With Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Far From Home, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about the character before the premiere.
When the Far From Home trailer first debuted, we were introduced to a very different version of Quentin Beck, a.k.a. Mysterio, than we were used to seeing. Clearly framed as being a hero, and set up to work with Spider-Man to defeat the Elementals, many took that at face value, assuming the MCU Mysterio would be on Spidey’s side.
But countless years of Marvel history suggest otherwise. The first thing you should know about Mysterio: never trust anything he says. The clue is in the name, somewhat, with the character being well-known for misdirects and illusions, so it is likely that there is far more to the MCU’s Quentin Beck than first meets the eye.
In fact, Mysterio is one of Spider-Man’s most lethal foes. His illusions in particular have been a constant thorn in Peter Parker’s side, but not only that, he is also incredibly gifted at creating gadgets that specifically target Spider-Man’s abilities. Thus, rendering the hero helpless against Mysterio on a number of occasions.
The Mysterio of the Marvel comics was a talented special effects artist — which explained how he was able to create many of his illusions — and it is likely that the same will be true of his on-screen counterpart. There may be some kernel of truth to the devastation spreading across Europe, but it is equally as likely to be an elaborate ruse set up by Mysterio, potentially to gain the public adoration showered on the heroes of Earth that came before him. (With many of the Avengers now out of the picture, there is something of a hero-vacuum waiting to be filled.)
Of course, both the Elementals and Hydro-Man could prove to be the true villains of Far From Home, with the events of the movie setting up the origin for Mysterio’s descent into super-villainy — but it is just as likely that the Elementals and Hydro-Man are part of a hoax of Mysterio’s making. After all, when he originally debuted in 1964’s The Amazing Spider-Man #13, it was revealed that he had been responsible for a hoax alien invasion that had occurred a year prior to that appearance.
There is some precedent for Mysterio actually being from another universe too, so expect that there could be some truth to his claim — with a twist. In the 2012 mini-series Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales teamed up — the first time the two characters had done so across their respective universes — where they ultimately discovered that the Mysterio from the main Marvel continuity and Miles’ universe were one and the same. Utilizing advanced technology, Mysterio had been able to breach the barrier between the two universes, and used a robotic avatar to replace himself when he was not physically around.
Mysterio is an incredibly complex character, one with a long history intertwined with Spider-Man, and has always had some kind of ulterior motive in mind for everything he has ever done. Though the MCU is well-known by this point for taking kernels of the characters from their comics and putting their own unique spin on them, expect at least some of the same elements from the page to come into play in Far From Home.
We can’t wait to see how Jake Gyllenhaal tackles this iconic Spidey villain on the screen.
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