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Ironheart followed through on 5 years of MCU fan speculation, but even its creators have no idea what's next
Marvel Studios finally delivered on what fans have demanded for years - but no-one knows where (or if) it'll be followed up on
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Spoilers follow for Marvel Studios' Ironheart. Continue at your own risk.
Perhaps more surprising than the fact that Mephisto has finally arrived in the MCU after literally five years of fevered fan speculation is the seeming fact that no-one involved in the creation of Marvel Studios’ Ironheart has a clue when, where, or indeed if, the cliffhanger ending of the series will be followed up.
“I don’t know jack shit,” Ironheart executive producer Ryan Coogler told Variety when asked when the character would appear next. “I’m here for whatever [showrunner Chinaka Hodge]’s got coming at us next; whatever [Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige]’s got coming at us next, you know what I’m saying. I think the audience is going to take to that ending and I can’t wait to see those characters again.”
Hodge, for her part, is enthusiastic about Sasha Baron-Cohen’s performance as the devilish villain, but similarly unclear about how the story continues. “This is purely speculation, but I would love to see a version where Sacha does Mephisto a couple of iterations, and then maybe Meryl Streep is in the role in the future,” she said to Variety. “You never know where Mephisto can be hiding, because one of his powers in the comic book is literally changing his form. Introducing him in the MCU is a really powerful tool, because it’s a key to open many doors.” Note the “this is purely speculation” part — Hodge seemingly has no idea what Marvel plans to do with Mephisto next, either.
So, where will the stories of Ironheart and Mephisto continue? No second season of Ironheart has been announced to date. There are, of course, four mystery movies on the Marvel Studios schedule between now and the end of 2028, so it’s not impossible one of those movies could feature one or both of these characters — but given the lack of a Daredevil, Moon Knight, or She-Hulk movie, the possibility of an Ironheart movie feels somewhat unlikely.
When will fans get to know what happens to Riri Williams? In this, we’re all Ryan Coogler: we don’t know jack shit.
The full series of Ironheart is currently available to stream on Disney+.
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