The Untold Truth Of Madisynn From She-Hulk
Superheroes are great and everything, but what really keeps fans coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe are all the fun, memorable breakout characters from the franchise's sprawling supporting cast. From Michael Peña's long-winded storyteller Luis in "Ant-Man" to Clark Gregg's massively popular Agent of SHIELD Phil Coulson, these endearing "regular folks" go a long way toward giving the MCU its true heart and soul.
Now there's a new fan favorite to add to the mix — Patty Guggenheim's adorkable party girl Madisynn (spelled "with two N's and one Y, but it's not where you thiiiink...") King. Making her debut in Episode 4 of "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," Madisynn became an instant hit with viewers who've already flooded the internet with memes about the perpetually tipsy character.
While Madisynn has only appeared in a single episode so far, we've already learned a surprising amount about her — and her possible future impact on the MCU. Here's the untold truth of Madisynn from "She-Hulk."
She's an original character
The Disney+ "She-Hulk" TV show spends a lot of time introducing popular and obscure characters from "She-Hulk's" long and colorful comic book history. In the first three episodes, we've seen Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), supervillain Titania (Jameela Jamil), and supporting characters like Augustus "Pug" Pugliese (Josh Seguarra) and Mallory Book (Renée Elise Goldsberry) who originally appeared in Dan Slott and Juan Bobillo's "She-Hulk" comic book.
Much like Phil Coulson and Luis, however, Madisynn is a completely original character developed specifically for the "She-Hulk" TV series. That's surprising, considering how her goofy antics seem tailor-made for the comic books. In just a single episode, Madisynn gets sent to a hell dimension, becomes "besties" with Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong), and testifies on his behalf while being questioned by She-Hulk.
Still, there's every reason to believe Madisynn will eventually find her way into the Marvel comic book universe. Both Phil Coulson and Luis became Marvel comic book characters after their MCU debuts (with Coulson popping up in multiple SHIELD-related storylines). Frankly, we'd like to see Madisynn get her own comic book where she out-drinks Wolverine and Thor ... but that's just us.
She's played by The Groundlings' Patty Guggenheim
Given that Madisynn's comic timing is so on point, it should come as no surprise that the actor who plays her, Patty Guggenheim, is a performer and teacher with The Groundlings, a renowned L.A. improv and sketch comedy troupe. Plenty of well-known comic personalities have come out of The Groundlings, including "Saturday Night Live" vets Heidi Gardner, Maya Rudolph, Will Forte, and Ana Gasteyer.
Guggenheim herself has collected an impressive list of credits over her career. She's appeared on "Reno 911," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and "Modern Family." From 2019 to 2020, she played the kleptomaniac Erica on the sitcom "Florida Girls" and also voiced multiple characters for the stop-motion animated sitcom "SuperMansion" including the clown-themed "Patty Mime." Many of her characters tend to be, in her words, "messes" — like Samanthee, a pregnant DC Comics cosplayer on "Mr. Mayor" who plans to name her son "Vape spelled with a dollar sign." Sounds like Madisynn's spiritual twin...
She may have visited the realm of a major Marvel villain
The MCU is constantly expanding and introducing audiences to new countries and different dimensions. However, one major dimension that hasn't been showcased so far is Mephisto's realm, one of the Marvel Universe's many hell dimensions where evil souls are condemned for an eternity of torment. The dimension's ruler Mephisto has often been a stand-in for the Biblical Satan and regularly makes Faustian bargains with mortals, leading him into conflict with Doctor Strange, the Silver Surfer, and Ghost Rider.
When magician Donny Blaze (Rhys Coiro) first opens a mystic portal on stage, we see it leading to a medieval-looking place lit by torches where heads are mounted on spikes. While this is pretty tame compared to some of the really wild places in Mephisto's realm, Madisynn later describes the world as a "fire land" full of goblins and a talking goat named Jake. She's also carrying a bloody heart in her hand when she exits into Wong's living quarters, indicating she engaged in some pretty freaky shenanigans during her stay.
Although Mephisto's realm is the most popular of Marvel's hell dimensions, Madisynn may have made it to a different realm (in fact, according to Ghost Rider, there are 13 different hells). Madisynn did mention she encountered several goblins and asked if Wong was "The Goblin King." This could be a reference to Marvel's Limbo dimension which has a high goblin population and has been ruled by the Hell Lord Belasco, mutant hero Illyana Rasputin, and even Doctor Doom.
If Madisynn did end up in Mephisto's dimension, it's possible she spent a significant amount of time there, as a few days on Earth can amount to many years there. Could this provide a way for "Madisynn's Adventures in Hell" to make its way onto Disney+? One can only hope...
