Following much anticipation about his character in the series Ironheart, Sacha Baron Cohen surprisingly took center stage in the final episode, marking his debut as Mephisto. Previously suspected to be the main antagonist in WandaVision, Mephisto, a familiar figure from Marvel Comics, made his first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe under the direction of the creator of Borat and The Dictator. This came as a surprising twist for many viewers who were unaware that Cohen would be portraying a Marvel Comics villain, given his comedic background.
Nevertheless, the individual who significantly altered the way people express the phrase “I like to move it” was previously associated with a Marvel Comics adaptation before Mephisto became well-known. In the 2010s, a spin-off of the X-Men film series initially had plans to recruit Cohen as a character that could have resembled Rocket Raccoon in the movie.
Who Could Sacha Baron Cohen Have Played In The New Mutants?
In a bold move, the screenwriter/director of “The New Mutants,” Josh Boone, had lofty aspirations for this horror spin-off of the “X-Men” series. To bring these beloved mutant superheroes to life in an engaging way demanded a creative approach. Consequently, Boone envisioned the project as a grim horror film exploring themes like religious distress. However, Boone was considering recruiting a seasoned comedian for a key role in his proposed trilogy of “New Mutants” films. That’s where Sacha Baron Cohen would have entered the scene, potentially playing the motion-capture artist and voice actor for the robotic Warlock character.
A space-originated shape-shifting robot with an unusual empathy for other lifeforms, Warlock stands out even among Marvel’s unconventional mutant characters. This eccentric being (rejected by his alien kin due to his compassion) was also one of the pioneering members of the New Mutants comic team. It comes as no surprise that in 2016, Boone chose Warlock as a main character for his New Mutants film.
Previously, during discussions about featuring Warlock, Boone and Cohen talked about embodying the character using motion-capture technology and voice acting. It’s said that Cohen was enthusiastic about the role, and casting a middle-aged actor would have given Warlock a unique personality contrasting with the younger leads in The New Mutants. Boone envisioned this digital character as being similar to Gollum for The New Mutants, setting a high benchmark reflecting the ambitious creative aspirations he had for the project.
Why This Sacha Baron Cohen Casting Fell Apart
Despite Boone’s dedication to portraying Warlock and Cohen’s interest in the character, the final “New Mutants” movie featured no trace of him. Boone revealed that strict budget constraints at 20th Century Fox limited him to only one CG character in “The New Mutants.” Faced with a choice between the villainous Demon Bear and Warlock, Boone decided to introduce a villain instead for the film. If everything had transpired as intended, Boone had planned to save Warlock for a hypothetical “New Mutants 2,” which would have drawn inspiration from sci-fi horror.
The uncertainty and disorder concerning Warlock’s appearance in “The New Mutants” mirrors the challenging and nightmare-like journey this movie underwent during production. Initially slated for release in April 2018, the film was pushed back for two years due to rumors of 20th Century Fox aiming to carry out reshoots that would’ve significantly altered the entire project. However, external factors such as the Disney-Fox merger and the natural aging of the “New Mutants” cast made these reshoots impractical. This was simply one example among many where creative dilemmas and corporate complications negatively impacted what Josh Boone and his team were able to achieve in this project.
The consequences of those problems had a domino effect, ultimately leading to the failure of Warlock’s big-screen debut featuring Sacha Baron Cohen, and the cancellation of any future New Mutants films. Consequently, the poor performance of the final Fox X-Men movie left Sacha Baron Cohen free for the role of Mephisto in Ironheart, a part he took on years later. It’s interesting to note that the creator of Bruno almost became entwined with Marvel Comics history nearly a decade before Ironheart first appeared.
The New Mutants and all episodes of Ironheart are now streaming on Disney+.
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2025-07-13 22:42