Written by Edwin Francisco
Marvel Studios is developing a Mephisto Halloween Special.
We’ve reported before that there are already two Halloween specials for Marvel Studios, and these are Werewolf by Night starring Gael García Bernal and Man-Thing with details still under wraps. Werewolf by Night is already scheduled to be shown on Disney Plus this year.
Michael Giacchino will be directing it. According to a report, Marvel Studios is already planning another Halloween special to join the two.
Just weeks ago, we posted that Giancarlo Esposito is already being considered for the role of Mephisto. Now, a new Halloween special will center around Mephisto. Is this just a coincidence?
Marvel Studios Developing Mephisto Halloween Special For Disney Plus
Image: Marvel Comics Group
We have talked about Mephisto many times on Geekosity. Mainly because the character has been on our radar for a while now. And we do think that Marvel Studios has been itching to get the character out at some point in the MCU. There was a time that we did think that Mephisto was impersonating Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home. But it seems that Mephisto will make his debut in Disney Plus instead.
Why would Marvel choose putting a major Marvel villain on the streaming service instead of a movie? I think it’s because some countries don’t like including demons, deities and gods. Since Mephisto is technically (almost like) Satan in the MCU.
Including Mephisto in a theatrical film could potentially limit the distribution of the film. In other words, it’s not a financially viable option to show the character in theaters, if it can’t be distributed worldwide. So, why not a Halloween special instead. Distribute the film in a network where you know people are allowed to watch them. Streaming has been the go-to platform for a ton of new movies these days, and they aren’t bad. It’s obvious that the quality of streaming movies now is pretty close to theatrical films.
Marvel Studios Developing Mephisto Halloween Special For Disney Plus
Image: Marvel Comics Group
I presume Marvel Studios doesn’t want to edit their movies or add scenes just for the sake of pleasing a particular country. After Iron Man 3, Marvel Studios has made sure that their movies are good for the world wide audience.
Stan Lee and John Buscema created Mephisto. The character first appeared in Silver Surfer No. 3 in 1968. Mephisto has many names like Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, the Devil, Prince of Lies and tons more. Mephisto lets people believe that he is Lucifer. Even though he is not.
The first time we saw Mephisto on the silver screen was in Ghost Rider starring Nicholas Cage. Peter Fonda was portrayed by Mephisto.
Adding Mephisto in the MCU only means one thing. The horror genre is coming into the MCU, and Marvel Studios isn’t shy about it. This also means that the Midnight Sons may come sooner than later.