The goat she met may have been Marvel's version of the devil
Although we never get to follow Madisynn's exploits in whatever hell dimension Donny Blaze dumped her into, she does let us know that she encountered several goblins, a firepit, and a demonic goat named "Jake." One of the sketches in the end credits even shows Madisynn with the goat, who helpfully wears a name tag identifying himself as Jake.
But was this just some random hell-goat who liked helping wayward travelers out of sticky situations? Or could this "goat" actually be the MCU's version of Mephisto or Belasco? Based on comic book lore, we know both devils can shapeshift into a variety of different forms and assume multiple identities. And while "Jake" isn't one of Mephisto or Belasco's known aliases, it wouldn't be out of character for either to morph into a goat as they've been used in Satanic rituals.
Then again, considering that Madisynn seemed fairly inebriated when she was sent off into this "fire land," it's possible that whatever devil she met didn't even need to shapeshift to hide his true identity. Belasco already has horns and a tail, meaning Madisynn could have simply mistaken his actual form for a goat.
She may need She-Hulk's help very soon
Madisynn fans who want the party girl to show up again should take heart, since Madisynn may have basically set herself up to be Jen's next client. While chatting with Wong, Madisynn lets slip that she traded six drops of her blood to get Jake the Goat to portal her back to Earth. An end credits sketch even shows Madisynn signing her name on a contract, showing the folks in this hell dimension are a lot more business-savvy than the sorcerers of Kamar Taj who don't even make their students sign NDAs.
That raises a tantalizing question, though — what exactly were the terms of Madisynn's deal with Jake? Madisynn has remained tight-lipped about the details thus far, claiming that the goat informed her he would "reap my soul and the souls of all I love" if she ever disclosed the secrets of their arrangement. However, considering how easily Madisynn shares (admittedly very belated) spoilers about "The Sopranos," it's only a matter of time before she slips up and Jake visits her for some soul-reaping.
All of this means Madisynn may be in desperate need of a good lawyer soon — and Jen better get Wong to help her brush up on demonic loopholes. Punching demons back to their home dimension might be easy, but outwitting the devil? Now that takes some finesse.
She wasn't sent to hell by Ghost Rider
Madisynn first pops up when she volunteers to assist two-bit magician "Donny Blaze" with his magic show. His act is rather lame, but he does have something up his sleeve: Blaze turns out to be an ex-student from Kamar Taj who was kicked out for teleporting some kegs of beer and his ex-fraternity brother to the school of sorcery for some binge drinking. Although his understanding of magic is rudimentary at best, Blaze did sneak a Sling Ring out of Kamar Taj and now uses it to open mystic portals to dangerous realms just to spice up his act.
Blaze's name bears similarities to two different Marvel Comics heroes — Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch. Both men have taken on the mantle of Marvel's demonic "Spirit of Vengeance" Ghost Rider, leading some fans to speculate that "Donny Blaze" is a variant of an MCU Ghost Rider. Donny Blaze even opens portals into realms possibly ruled by Mephisto, who had a hand in transforming Johnny Blaze into Ghost Rider.
However, according to "She-Hulk" head writer Jessica Gao, the name similarity is just a coincidence and Donny Blaze only chose that stage name to get attention. A version of Ghost Rider has already appeared in MCU's "Agents of SHIELD" TV series, and while there have been multiple Ghost Riders in the comics, it seems unlikely that one of them would be a stage magician.
That being said ... since it was Madisynn who got sent to a "diff dimensh" by Blaze and interacted with demonic entities, could it be Madisynn who becomes the MCU's new Ghost Rider? Having a dangerously inebriated Party Girl of Vengeance tearing up the highways would be extremely bizarre — then again, it's just the kind of horrifying joke Mephisto would enjoy.
She upset some potential Sopranos viewers
Madisynn may have gained a lot of fans in her MCU debut, but one group of people who didn't immediately take to the loose-lipped party girl were viewers interested in the crime drama "The Sopranos" ... specifically those people who've been planning to watch the show in the future.
Upon dropping into Wong's entertainment room, Madisynn immediately sees the Sorcerer Supreme is about to watch the episode "Long Term Parking" from the crime drama's fifth season — and promptly spoils the episode by letting Wong know the details of an upsetting plot development pertaining to a major character. Later, she continues dropping more spoilers about Tony Soprano, much to the Sorcerer Supreme's disgust.
