And now we're in the next chapter of the story, where the Ghost Rider will finally confront Mephisto after all these years. This confrontation will pay off the Mephisto storyline that was set up in my prelude fic, ¨The Devil's Thrall", and cement him as the antagonist of the first part of the Multiverse saga. While working on these fics, I made a theory on having Mephisto in the MCU by having him arrive on Earth-616 due to Sylvie's actions in Loki's finale, set up the events of WandaVision and No Way Home and then getting defeated by his nemesis Ghost Rider. I also toyed with Aragorn's theory of having Mephisto create different versions of himself in each universe due to being able to access them physically as the Sacred Timeline was not yet freed. How did Marvel Studios waste this opportunity to create an overarching villain for the new saga before Kang the Conqueror?
Disclaimer: I do not own the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Ghost Rider. They belong to Marvel Studios, Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures, Stan Lee and Kevin Feige.
Having entered through Wanda's head, Ghost Rider saw himself in a place surrounded by Inferno. As he got up, the Rider began looking around the place trying to locate Wanda. He knew that something was taking control of her and thought of freeing her first before locating the person who controlled her. However, as he continued walking through the place, Ghost Rider stopped as he heard a demonic laugh. The Rider recognized that laugh, having not heard it in a while, and turned around to see a tall, elderly man wielding a skull-shaped walking crane, pointing his finger at him.
"You..." Ghost Rider sneered upon seeing his old archnemesis.
"Hello, Johnny. Oh, have I missed you." Mephisto greeted as he walked around with his cane. "Trying to ruin my fun again?"
"Why are you trying to control this child?" Ghost Rider demanded in an angry tone.
"Child?" Mephisto mocked Ghost Rider before letting out a laugh. "You have no idea what she is capable of."
Ghost Rider stood still, having not felt this much anger since the last time his old enemy, while Mephisto walked towards him.
"She has more power than either of us could have imagined and I figured if I could bring her under my control and make her my slave, I could finally have everything I want." Mephisto told Ghost Rider before projecting imagery with his powers. "Long have I spent years watching events unfolding throughout the years and now with the Multiverse finally free, I began to lay out my plans to rule it."
Mephisto's astral form exited through a wormhole and arrived on Earth-616, taking the shape of an elderly man wearing a casual suit with a trenchcoat and black gloves. He also created a cane out of his powers.
Ghost Rider watched the projection of Mephisto's memories as Mephisto utilized his powers to create another imagery.
"Once I had arrived in this universe, I set out to find someone who had so much power and use that power to further my plans, so I sensed Wanda's anger." Mephisto told Ghost Rider.
At the S.W.O.R.D. Headquarters, Wanda used her powers to break the glass that separated her from Vision and levitated to see Vision's corpse, now being kept as an experiment by S.W.O.R.D. and laying down on the operating room table. She used her magic to try and interact with him, only to realize that she could not sense him in the same way she did back in Wakanda. "I can't feel you."
Mephisto let out a chuckle, enjoying the pain that Wanda suffered from losing Vision.
"Poor, poor Wanda. How sad to see her losing someone close to her. Just like how you did with your father." Mephisto sarcastically remarked as he turned to the Ghost Rider.
Ghost Rider recalled the day his father, Barton Blaze, died in front of his arms just after making a deal with Mephisto to cure him of cancer in his home universe. Hearing Mephisto taunting him about his father's death further fueled his anger. Mephisto continued showcasing his projections to the Ghost Rider.
"I had approached Wanda's fragile mind after she lost the love of her life and I brought her under my control, manipulating her grief and influencing her to control the small town of Westview." Mephisto continued with his explanation.
Mephisto approached Wanda outside the S.W.O.R.D Headquarters, having utilized the fog to distract her, and walked slowly towards her as he began manipulating her. "What if I can change all of that? I am the only person who can make your suffering go all away. I can give you the life you've always wanted. You can start a family on your own. Your own personal paradise, where none of these awful people will ever bother you again, and if anyone threatens to destroy it, they will pay the price."
Mephisto raised his hand to Wanda, who was hesitant at first as she wasn't sure if she could accept his offer, before eventually shaking his hand and Mephisto let out a small laugh. "Excellent. There is no turning back now, Wanda. Your life has just begun."
