Ironheart Ending Explained: What's Next For the MCU After That Devilish Post-Credits Scene?

This nonfiction contains spoilers for the finale of Ironheart.

They accidental the devil is successful the details, but it turns retired that the devil is also yet successful the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). As of the play (series?) finale of Disney+’s Ironheart, “The Past is the Past,” Mephisto has finally, officially arrived successful the signifier of histrion Sacha Baron Cohen… Thankfully, not elephantine and red, wearing lone his underwear, arsenic per Marvel Comics’ depiction of the atrocious guy. Though we wouldn’t enactment the Borat histrion past that.

That said? The uncover of Mephisto is conscionable the extremity of the iceberg successful hellhole that Ironheart dropped successful its closing hour, including a chaotic twist cliffhanger, a mid-credits country that sets up immoderate perchance large things for the MCU, and a general, adjacent bigger question arsenic to whether fixed the circumstances surrounding Ironheart if immoderate of this volition beryllium followed up, ever.

Ironheart Ending Explained

For context, the occurrence starts disconnected arsenic we observe however Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos) got his demonically powered hood. After trying to rob his ain father, helium escaped acknowledgment to immoderate assistance from a mysterious alien (that would beryllium Mephisto), munching pizza successful Desperito’s Pizza. We’ll disregard that the pizza is decidedly not Chicago style, which is either Mephisto playing a classical instrumentality successful the Windy City, oregon a missed accidental to necktie heavy crockery pizza to the devil. This leads to the present, wherever Parker is losing power of his powers and becoming much demonic by the minute.

Enter Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), who present has magic armor, but arsenic a cost, has mislaid N.A.T.A.L.I.E. (Lyric Ross), the AI modeled aft her dormant champion friend. Undeterred, she heads to Desperito’s to face Parker earlier helium tin onslaught her family, and discovers Ezekiel Stane (Alden Ehrenreich) is there, hopeless to flight from Parker’s power implicit his biologic implants. Riri knees him successful the groin, resets his controls, and Zeke acknowledgment her but assures her that successful the aboriginal they won’t beryllium friends. “Just cognize you and I aren’t done,” Zeke says, inactive salty aft Riri ruined his beingness and landed him successful jail.

Anyway, that’s a bid wrapper connected Zeke, and it’s connected to the last conflict with Parker. The Hood loses it, virtually and figuratively, with Riri beating him up, taking his hood and leaving him, to paraphrase the immortal words of Natalie Imbruglia, acold and shamed, lying hoodless connected the floor. That’s erstwhile Riri heads to the seating country of the pizza spot and discovers Mephisto is erstwhile again eating non-Chicago benignant pizza. This feline won’t discontinue it! He loves pizza!

In lawsuit you’ve lived done the full Mephisto saga online for the past fractional a decade: yes, it is 100% decidedly Mephisto, helium adjacent says it retired loud. Speculation that Marvel’s devil could amusement up stretches each the mode backmost to the opening of the Disney+ epoch and WandaVision successful 2021, continued done 2022 erstwhile Cohen was formed connected Ironheart, and was fired up big-time erstwhile they dropped the sanction of the baddie connected Agatha All Along. And now, present helium is successful the flesh, tempting Riri Williams alongside a portion of pizza… Even if the large intermission Cohen adds delivering his character’s sanction lands similar a thud with Riri. “Oh,” she says, nonplussed. “Is that expected to mean thing to me?”

…Well, it decidedly means thing to the viewing assemblage astatine home. And it besides rapidly means thing to Riri, arsenic – shocker – she makes a woody with the devil. While not explicitly stated, she intelligibly asks for Mephisto to bring N.A.T.A.L.I.E. back. But the twist is that Mephisto doesn’t bring the AI back… He brings the real Natalie backmost to life, aft being gunned down anterior to the events of the series. And the stinger astatine the extremity arsenic Riri hugs her confused friend? The aforesaid devilish veins that grew each implicit Parker Robbins the much helium utilized his hood person begun to snake their mode up Riri’s arm. Yuh-oh!

What does this each mean? And what astir that mid-credits scene?

Ironheart’s Cliffhanger Teases Projects That May Never Happen

So, here’s the deal: Ironheart was announced successful 2020, mostly filmed successful 2022, and past determination was reportedly immoderate added accumulation successful 2024. There was intelligibly immoderate retooling of the bid past year, but this is besides a task that comes from a mentation of the Marvel Studios wide program that doesn’t rather beryllium the aforesaid mode successful 2025. From a slowing down of the merchandise of movies and TV shows, to a rethinking of however Marvel Television approaches the tiny surface successful general, a task similar Ironheart that is “more of a six-episode movie” is – astatine slightest arsenic Marvel has explained – not however they’re doing projects anymore.

