Sacha Baron Cohen Officially Joining Marvel Universe, Role Revealed
Could Borat be coming to the MCU? According to a recent copyright filing, it sure seems so! The filing in question is for the upcoming Disney+ series Ironheart and lists Borat actor Sacha Baron Cohen in a role described only as “Mystery Man.”
Sacha Baron Cohen will star as a “Mystery Man” in the upcoming Disney+ series Ironheart.
While those out there who still carry a flame for the criminally underrated 1999 superhero comedy Mystery Men are probably crossing their fingers right now, hoping that Cohen’s Mystery Man role has something to do with the Ben Stiller flop, sadly, it’s not the case. What’s more likely is that Sacha Baron Cohen is playing the Devil, or more specifically, Mephisto, the Marvel equivalent.
Rumors of Mephisto making his live-action debut have been swirling around the MCU since 2021’s WandaVision. Recently, the rumors have included the Ali G and Bruno star in the role of Marvel’s Wish.com version of Satan.
With Mephisto specifically rumored to be making an appearance in the upcoming Ironheart series—most likely in connection with confirmed Ironheart villain Parker Robbins, aka the Hood–it only stands to reason that Sacha Baron Cohen is the one portraying him.
Yes, for anyone paying attention, that is a lot of “rumors” to go by and not a lot of concrete evidence. Sadly, with the debut of Ironheart now expected sometime in 2025, rumors are all we have to go by for the time being.
Rumors of Mephisto making his live-action debut have been swirling around the MCU since 2021’s WandaVision.
Of course, that doesn’t mean these guesses are necessarily of the uneducated variety. For starters, thanks to the filing, Sacha Baren Cohen’s upcoming involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is official and no longer a rumor. Using that as a jumping-off point, let’s look at what we know about the roles Cohen usually plays.
The Who Is America? creator specializes in roles in which he can dress up as someone else and trick unsuspecting victims into disclosing their internal bigotry. Putting aside the bigotry part, Satan as a fictional character almost always uses fake identities to seduce and trick unwitting mortals, making Sacha Baron Cohen the perfect fit for Marvel’s discount Satan, Mephisto.
Basically, what we’re saying is that if the Talladega Nights star isn’t playing Mephisto, he certainly should be.
Satan/Mephisto often appears charismatic and charming, characteristics that Cohen displays frequently when not in character as someone who is specifically meant to be the opposite—the boorish Borat comes to mind.
Above all, Sacha Baron Cohen usually sticks to roles where he can stretch his comedy muscles. While not an outright laugh-a-minute riot, the Devil is usually portrayed as having a dry, even satirical wit and a dark sense of humor—all things that describe Cohen to a tee. Basically, what we’re saying is that if the Talladega Nights star isn’t playing Mephisto, he certainly should be.
It’s also important to note that “Mystery Man” begins with the same letter as Mephisto, and while that’s hardly a smoking gun, we wouldn’t put it above Marvel execs to purposely do the MM thing in an effort to be clever. After all, this is the studio that approved an ice cream parlor in Thor: Love and Thunder called Infinity Conez despite it being the real-world equivalent of a convenience store calling itself 9-Eleven.
Ultimately, no matter who Sacha Baron Cohen is playing in Ironheart, the actor is sure to deliver a comedic tour de force and most likely prove himself an invaluable asset to Marvel going forward.
