Maximum Effort, the production studio from Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), must have made a deal with the Devil. After appearing in a comical Match.com ad to kick off 2021, Satan has returned in a new commercial for Mint Mobile, which Reynolds owns a majority stake in.  It’s certainly rare for one character to appear in advertising for completely different brands, but Reynolds joked, “I like to think of it as my own personal MCU—the Mephistopheles Commercial Universe.”

In the spot, which leverages a similar dry sense of humor as the Match production, Satan discusses why he loves working for “Big Wireless,” which, of course, epitomizes everything that Mint Mobile is not. “These guys torture people on a whole other level. I’m learning so much!” he says, while a “VP of Fee Hiking” praises Satan for being “a real addition to the team… Prices are up. Hold times have doubled and some fees are so hidden, we can’t even find them.”

Major wireless carriers typically offer the best coverage possible, but they also can charge customers a lot more than they might like. MVNOs – mobile virtual network operators – like Mint Mobile can offer lower prices, however, by piggybacking on the infrastructure of existing networks, which for Mint is T-Mobile. Mint Mobile CMO Aron North is betting that consumers who are tired of higher prices, especially those who’ve had to cut back during a pandemic, will find Mint’s plans starting at $15 per month appealing.

“One of our biggest challenges is people have just gotten used to how Big Wireless treats them,” North told Adweek. “This seemed like such a fun way to loudly let people know there’s another option for premium wireless.”

Customers of the big three wireless carriers in the US – Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile – have been affected financially slightly more than other wireless customers, according to Interpret’s New Media Measure®. Whether that’s enough to convince them to switch to Mint Mobile remains to be seen, but it’s hard to find fault in their savvy marketing.