Spider-Man: No Way Home theory says Doctor Strange might be Mephisto (2024)

There are some "strange" goings-on in the first Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer. Peter Parker's previous mentors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been Iron Man and Nick Fury, and now it's over to Doctor Strange to guide the way.

Well, that's if he can get his spells right.

After what seems like an eternity of waiting, the MCU is finally opening the doors to the Multiverse (thanks, Sylvie). This has given the No Way Home trailer its biggest talking points, thanks to the return of Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus and a few more hints that a live-action Sinister Six is finally on the way.

Away from pumpkin bombs and "electrifying" returns, Doctor Strange's presence is the other notable aspect of the trailer as fans are worried he's not quite right.

Things kick off with Peter Parker asking for Strange's help in making the world forget he's Spider-Man.

Firstly, you might have noticed that winter has come to the Sanctum Sanctorum. There's a cold snap in Strange's place of residence, with the Doc wrapped up warm and Wong presumably off to warmer climes – or to appear in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Elsewhere, others have picked up on a particular moment in the trailer where an angry Spidey denouncer holds a sign that simply reads "Devil in Disguise" and, finally, there's Strange's outfit choice. Notably, the trippy scene where Strange and Parker are atop the train doesn't feature the Sorcerer Supreme with his signature Cloak of Levitation. We have seen him sans cloak before, but it seems odd he'd be without it here.

Snow inside the Sanctum seems like an odd occurrence, with fans claiming it could be from when Hulk crashed through the roof in Avengers: Infinity War. Then again, there should be plenty of sorcerers around to patch up a giant hole in the ceiling.

Delving deep into tinfoil territory, some have noted this icy backdrop could be a clever nod toward Dante's Inferno. The Ninth Circle of Hell is where the Devil resides, and it just so happens to be an icy tundra. You know where we're going with this...

It's clear Doctor Strange is feeling a little under the weather, but the question is, why? Has the skilled doctor-wizard lost his mojo, or is there a more sinister presence pulling the strings?

Theorists guess that there could be a whole Mad-Eye Moody switcharoo where Mephisto (yes, him again) has the real Doctor Strange tucked away somewhere and this horned villain has taken his place.

We might sound a little doolally to go down the Mephisto route once again, but with the red devil heavily rumoured to be the big bad of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he could be well-timed to pop up in No Way Home.

Notably, the movie looks set to adapt the divisive 'One More Day' arc from 2007. Here, Peter approaches Doctor Strange and asked him to cast a spell that would erase the memory of his secret identity and hopefully save the life of a recently shot Aunt May. With Strange refusing to dabble in such darkness, Mephisto steps in to offer a deal.

Moving into potential spoiler territory for 'One More Day', the general synopsis is that MJ and Peter's relationship will be erased (like in the No Way Home trailer), but it's ultimately worse because they were married at this point. MJ struck her own bargain with Mephisto, which led to her and Peter's future daughter never existing.

It's all very fanciful, and while the MCU will likely only loosely adapt the convoluted story, elements could already be in play during the trailer.

Up there with Loki, Mephisto is known for causing some serious mischief in Marvel. While we're not buying that he's hiding out as Doctor Strange – Far From Home called, it wants its Nick Fury twist back – it could be that he's interfering with Strange's magic as a possible segue into Multiverse of Madness.

We were all sick of the Mephisto theories in WandaVision, which even led to Loki's director Kate Herron poking fun at the whole thing, and this could all be another misdirect. Maybe Doctor Strange just likes Peter a lot more now and is willing to try a risky spell to help.

As the ladies of Westview reminded us, the "Devil" is in the detail, it just remains to be seen whether he's setting up shop in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is released in cinemas on December 17.