Warning: contains spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #74!
As Mephisto‘s meddling in Spider-Man’s life comes to a head, new secrets have come to light about his motivations and effect on the world – most startlingly, that Doctor Strange believes the devilish villain actually makes Marvel’s heroes stronger. Amazing Spider-Man has recently seen Peter Parker under attack by the undead Kindred, acting as Mephisto’s pawn to prevent the birth of his daughter, who is destined to grow into a great hero. But as the plan fails, Doctor Strange has an observation likely to stop Mephisto in his tracks.
Mephisto’s pacts with heroes typically end up devolving into more than what they bargained for, as there is some additional sacrifice or fallout. There are also instances where the terrible event the hero was attempting to avoid ends up happening anyway. For instance, shortly after Johnny Blaze agrees to sell his soul to save his adopted father from death by cancer, Crash Simpson dies in a motorcycle accident. Mephisto then claims his soul as well, using it against Blaze, which means he became Ghost Rider for naught. With his tendency for deceiving heroes through his deals, it would seem that things always go according to the demon’s plan, and even beating Mephisto tends to just result in a new stalemate.
Yet, in Amazing Spider-Man #74, Doctor Strange shares his theory that Mephisto’s machinations present an opportunity for heroes to grow stronger by surviving his best laid plans. He notes that should they endure and emerge, they are better for it, having experienced a baptism of fire and emerged stronger than ever. This issue, written by Nick Spencer and Christos Gage, with art by Marcelo Ferreira, Mark Bagley, Ze Carlos, Dio Neves, Carlos Gomez, Ivan Fiorelli, and Humberto Ramos, demonstrates how this is true for Spider-Man. This involves Spider-Man revisiting his controversial “One More Day” storyline from J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada, where Peter and Mary Jane Watson made a deal to prevent Aunt May’s death in exchange for having their marriage erased from history. While this deal isn’t reversed in the story, the bond between Peter and Mary Jane appears stronger than ever in this issue, and Doctor Strange points out this is Mephisto’s fault, with his latest scheme bringing the two back together.
Mary Jane serves as Doctor Strange’s second champion in his high-stakes gamble with Mephisto on the outcome of Spider-Man’s battle against the two Kindreds. Her re-emergence as Parker’s steadfast partner shows that their love has persevered. When things looked darkest for Spider-Man, Mary Jane freeing him from the rubble of the building that fell on top of him shows that he has regained what was lost. A love that had already been among the strongest in comics, saving Spider-Man from his darker moments, has only been galvanized into a stronger, more enduring connection, making Spider-Man into a more compassionate hero. What Mephisto sought to destroy, he ultimately made better.
Elsewhere in the Marvel Universe, Mephisto has similarly strengthened other heroes. Each iteration of Ghost Rider turns into a hero who fights on the side of good. Susan Storm is also stronger from her encounter with the Devil in Mephisto Versus, when she agreed to stay in Mephisto’s realm so that Reed Richards’ intelligence would be returned. Jean Gray, who intervened on the Invisible Woman’s behalf, initiated a soul swap, first for her own soul and then for Thor’s, only proving and enhancing the strength of the three heroes involved. This was highlighted when Thor’s soul proved too much for Mephisto to handle, ultimately strengthening the bonds of Earth’s heroes to the villain’s detriment.
As incredible as Mephisto’s power is, it is reassuring that he cannot escape how his actions galvanize the world’s heroes, further escalating the resolve that makes them heroic, and even empowering them to help others. This supports Doctor Strange’s belief that Mephisto is only making Marvel heroes like Spider-Man stronger by giving them deeply personal obstacles to overcome.
