The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a new villain in the form of Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova in Deadpool & Wolverine, but did you know that Ryan Reynolds’ R-rated movie almost debuted the most terrifying villain of all? Yes, he and director Shawn Levy flirted with the idea of bringing Mephisto into the fold.
It would have been an epic introduction of the supernatural villain, but he was just one of the many villains they considered for the franchise. In the end, they settled with Cassandra Nova because of her connection with Professor X.
Deadpool & Wolverine Was So Close To Bringing Mephisto In The MCU
In an interview with Collider, director Shawn Levy and actor Ryan Reynolds opened up about their process in choosing the villain for Deadpool & Wolverine. The former asked, “What was the name of the villain that we flirted with? Was it Mephisto?” to which the latter replied in the affirmative. Levy continued:
Yeah, we went through a lot of ‘almost’ versions of this story before we landed on… First, it was the infamous call from Hugh, but then this idea of Cassandra Nova as sibling to Charles. That was very quickly thereafter, because Cassandra’s link to Professor X creates an interesting dynamic and fascination in Cassandra about you [points to Jackman].
This means Cassandra Nova was only chosen after Hugh Jackman agreed to reprise his role as Wolverine. Had the Australian actor said no, fans might have actually had Mephisto. Reynolds added, “It was the panels of Cassandra with her hands in someone’s skull, and it was so gross and cool. And we were like, that’s our villain.”
Cassandra Nova has an intriguing storyline in the comics and that’s worth more than her connection to Professor X. The comic panels were used as a reference during their meeting with The Crown’s Emma Corrin. In an interview with ComicBook, the star shared how Levy proposed the idea of playing a villain in a Marvel film:
He came to London and saw a play I was in and we had dinner. He pitched it to me and I said, ‘Sounds great. I’m in.’
Cassandra Nova is the twin sister of Professor Charles Xavier. In the Marvel comics, while she and Charles were still in the womb, the latter “recognized her evil presence and killed” her, resulting in stillbirth. Through the years, she formed her own body by copying Xavier’s DNA.
Who Is Mephisto?
While Cassandra Nova is a terrifying villain to her own credit, Mephisto is something else. According to the Marvel website, he is “an ancient extradimensional demon who rules over a part of the netherworld called Hell.”
His true origin has been lost in time. He has gone by many names, and he presents himself as the true embodiment of evil. Mephisto commands over a multitude of demons and condemned human souls.
How Deadpool & Wolverine would have brought a villain as menacing as Mephisto remains a mystery, but hopefully, the fan-favorite antagonist would get his much-awaited debut soon.
Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on July 26.
