In a new preview for Jason Aaron's upcoming Avengers #38an event spanning all of Marvel history is being teased, and fans are making their best guesses at what might be in store for 2021. One of the preview images in particular seems to tease the presence of the demon lord Mephisto, promising a confrontation of biblical proportions... and themes.

Most recently, the Avengers found themselves locked in battle with Khonshu, the Egyptian Moon God and patron of Moon Knight. Moon Knight was instructed by his god to steal the ancient powers and weapons of several of Earth's Mightiest Heroes so that Khonshu could kill Mephisto. Now, even though the Avengers defeated the Moon God and regained their powers, new threats are on the horizon, such as the arrival of the Phoenix Force and Mephisto himself, who has proven to be much harder to kill than anticipated.

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Marvel fans know that Mephisto has long been in the background of the Marvel Universe, working in the shadows and planning something truly sinister. He's tampered with the Squadron Supreme of America, the personal life of Spider-Man, and even Thanos' actions during Infinity Gauntlet. There are so many other examples and more that readers don't even know about. Most recently, he's united with versions of himself across time and space, finding and working with Mephistos from across the multiverse for some unknown purpose, no doubt with a major scheme on the horizon. But what exactly does he have planned? Here's the teaser preview image from Marvel Comics:

Thanks to this image, the past, present, and future of the Marvel Universe is shown on one page, and if fans look closely, they'll be able to discover "the road ahead" for 2021 according to an editor's note seen at the bottom. One of the images in particular features Hulk's foot and a snake, which seems to be quite telling. Mephisto is Marvel's version of the Devil himself, and the Biblical Devil famously took the form of a snake, most famously to deceive and cause the fall of man in the Book of Genesis. As a result, it's more than likely that the snake Hulk is attempting to crush is none other than Mephisto is disguise. Genesis 3:15 reads:

And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

This specific verse was the first foretelling of Jesus' eventual defeat of the Devil, though in this context it does not bode well, seeing as how the Incredible Hulk has missed crushing the snake that is most likely Mephisto. This interpretation is supported by the issue's summary, which includes the line:

The devil may be dead, but the threat of Mephisto lingers on, with a legacy interwoven in heretofore untold chapters of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

At the same time, the first two images seem to suggest the presence of Apocalypse - a character who it has been suggested inspired the Book of Revelations, and whose origins stretch back to Ancient Egypt - and the far future of King Thor, who has become the father of the Norse Pantheon. All these religious references could signify that the Avengers may struggle to permanently defeat Mephisto in the near future, and that his plans - whatever they may be - will indeed to come to pass and plague the Marvel Universe in 2021. Hopefully, fans will know more when Avengers #38 hits comic book store shelves later this week.

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