Considering "The Sopranos" ended in 2007, Madisynn's slips are somewhat excusable. Still, there are plenty of people who haven't seen the show yet, and Madisynn's tendency to reveal key details about the plot left a lot of crime drama fans feeling less than charitable thoughts toward Wong's new bestie.
She's the perfect representation of a typical MCU citizen
Madisynn does not possess any superhuman abilities, but her reaction to magic, superpowers, and alternate dimensions is decidedly low-key. When asked to describe her trip through a "fire land" dimension, she responds, "At first, it was fun. Then scary. Then fun again. Then spooky, but in a fun way." She has no problem chatting with demonic goats or falling into sorcerer homes, and when a portal summons her to a courtroom, she eagerly participates — then asks Wong if they can go for frozen yogurt later.
While her perpetually inebriated state may explain some of Madisynn's relaxed attitude, her reactions are probably typical for most of the MCU's general population. By this point, people are used to a world where half the universe's population vanishes for five years, cities fall out of the sky, and New Asgard is a popular tourist destination. Stage magicians now need to incorporate real magic into their acts just to get any reaction out of their audiences, and a judge is more exasperated than truly shocked when a shapeshifting Asgardian light elf tries to impersonate him.
If anything, Madisynn's willingness to make friends with demons and sorcerers shows that while she's been desensitized to her world's fantastical elements, she's still open to new experiences. Hanging out with the Sorcerer Supreme may no longer be a novelty, but having a good drinking buddy never goes out of style.
Her name can be traced back to another Disney character
By now, fans know exactly where the "Y" in Madisynn's name is. But did you know that her name shares a certain similarity with another favorite Disney character? Way back in 1984, Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah starred in the romantic comedy "Splash" (produced by Disney's Touchstone Pictures) about a young man named Allen Bauer (Hanks) who falls in love with a mermaid (Hannah). When the mermaid comes to New York to be with Allen, she needs to choose a human alias since her native name is so high-pitched that introducing herself makes television sets explode. She selects the name "Madison" after passing by a "Madison Avenue" sign, despite Allen telling her that Madison isn't a "real name."
Of course, once audiences began linking the name "Madison" with a beautiful mermaid, the name skyrocketed in popularity and thousands of parents began naming their daughters Madison, to the point where the name is now a very common choice for new parents. Now, with Madisynn making her own splash into the MCU, could new parents start naming their kids after everyone's favorite tipsy party girl until "Madisynn" becomes the accepted spelling of the name in the next 35 years? Considering that the name "Thanos" is in 2022's Top Ten Disney-inspired baby names, we think it'd be a mistake to bet against it.
She shares a meme with Queen Elizabeth II
An American party girl may not seem to have a lot in common with the queen of England, but due to a quirk of fate, MCU's Madisynn King and Queen Elizabeth II have now been linked forever.
On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully at the age of 96, leaving a country in mourning. On the same day, Madisynn made her debut on "She-Hulk's" fourth episode "Is This Not Real Magic?" Twitter user Jack McBryan seized on this coincidence and created a meme showing photos of the queen and Madisynn side by side with the caption: "Reign of Modern Queens: Elizabeth: February 6, 1952-September 8, 2022 #Madisynn: September 8, 2022-Forever."
Patty Guggenheim saw and re-tweeted the meme with the response, "Oh. (Oh my God)." Fan memes do come in all shapes and sizes, but there's never been one quite like this.
Fans want more Madisynn
Wong's great chemistry with Madisynn is one of the episode's best surprises. Wong's always displayed a fondness for pop culture — he likes listening to Beyonce while cataloguing books and enjoys a good karaoke night. With Madisynn, however, Wong has even more reasons to delve into his playful side while also maintaining the curmudgeonly exterior fans have come to know and love.
And by all accounts, people want more. Fans are already shipping "Wongers and Madisynn" or "MadWong" and want Madisynn to appear in more MCU movies or TV shows. Some are even calling for Madisynn and Wong to be spun off into their own series while Twitter user Vinayak posted a mock-up movie-style poster of "Madisynn: One 'Y,' But It's Not Where You Think" with a release date of 2024.
Will this scene-stealing new character return for more appearances? Given the overwhelmingly positive response to Madisynn, we're going to lean toward yes. Speaking with Nerdist, "She-Hulk" creator Jessica Gao has already teased that she has a goal to make a "Wong and Madisynn Halloween Special."
Still, if Guggenheim has anything to say about it, Wong won't be her only scene partner. In an interview on the green carpet for "She-Hulk," the actor revealed that she'd love to work with Thor since she's currently living in Chris Hemsworth's old Los Angeles apartment and wants to give him his mail.