Upon arriving in the small town of Westview, Wanda walked further into the empty property, where she planned to live with Vision after the Battle against Thanos and which was still under construction, before letting her emotions get the best of her as she began experiencing all of the painful moments in her life and fell to her knees, beginning to cry as the deed fell from her hand, letting out a primal scream. Her Chaos Magic then spread into the entire town like a tidal wave, transforming the setting into a fictional town from a 50s sitcom.
The citizens of Westview approached Wanda, having recognized her as their captor and pleading her to release them from their suffering. However, Wanda was once again overwhelmed with grief and burst into anguish, letting out a primal scream which created a wave of magic surrounding the citizens and formed bands around their necks, which began to suffocate them.
"But it wasn't enough. I sensed someone was about to stand in my way of achieving my plans, so I had to distract him for a while." Mephisto told Ghost Rider as he still watched the projection, referring to Strange.
Mephisto sneaked into the Sanctum Sanctorum and entered the room that held a cauldron containing the Runes of Kof-Kol, casting out a demonic enchantment onto the cauldron and causing the spell to go haywire, corrupting the spell.
Strange began casting out the spell in order to make everyone forget about Spider-Man's true identity as Peter Parker. However, due to Parker tampering with the spell, Mephisto's enchantment on the spell began to take effect, causing it to be unstable and breaking the barriers between infinite universes, before Strange contained the spell.
"That sorcerer's actions played a part in my plans, and thanks to him, his universe will soon become weaker and open to more invasions." Mephisto inquired while Ghost Rider continued to see the horror in front of his eyes. "Now with the Darkhold under the witch's position, I knew everything was going according to my plans, but in order to keep her under my control, I had to influence her with the memories of her family."
Hiding out in the wilderness, Wanda's astral form was studying the Darkhold in order to understand her powers and find out information related to the Multiverse and her children, Billy and Tommy, while hearing the cries of her children calling for help. "Mom! Mom! Help us! Please!"
Billy and Tommy were sitting next to the television, watching some old cartoons while greeting their mother.
"The more she becomes overwhelmed with the Darkhold's power, the more she will feel guilty and the more things she does under my influence, the more she will hate herself believing that she is responsible. She will never see her children again and soon, I will have her powers. Nothing can stop me! The multiverse will be mine!" Mephisto declared as he began to laugh.
"I don't think so..." Ghost Rider sneered, having been fed up with his old enemy and pulled out his chain.
Ghost Rider charged himself at Mephisto and tried to attack him, but to his surprise, he found that Mephisto disappeared, having teleported and evaded his attack. The next moment, the Rider found himself telekinetically lifted by Mephisto, who used his powers to get him off-guard and began torturing him, which caused the Rider to scream in pain. Mephisto let out a malicious chuckle, finally seeing his enemy under his grasp.
"Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, you disappoint me." Mephisto taunted Ghost Rider as he continued torturing him. "Always so arrogant. Just because you defeated my son and saved Nadya and her child from me doesn't make you more powerful. I am the one who gave you this power, I can take it away from you."
Suddenly, the Ghost Rider unleashed his surge of Heavenfire, which spread like a tidal wave and hit Mephisto due to its nature, releasing the Rider from Mephisto's grasp and sending Mephisto laying to the ground. The Rider then let out his Heavenfire chain and got into his fighting position.
"This ends... now!" Ghost Rider declared.
"Indeed, it does." Mephisto nodded as he got up and confronted the Rider.
Mephisto then began transforming into his demonic self; his irises went from blue to yellow as his eyes began to glow. His devilish horns began coming out of his forehead as fangs began forming around his teeth. Two demonic wings then began to burst on his back while Mephisto's skin began to change into a shade of red and he grew claws on his fingernails. His hair was also changed, going from greyish white to jet black. As he was transforming, Mephisto's body began to grow larger in size, becoming more taller than the Ghost Rider, and his wardrobe also began to change, trading his black suit and trenchcoat for a long loincloth that covered his lower body and armored wristbands on his arms. Having completed his transformation, Mephisto let out a demonic laugh.
"Your final lesson is at hand!" Mephisto taunted Ghost Rider as he let out his wings.
