The Marvel Universe is filled with threats, but few are as insidious as Mephisto. An ageless and almost limitlessly powerful force, the Lord of Hell has been slowly unraveling a mysterious new scheme for the multiverse — and he just gained a boost that makes him even more dangerous.
Avengers #54, by Jason Aaron, Juan Frigeri, David Curiel and VC’s Cory Petit, reveals that Mephisto’s plans involve claiming the Watcher’s Eye from the Orb — and, thanks to Doom Supreme, he has now gained the terrifying upgrade.
Mephisto has quietly been positioned as the ultimate threat to the world in the current volume of Avengers. Working behind the scenes, he was responsible for the creation of the Heroes Reborn universe, has recruited a dark variant of Howard Stark as his deadly Iron Inquisitor, and unleashed the Masters of Evil across the multiverse. Coupled with revelations during the Kindred story arc in The Amazing Spider-Man, it’s become clear that Mephisto has plans to conquer all things in the multiverse and corrupt them toward some unseen goal. He’s even recruited a multiversal army of his variants to aid with this cause, with the Council of Red quietly being set up as the ultimate threat to the modern Marvel Universe.
Chasing down the Deathloks to Earth-616 at Mephisto’s behest, the Masters of Evil have engaged the mainstream Avengers far earlier than Mephisto intended. Confronting Doom Supreme about breaking their deal, Mephisto reveals that their attack killed the Orb, thereby disrupting his plans for the Watcher’s Eye that the Orb possessed. Doom Supreme is able to re-conjure the Eye and after taking a bite and gaining a bit of cosmic knowledge for himself leaves the rest to be consumed by Mephisto, potentially giving the Council of Red a wealth of dangerous new information. Considering the Devil’s already prolific knowledge about the universe and the people within, his acquisition of even more knowledge is a truly worrisome prospect.
Mephisto’s plans have already been hinted to involve the defeat of every Marvel hero, either in this generation or the next. He has always sought ways to try and change the timeline to fully ensure his victory, which explains his extended interest in Spider-Man, whose offspring was seen defeating him in a vision of the future. But now, with the power of the Watcher’s Eye at his disposal, Mephisto might be able to see a hundred new ways to change the timeline to his advantage. Already a devious planner and negotiator, the demonic figure could position himself and the Council of Red to plague the Marvel Universe in new and even more dangerous ways.
With this upgrade, Mephisto essentially got the same perk Reed Richards just gained in the Reckoning War, minus the apparent death sentence that comes with it. This boost is one of the most dangerous kinds of advantages the Devil could gain, giving him the kind of power he needs to overcome frequent foes like Doctor Strange. Considering the mystical Avenger is currently dead, there’s never been a better opening for Mephisto to take advantage of a vulnerable universe. The Avengers of the multiverse might be the only hope left for the Marvel multiverse at this point, putting even more pressure on the likes of Robbie Reyes to turn the tide against the Masters of Evil and their demonic mastermind.