Kevin Feige Says Mephisto Was Never the Plan for ‘WandaVision'
As reported by CBR, the Marvel boss came clean about Mephisto in a recent roundtable interview.
'He was never part of WandaVision … But the enthusiasm with which he was theorized on that certainly was cool, and was fun to watch, and he's another character that, pre-MCU, it would have been, 'How do you (do Mephisto)? He's the devil? How do you do that character?' But he's a formative character! He was a big part of Thanos's storyline in the comics. So again, now that he's here, the potential is—the plan is clear, theoretically, to use more of him.'
'Theoretically,' Feige said, but now that Mephisto is out of the bag, the next place your mind goes is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, given the character's importance in the comic book arc of the same name. Even though the story won't be the same (for one thing, there's not a big-screen Peter and Mary Jane marriage to mess with yet), certainly some inspiration might be taken.
What do you think? Were you expecting to see Mephisto much earlier in the MCU?
Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters July 31, 2026.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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In mid-January 2020, Us Weekly reported they'd broken up, with a source saying, 'Vanessa and Austin are officially broken up, and Vanessa has been telling those close to her about their breakup.' Two sources speaking with E! said that the pair 'are split for now,' but claimed they planned to 'see what happens.' The insider continued, 'They have such a history and deep connection [that] they could find their way back to one another. Right now, she felt like he needed to go and be single and see if that's what he really wants.' Butler was shooting Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic in Australia at the time, while Hudgens was working in Los Angeles. The second source claimed that 'they're just shooting on two different continents, and it's a matter of distance. There is no bad blood at all, and they have a lot of respect for each other.' However, the two never publicly reconciled, and Hudgens went on to marry baseball player Cole Tucker. In January 2023, Butler did comment on his past relationship with Hudgens after referring to her as his 'friend' when discussing who motivated him to play Elvis. Fans noted the designation, and it sparked some controversy. In a follow-up with the Los Angeles Times, reporter Mark Olsen asked Butler, 'There's something else I hope you can clear up. You've talked about a moment even before you had the role, it was Christmastime, and an Elvis song came on and you were with a friend, and you were singing along.' Butler interjected to say, 'I was with my partner at the time.' After Olsen asked if that partner was Hudgens, Butler replied, 'That's right. We'd been together for so long, and she had this sort of clairvoyant moment and so I really, I owe her a lot for believing in me.' Olivia DeJonge Butler worked with Olivia DeJonge on the set of Elvis, and it was rumored they had a brief fling after they were seen at a movie theater looking cozy in Melbourne, and then again on the beach in November 2020, per the Daily Mail. But they were never seen together after that year. Lily-Rose Depp In August 2021, Butler was photographed kissing Lily-Rose Depp in London, who had herself recently split up with her boyfriend Timothée Chalamet. They were also not seen together again, and Depp went on to date rapper 070 Shake. Kaia Gerber Like with most celebrity romances, Butler's connection with model Kaia Gerber began as a rumor. But in December 2021, a source confirmed with Us Weekly, 'They are low-key dating. It's still very new.' Butler had been seen on December 8 at a Celine fashion show in Los Angeles, where Gerber was walking the runway. Butler was accompanying her parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber. A source told People a few weeks later, 'She seems really happy. All of her friends think he's really cute.' Though they made many public appearances throughout their relationship, the couple did not speak about their love much in public. In February 2024, Gerber told WSJ magazine, 'Honestly, I feel like so few things in my life are private, and that is one of the things that I try to keep as sacred as possible.' In May 2022, Butler was asked about Gerber by GQ and replied, 'I don't think there's anything I want to share about that. But thank you for providing the space.' That same month, they were seen kissing in Cannes after a screening of Elvis. In September 2023, a source told Us Weekly that after almost two years together, they were both feeling good about their relationship. 'They've both been so busy with their careers that the time has flown by,' the source said, adding that 'they spend as much time together as they can. Although Austin and Kaia are both in the public eye, they're really down to earth and have a very secure relationship, so they never let jealousy or anything like that get in the way.' They continued, 'Kaia loves that her family gets along so well with Austin. He's joined them on several vacations, and he's definitely a part of the family.' Butler did tell Entertainment Tonight in February 2024 that he was proud of Gerber's British Vogue cover that month. 'It was legendary,' he said. 'It was amazing. I loved getting to see that. What an exciting cover. I loved it.' Gerber and Butler were last seen together in October 2024, heading from dinner to Gracie Abrams's concert at Radio City Music Hall. But rumors of a breakup started circulating after they failed to make more public appearances. In January 2025, sources told TMZ that they had split 'around the end of 2024.' 'The relationship just simply ran its course after a good three years together,' the insider claimed. 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