garage, Riri embraces the resurrected Natalie, as the signature scars of the Hood begin crawling up her arm.

That’s where the season ends — with Riri Williams apparently now under the spell of Mephisto. What this means for a second season of the show, or for Riri’s (or Mephisto’s) possible appearances in other Marvel films or shows, is unclear. (A post-credits scene doesn’t do anything to clarify that.) A true cliffhanger!

The full season of Ironheart is now available on Disney+.

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