Sure, peer-reviewed scientific analysis is great, and everyone knows logic is the beginning of wisdom (even if it isn’t the end). But they say the devil is in the details, and sometimes, the best way to draw those details out is through the ancient art of numerology… and now that it’s Mephisto Monday, we’re drawing the curtains here at Stately Beat Manor, lighting 666 candles, and searching for what’s obviously already right in front of our faces: the location of the malicious Mephisto in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
1. WandaVision
Let’s be real: sometimes, the answer is as obvious as it is… really freaking obvious. Mephisto has been hiding in WandaVision all along! Whether he’s inside Señor Scratchy (the alliterative “s” sound is hiding all those sixes) or wearing a Sarah Proctor mask, the devil is definitely in Westview.
First, recall the very first episode of WandaVision. The date of the twenty-third is marked on the calendar, but Wanda and Vision can’t figure out why. Here’s an idea: when you divide 2 by 3, the answer is .666!
666 is considered the number of the Beast, because it was mentioned in Revelations 13:18, but it possesses many interesting properties – such as the fact that it is the sum of the first 36 numbers (hey look, more sixes).
Still not convinced? The “Hex” that Wanda cast around Westview had six sides. Look, even Drew Barrymore has asked Kathryn Hahn about the secret identity of Mephisto. It’s hard to argue that this one doesn’t add up.
2. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange has a long history of playing with numbers – even his home address, 177A Bleecker Street, is a reference to the home address of Sherlock Holmes, 221B Baker Street.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is either the second or third time Sam Raimi and Danny Elfman has collaborated on a Marvel movie, depending on how you want to count Spider-Man 3 (2007), which saw Elfman departing from the role of composer partway through production. And if this is the 2/3 film they’ve done together, that’s close enough to twenty-three to get them on this list.
Plus, with groovy Bruce Campbell in the mix, we’ve got three collaborators who we know won’t wince away from Mephisto. Heck – maybe Campbell is Mephisto! You heard it here first.
3. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
More like Agents of S.A.T.A.N., am I right?
In Heroes Reborn, the 2021 Marvel Comics crossover event that saw the Marvel universe remade, it was ultimately revealed that none other than Mephisto himself was behind the warped reality.
In Heroes Reborn #7, it was revealed that Phil Coulson was responsible for using the Pandemonium Cube to make a deal with the Devil and remake the world. But at the conclusion of the story, it was revealed that he has more problems – 615 more problems, as the Council of Red is comprised of 616 Mephistos.
(Editor’s Note: like 666, 616 is also considered “a number of the Beast,” as well as being the “street address” of the Marvel Comics planet Earth. Sus, no?)
Could a similar agreement have transpired off-screen in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? I mean, Coulson did walk away from a Loki-stabbing… but then he only survived for six of the show’s seven seasons. Another six, eh? The writing’s on the wall here.
4. House of Harkness
Sorry, we’re not done with Agatha yet – especially given that this article is being published on the thirteenth of December!
The fear of the number thirteen is called “triskaidekaphobia,” and it pervades many aspects of pop culture – consider the novels of Jasper Fforde, which invariably skip from chapter twelve to chapter fourteen (in spite of chapter thirteen reliably being listed in the table of contents).
So what’s the connection to Agatha? In the seventh episode of WandaVision, the show-stopping number “Agatha All Along” heralded the mask-off moment for the MCU’s incredibly awesome interpretation of Agatha Harkness. The “theme song” that revealed her identity drew heavy inspiration from one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, The Munsters…
And the Munsters had a residence at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. With a WandaVision spinoff called House of Harkness heading to Disney+, will we see Agatha rooming with a certain Lord of Darkness at a similar address listing?
5. Hawkeye on Disney+
There’s sixes all over this one, folks.
Six episodes that follow six days. Barton has six letters. Bishop has six letters. Yelena has six letters.
Plus, this series takes place in December, the twelfth month, and we all know twelve is just two sixes smushed together. And, uh, Pizza Dog can, uh, eat six slices of pizza in six seconds flat. Look, this one’s falling part.
As asked for this again, here all my Hawkeye covers in one pic. pic.twitter.com/0qLiReJxUe
— David Aja (@davaja) December 13, 2021
Maybe let’s just remember that this 22-issue series not only included incredible work by Matt Fraction, it also included incredible work by David Aja, Matt Hollingsworth, Chris Eliopoulos, Annie Wu, Francesco Francavilla, Javier Pulido, Steve Lieber, Jesse Hamm, and Jordie Bellaire.
Oh, and Clayton Cowles was the letterer on the 2013 Hawkeye annual. Wait, that makes 23 issues of this series… Oh shit! Mephisto’s in Hawkeye, y’all! It’s inarguable! Tune in on Wednesday!
6. The Avengers (2012)
Cap, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor: six characters who solidified the MCU… And when you consider this movie came out in 2012 and divide “12” in half, you’ve got your three sixes right in front of your face!
These six characters headlined the first 23 MCU movies (A.K.A. the Infinity Saga). That’s right, twenty-three’s back, too! And with Joss Whedon at the helm, this movie surely qualifies as a deal Marvel Studios made with a devil, to boot. Hail Mephisto!
Which one of these six candidates do you find most convincing? We want to hear from you! Give us a shout-out, either here in the comment section or over on social media @comicsbeat.
