In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one of Thanos’ major disciples was replaced by someone far less intimidating.
In Marvel Studios’ “Infinity Saga,” Thanos pushes the Avengers to the limit while temporarily succeeding in his quest to erase half of all life from the universe. The Black Order, particularly Ebony Maw, aids the Mad Titan as faithful underlings who carry out his vision. But these servants aren’t the first villains to do Thanos’ bidding. Back in the original Infinity Gauntlet comic book miniseries, the demonic Mephisto worked for Thanos and tried to help him master the Infinity Gems. While Marvel’s devil only helped the Mad Titan out of his own self-interests, it’s still fair to compare Maw and Mephisto and, given Maw’s demise, wonder whether the latter could still make his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ebony Maw is arguably the most memorable member of Thanos’ Black Order seen on film. He is a dangerous adversary, and a large reason why Thanos initially managed to defeat the Avengers. Using his impressive telekinetic abilities, Maw singlehandedly defeated one of the most powerful Avengers, Doctor Strange. The powerful alien continuously proved to be the best of Thanos’ lackeys, and he also served as a loyal disciple. Throughout the Mad Titan’s quest to eradicate half of all life, Maw preached to the potential victims and told them that they were being sacrificed for the greater good. Right up until his decisive defeat, the memorable villain was a loyal servant to Thanos. But, as with several other characters in the MCU, the films only skimmed the surface of Maw’s character.
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Mephisto Would Open Up Huge Storytelling Potential For the MCU
With a genius-level intellect, Maw could give some of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes a run for their money in an intellectual battle. Additionally, the alien literally possesses the power of persuasion; his voice allows him to control the mind of anyone he pleases. These skills could have made a difference in the ultimate showdown between Thanos and the Avengers. Instead, Maw gets wiped out with the rest of Thanos’ forces when Stark snaps them out of existence. In the MCU, the powerful villain held his own against the Avengers, but a better-developed version of his character could have changed the tide of battle. While Maw remains a memorable disciple of Thanos, the Mad Titan once had a subordinate who was even more powerful.
Thanos is one of the most evil characters in the Marvel Universe, so it’s only fitting that he’d work with the devil himself. During “War of the Gems”, Mephisto serves Thanos while the Mad Titan scours the universe for the Infinity Gems. Naturally, the demonic villain has an ulterior motive; he wants to use the Gems himself so he can become even more powerful. In Jim Starlin and George Perez’s original comics, Mephisto tricks Thanos into misusing the Gems by convincing him not to fully use their power. To firmly terminate their alliance, Mephisto turns on the Mad Titan by helping the heroes fight him. Regardless of the demon’s eventual betrayal, the two fiends united were a nearly unstoppable force.
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Does Mephisto Have a Chance of Entering the MCU?
Mephisto hasn’t been officially introduced into the cinematic universe yet, but there’s certainly a place for him. The MCU needs a major threat to follow in Thanos’ footsteps. Galactus has been rumored for this role, but Mephisto would also make sense. By pitting the Avengers against the devil himself, the filmmakers would open up countless storytelling possibilities. They’d be able to explore the classic battle between good and evil at its very core; Mephisto is as heinous as they come, and it’d be compelling to see which, if any, Avengers give in to temptation and make deals with the devil.
Mephisto and Maw have both served Thanos, so it’s only fair to compare the two. While Maw’s superior intellect and his telekinetic powers make him a credible foe, he pales in comparison to the raw power possessed by Mephisto. If Marvel doesn’t bring their demonic force of nature into the MCU, they would be missing a huge opportunity to feature someone with a power level on par with Thanos who could not only challenge but tempt Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