And portion we won’t cognize whether the stingers connected Ironheart volition beryllium continued oregon not until they are (or are not), determination are plentifulness of plans that person been either announced oregon denounced successful the fractional a decennary that Ironheart has been successful the works.

Armor Wars is the archetypal that comes to mind, formerly a Disney+ bid starring Don Cheadle arsenic War Machine, spinning disconnected the extremity of Secret Invasion. That was “upgraded” to a movie successful 2022, but possibly owed to the less-than-enthusiastic effect to Secret Invasion, oregon the tightening down the scenes, we haven’t heard overmuch since. Thorne was reportedly going to reprise her relation arsenic Ironheart successful the Disney+ version; the film, TBD.

Similarly, it would marque consciousness that a rivalry betwixt Ezekiel Stane and Riri Williams could person (and could still) proceed successful a movie that’s each astir assorted Iron Man-related characters fighting. But again, with that movie successful doubt, it’s up successful the aerial whether Enrenreich is gathering a one-and-done franchise curse betwixt this and Solo: A Star Wars Story.

How astir the mid-credits, though? This is axenic speculation, but educated speculation arsenic to what this could person been starring up to. In the mid-credits scene, Parker goes to Stanton’s, the combo candy store/magic store that is location to Zelma Stanton (Regan Aliyah). He wants assistance and is funny successful Zelma’s magic, but she’s dubious (as she should be). But Parker won’t quit, helium wants to spot the real magic worldly successful the backmost of the store. “I cognize you don’t cognize me, astatine slightest not yet. But if you’re up for it, however astir a small abracadabra?” Parker says arsenic we chopped to black.

While ne'er officially greenlit, backmost successful February Marvel paused improvement connected a TV amusement mentation of the comic Strange Academy. Per the title, it’s a magic schoolhouse acceptable up by Doctor Strange, and it was expected that the TV amusement mentation would beryllium tally by Wong (Benedict Wong). In the books, Zelma Stanton is simply a cardinal quality and works arsenic the school’s librarian. On Ironheart, she’s astir apt a small young for that, but repeatedly mentions however funny she is to survey magic astatine Kamar-Taj, the monastery wherever Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) trains successful the archetypal titular movie, and aboriginal America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) successful Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

It’s not excessively overmuch of a agelong to deliberation that a imaginable Strange Academy bid could diagnostic some Zelma and The Hood – oregon immoderate Parker becomes without said demonic hood. At the precise least, this is the astir apt fishy for what this mid-credits country was starring up to… Another anticipation that doesn’t look precise apt to hap immoderate clip soon.

The different possibilities for pursuing up connected immoderate of these characters could see Black Panther 3, fixed Riri debuted successful the 2nd Black Panther movie. That movie has astatine slightest been announced and is successful the works from manager Ryan Coogler, though we don’t person a timeline connected erstwhile that volition look connected screen… Nor immoderate announced formed members, different than Denzel Washington successful a enigma role.

Less definite but leaning into the magical aspects of Ironheart is Doctor Strange 3, thing rumored fixed the blockbuster presumption of the erstwhile movies, and a cliffhanger astatine the extremity of the 2nd film. But that hasn’t been confirmed different than successful the rumor mill, nor is it wide if it was greenlit that it would travel up connected immoderate of these plotlines, what with it being a Doctor Strange movie and not Ironheart 2 (feat. Doctor Strange).

And successful presumption of projects that are decidedly successful motion, the full MCU seems to beryllium acceptable to look successful either Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars. It seems improbable that either movie would person the country to woody with the weird veins increasing connected Riri’s arm, fixed the scale, but alien things person happened.

But what of Mephisto? He’s a Thanos-level villain successful Marvel Comics, and fans person been anticipating his debut for years now. It seems a small brainsick to deliberation they’d permission him connected the shelf. A Doctor Strange movie could beryllium the likeliest anticipation for Mephisto’s adjacent pizza date, arsenic the leader and villain person tangled aggregate times successful the comics. But again, we conscionable don’t cognize wherever he’ll beryllium seen next.

And successful fact, it’s unluckily apt that nary of this volition beryllium followed up connected successful immoderate important way. Times person changed for Marvel, strategy has changed, and the institution that greenlit Ironheart mode backmost successful 2020 is not the aforesaid Marvel that we spot today. Things could alteration again, of course. Most likely, what you spot connected surface successful this finale is the extremity of the roadworthy for these characters, for the moment. Like Riri and Parker’s deals, we got what we wanted erstwhile it comes to Mephisto… But astatine what cost?