It’s a light year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all things considered. While we’ve become accustomed to around three movies per year in this franchise, 2024 sees just one in the form of “Deadpool & Wolverine.” But that one movie is going to make it count as the first R-rated movie in the history of the MCU, and one that brings us a long-awaited team-up. We’re also getting a new villain in the form of Cassandra Nova, played by “The Crown” star Emma Corrin. However, the filmmakers considered at least one other villain before landing on that one. Namely, Mephisto.

In an interview with Collider, director Shawn Levy and star Ryan Reynolds spoke about the long process of trial and error to nail down the story for “Deadpool & Wolverine.” That involved entertaining several villains. “What was the name of the villain that we flirted with? Was it Mephisto?” Levy asked, trying to remember the many versions of the story that were cooked up before Hugh Jackman called and saved the movie by offering to return as Wolverine. Reynolds then confirmed that yes, Mephisto was indeed considered. Elaborating further, Levy explained:

“We went through a lot of ‘almost’ versions of this story before we landed on … First it was the infamous call from Hugh, but then this idea of Cassandra Nova as sibling to Charles. That was very quickly thereafter, because Cassandra’s link to Professor X creates an interesting dynamic and fascination in Cassandra about you [points to Jackman].”

“It was the panels of Cassandra with her hands in someone’s skull, and it was so gross and cool. And we were like, that’s our villain,” said Reynolds of why they landed on her as the big bad. For what it’s worth, Cassandra Nova does have a wild backstory in the pages of Marvel Comics, with the link to Professor X serving as just the tip of the iceberg.

For those who may not be familiar, Mephisto has long been an evil presence in the Marvel Comics universe, dating back to his creation in the ’60s. The character first appeared in “Silver Surfer” #3 in December 1968, created by the legendary Stan Lee and artist John Buscema. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Mephisto is essentially the Devil in the Marvel universe. He’s been associated with characters like Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider, among others. He’s also been someone MCU fans have been speculating wildly about for several years now.

This all truly kicked up when “WandaVision” was airing in early 2021, with fans speculating that Mephisto was going to be behind everything that was going on. That proved not to be true, and showrunner Jac Schaeffer didn’t even know who Mephisto was until the speculation started. “There was never any conscious intention on my part to create any Mephisto red herrings, because I didn’t know who Mephisto was until I started doing press,” Schaeffer said at the time. Be that as it may, Mephisto has almost become a meme and a constant point of continued speculation for seemingly any MCU project over the last few years. It’s only a little funny that the powers that be actually considered him for “Deadpool & Wolverine” before pivoting

We may see Mephisto at some point in the not-too-distant future, albeit on the small screen. Reports have swirled dating back to late 2022 that Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat”) is going to appear as the villain in the upcoming “Ironheart” series. That show is due to arrive in 2025, meaning all of this endless speculation in the rumor mill could finally lead to something in a year or so.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” hits theaters on July 26, 2024.