Marvel fans have spent years waiting for the arrival of Mephisto in the MCU, but the demon’s story is only just beginning. And the same goes for Mephisto’s sons and daughters, who may already be present in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With this A-Tier Marvel villain finally revealed and hints at his role in Avengers: ApocalypseThe Mephisto family has just become a must-see story for MCU viewers.
Black Heart, Mephisto’s son
First appearance: Daredevil #270 (May 1989) By Ann Nocenti, John Romita Jr.
While the best-known version of Blackheart may have appeared opposite Nicolas Cage in Ghost Rider (2003) played by Wes Bentley, the true demonic origins are much more terrifying. As expected, when Mehpisto himself decides to create a son in his image.
Lacking his father’s gift for deception or deception, Blackheart is more of a blunt instrument, attacking heroes like Daredevil, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Punisher, and more head-on. But its modern history has taken a dramatic turn.
After choosing not to help his father kill the Scarlet Witch’s sons, Mephisto punished Blackheart with a fully human form, hiding his true power and lineage. With spirits of vengeance to command and demonic fire to wield in battle, there’s no doubt that Blackheart is a Marvel villain on an event or team level.
Mephisto, Mephisto’s daughter
First appearance: Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #6 (April 1989) by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, Jackson Guice
In modern comics, Mephisto is usually shown operating independently, preferring to manipulate the events of his creations from the shadows rather than forcing them through direct action. But this was not always the case. In the 1990s, Mephisto regularly tormented Doctor Strange with the help of his demonic offspring, Mephista.
Very much resembling the devil’s child, the winged “the formidable daughter of Mephisto” she nevertheless found herself charmed by Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme. Eventually, Mephista leaned into the idea of heroism, taking the name “Jezebel” and even switching sides to aid the Marvel heroes in their assault on her father.
Greylight, Mephisto’s son
First appearance: Star-Lord (Vol.2) #6 (April 2017) by Chip Zdarsky, Djibril Morissette-Phan
Easily the most memorable of all of Mephisto’s descendants, the villain nicknamed Greylight was introduced to the Marvel canon as quite the opposite. Instead, he was simply an alien gunslinger intimidating an alien colony, on a frontier world that Star-Lord Peter Quill encountered by chance.
Peter would soon learn that this was not an alien world, but the “Softlands”, a void for the souls of dead travelers. As the shooter charged with claiming these spirits by his father, Greylight clearly deserves much more than this one appearance in Marvel canon.
John Priest, Mephisto’s human son
First appearance: New Fantastic Four #1 (June 2022) by Peter David, Alan Robinson
Arguably the “odd man out” among all of Mephisto’s direct descendants, John Priest is also the most recent character to be introduced (one of the many reasons he is uniquely suited for an MCU adaptation). But for most of his life, John had no reason to think that his journey to the priesthood had anything to do with demons.
Until he unlocks the strange ability to wish for something and instantly make it come true. After warping Wolverine, the Fantastic Four, and the Hulk across America in a single thought, Mephisto decided to arrive and explain John’s supernatural skills.
Ironically, John was actually the son of a Catholic nun, conceived with Mephisto in the guise of his own priest. Given up for adoption, John had no idea of his parentage, using his abilities to challenge Mephisto before leaving the spotlight. For now.
Billy Maximoff, the “son of the soul” of Mephisto
First appearance: Vision and the Scarlet Witch (Vol.2) #12 (June 1986) by Steve Englehart, Richard Howell
Thanks to the MCU WandaVision And Agatha throughout The whole world knows that Wanda Maximoff’s son, Billy, grows up to become the Wiccan wizard. But Billy’s full story isn’t quite explained in live-action, with the MCU leaving out Mephisto’s role in creating him and his brother.
Although Vision was certainly Billy and Tommy’s “father” in their first incarnation, he was still too artificial a life form to create them naturally. To make her dream a reality, Wanda created her twins with what she thought were two unclaimed, spiritually rejected soul fragments.
As she would eventually learn, these fragments were actually pieces of a defeated Mephisto (fractured, but not destroyed). This makes Mephisto the boys’ father, ultimately leading him to seek their souls as a debt.
Tommy Maximoff, the son of Mephisto’s soul
First appearance: Vision and the Scarlet Witch (Vol.2) #12 (June 1986) by Steve Englehart, Richard Howell
Fortunately for Billy and Tommy Maximoff, aka Speed, Mephisto failed to harvest the pieces of his soul, thus giving the twins life. This crime was too much for his father to commit, which allowed the boys to be saved…in several ways.
As explained in the Avengers Academy: Voices of Marvel series, the Tommy and Billy Maximoff created by Scarlet Witch would eventually travel back in time to be reincarnated in the bodies of Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepard.
The live-action series largely follows this basic outline, explaining how two completely magical/non-real children could become flesh and blood in the real world. But they would never have survived their “father” without unexpected help…
M’Kraan, Mephisto’s granddaughter
First appearance: Avengers Academy: Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic #2 (July 2024) by Anthony Oliveira, Jethro Morales, Carola Borelli
As the strangest entry on this list, this mystical being undoubtedly has roots dating back to the M’kraan crystal introduced in X-Men #107 (1977). Originally a mystical cosmic artifact from the Shi’ar Empire, the truth has only recently been revealed.
Described as a sort of keystone or foundation of all reality, the M’Kraan crystal took human form to protect Billy and Tommy Maximoff from Mephisto. Calling himself simply “M’Kraan” and the boys his “fathers”, the being used time travel to send the boys into the past.
The mystery of the story is still present (as is M’Kraan’s larger purpose), but it was M’Kraan who allowed the boys to be reincarnated as Wiccans and Speed in the first place. As a girl, this also makes her a part of the Mephisto family.