Mephisto threw his projectile at Ghost Rider, who easily blocked it with his Heavenfire shield before charging at him. As Ghost Rider ran towards Mephisto, the demon flew around and threw his fireballs at the Rider, who managed to evade them through his speed and used his chain to attack him, hitting him in the face and sending him staggering to the ground. As Mephisto tried to get up, Ghost Rider charged at him and punched him twice in the face, before striking him in the cheek with his leg. However, as the Rider was about to strike him once again, Mephisto got up and blocked the Rider's projectile using his shield before using his telekinesis to overwhelm the Rider and beat him into submission. Mephisto then levitated the Rider and looked him in the eyes as he laughed.
"Fool! Do you think by stopping me and saving the girl from my grasp you'd put an end to my plans?" Mephisto taunted the Rider. "It's too late. Soon, I will have this universe and I will rule over its petty mortals and then, I will become the ultimate ruler of the Multiverse! I know you can feel it, Johnny. Everything dies and there is nothing you can do about it!"
"Enough!" Ghost Rider snapped as he unleashed his Heavenfire on Mephisto once again, freeing him from his grasp and sending Mephisto down to the floor.
Just as Mephisto tried to get up, he was attacked by the Ghost Rider, who punched him multiple times in the face before releasing an uppercut on his chin, sending him flying to the ground. Feeling overwhelmed by the Rider's strength, Mephisto attempted to get back on his feet, but the Rider hurled his chain around his neck, strangling him. Mephisto struggled to get free from the Rider's chain, but he sensed the Heavefire on his neck as he let out a roar of pain and was weakened by its power.
"Leave her..." Ghost Rider threatened.
Mephisto was trying to maintain half of his power to keep Wanda under his control and break free from the Rider, but not even his powers were a match for the Rider's Heavefire, as both of their powers began to collide and Mephisto became consumed by the surge of energy through his body, causing him to explode. The impact of the explosion spread like a tidal wave, sending Ghost Rider staggering to the ground. When the smoke cleared, the Ghost Rider got up and saw there was nothing but mist, realizing that Mephisto was gone for now. Ghost Rider panted and took a deep breath, relieved that he had finally defeated his archnemesis and avenged his father's death so many years ago.
"Help me!" A woman began to cry out for help.
Hearing the sound, Ghost Rider turned his head around and began running towards its location. As he ran around the place, Ghost Rider eventually headed to a metal confinement, which held Wanda hostage. The Rider looked at Wanda as he sensed the innocence in her soul and took pity on her.
"Please, help me!" Wanda pleaded.
"Step aside, young one." Ghost Rider told Wanda.
Ghost Rider then used his Heavenfire to melt the metal bars on Wanda's cage and began reaching out to her. Wanda was frightened upon seeing the Rider, believing he would hurt her.
"Don't hurt me, please..." Wanda begged.
"You... Innocent." Ghost Rider said as he reached his arm to her.
After much hesitation, Wanda grabbed the Rider's arm, being helped up and bringing her back on his feet. Suddenly, just as the Ghost Rider got Wanda out of her cage, a beam of light began consuming them as they looked towards the sky.
And that's the end of the third chapter of the story. I'll admit, this was the most difficult chapter to write in this story, as I tried to warp up some plot threads in my previous two fanfics connected to this one and wanted to write the fight between Ghost Rider and Mephisto, but I hope I tried my best there.
I know he hasn't done this in the films, but I took a creative liberty and had Mephisto utilize memory projection to reveal his plans and to taunt the Ghost Rider. Like "The Devil's Thrall", I had Mephisto being the instigator of events of "WandaVision" and "No Way Home" to connect both projects together and his arrival on Earth-616 is a direct result of Sylvie's action in freeing the Multiverse in the Loki finale, "For All Time. Always."
Mephisto corrupting the Runes of Kof-Kol and instigating the events of "No Way Home" is a nod to his role in "Spider-Man: One More Day", where Spider-Man makes a deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May from death in exchange for his marriage with Mary Jane Watson.
I had Mephisto's appearance be inspired by German folklore instead of the comics, because honestly, his comic book appearance would feel a bit silly to the MCU.
And now we'll get to the next chapter, which see Johnny Blaze comforting Wanda and Wanda taking out the Darkhold Castle and destroying all copies of the Darkhold in the Multiverse.
Let me know your thoughts on this chapter and I hope you enjoyed it. Stay safe everyone and take care.