Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Spider-Man: Far From Home

Spider-Man: Far From Home introduces several key villains into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, some of whom have never appeared on the big screen before. The most notable, of course, is Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio, a master of special effects who manipulates Spider-Man with ease.

According to Mysterio, the events of Avengers: Endgame have torn apart the fabric of reality itself. He claims that Thanos' snap opened up a gateway to the Multiverse - but in reality, it's an incredibly complex scheme, and Mysterio's goal is to acquire the Stark technology that Peter Parker has inherited from his late father-figure, Tony Stark. That done, Mysterio plans to present himself to the world as the superhero who saved London from a monstrous Elemental.

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Director Jon Watts took a smart approach to designing Mysterio's illusory threats, lifting ideas from a number of B-list Spider-Man villains in the comics. "It means we get to play with these characters who would probably never get to the big screen any other way," Watts explained. So here's your guide to Mysterio and the monstrous Elementals at his side.

Last updated: July 02, 2019

Mysterio

Mysterio Powers Spider-Man Far From Home

The MCU's Quentin Beck is a former Stark Industries employee who created the BARF technology seen in Captain America: Civil War. He believed his tech had the potential to change the world, and that it was wasted by a man like Tony Stark, who could never see its true potential. Bitter and twisted, Beck has concluded that these days only superheroes get any kind of credit, and as such he's decided to put together a complex plan to present himself to the world as a superhero. This is actually just a more sophisticated version of the approach he took back in his comic book debut, Amazing Spider-Man #13.

Mysterio is a classic Spider-Man villain, and in the comics he's a special effects whiz who dreamed of making it big in Hollywood. Always hungering for more, Quentin Beck decided that would only come if he successfully defeated one of the costumed superheroes whose exploits were always in the papers. He suited up as Mysterio, and has become one of Spider-Man's most enduring foes, a master of illusion who has even simulated alien invasions on occasion. All in all, it's quite remarkable how comic-book-accurate the Mysterio of Spider-Man: Far From Home feels.

Related: Spider-Man: Far From Home's Villain Plan Explained

Hydro-Man

Every would-be superhero needs a threat to defeat, and Mysterio has made his own; holographically-projected Elemental beings, their abilities simulated by a network of drones. The Water Elemental is based on Hydro-Man; in the comics, Morris Bench was a crewman on a US cargo ship who was accidentally knocked into the sea by Spider-Man (the wall-crawler was battling Namor at the time). Unfortunately for Bench, his vessel was testing a powerful experimental generator, and his body was transformed into a form of living water. Hydro-Man has been a constant thorn in the web-slinger's hide ever since, blaming Spider-Man for his fate, and he's even been a member of the Green Goblin's Sinister Twelve.

Related: Spider-Man: Far From Home Easter Eggs Reveal Elemental Villains Real Identities

Molten Man

The Fire Elemental is lifted from another classic Spider-Man villain, the Molten Man. In the comics, Molten Man's alter ego was Mark Raxton, a New York-born scientist who was accidentally exposed to alien radiation. His body was transformed into molten rock, and he gained the ability to project radiation and generate heat. And while Molten Man is essentially a Z-list Spider-Man villain, he's the step-brother of Liz Allan. This connection, naturally, doesn't play into Spider-Man: Far From Home at all.

Sandman

Nick Fury and Maria Hill Fight Sandman in Spider-Man Far From Home

The Earth Elemental (a.k.a. the Sandman) doesn't play a major role in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but is clearly just as monstrous and dangerous as all the others. The interesting thing about Sandman, though, is that he's already appeared on the big screen before; a much more comic-book-accurate version was played by Thomas Haden Church in Raimi's Spider-Man 3. This makes the villain the first one to be (albeit loosely) reused by Marvel Studios in the MCU. In the comics, William Baker (who went by numerous aliases) was a criminal who had transformed into a sand-based shapeshifter after coming into contact with irradiated sand at a nuclear test site, and his powers aided him in his fights with both Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four.

Related: Every Marvel Movie Coming After Spider-Man: Far From Home

The Wind Elemental

Of course, according to mythology, there are four elements, which naturally means there's a fourth Elemental - a Wind Elemental. Mysterio claims to have successfully defeated the Wind Elemental before he even crossed paths with Nick Fury, and as a result the Wind Elemental is never seen on the screen at all. Unlike the others, the Wind Elemental doesn't appear to be adapted from the comics, as the description doesn't match any Spider-Man rogues.

The Combined Elemental

Mysterio's plans build to a head at London, where he creates his grandest illusion of all; he combines all the special effects of the four Elementals into one massive, monstrous creature, which wreaks havoc at Tower Bridge. Fortunately, by this time Spider-Man has realized that it's all an illusion, and the wall-crawler is able to get inside it and begin deactivating the drones. This is undeniably the most dangerous manifestation of the Elementals, not least because by this time Mysterio has access to a far more numerous fleet of drones.

Related: Spider-Man: Far From Home Ending Explained (In Detail)

J. Jonah Jameson

In a stunning surprise, the Spider-Man: Far From Home credits scene features J.K. Simmons reprising the role of J. Jonah Jameson. This version of Jameson runs the TheDailyBugle.net, an InfoWars style website, which breaks out by distributing Mysterio's video. As usual, Jameson is the sworn enemy of Spider-Man - indeed, it's possible he's a front for Mysterio's allies - and he takes a visible delight in revealing Spider-Man's secret identity to the world.

Chameleon?

Spider Man Far From Home - Numan Acar Chameleon

Numan Acar plays a mercenary named "Dimitri," a spy who works for Nick Fury and ultimately becomes Peter Parker's bus driver. Comic book readers have suggested that he's actually Dmitri Smerdyakov, better known as the Chameleon. Another classic Spider-Man foe, in the comics the Chameleon is a master of disguise who uses his skills for international espionage; he's even duplicated Peter himself on occasion. Director Jon Watts won't rule out the possibility Dimitri is, or could become, the Chameleon. "I think anyone who works for Nick Fury, they certainly have a mysterious past," Watts teased. "We're not specifically saying that he's...but we're not not saying."

Related: Casting the Sinister Six For the MCU

The Vulture Gang, Scorpion & Tinkerer Are Not In The Film

The Vulture flying in Spider-Man Homecoming

Spider-Man: Homecoming introduced a whole host of Spider-Man bad guys, and there were initially reports that the Vulture, the Scorpion, the Shocker and the Tinkerer would all be returning in Spider-Man: Far From Home. In reality, they don't appear at all, and the film doesn't even give an update on any of them. Given the five-year time jump in Avengers: Endgame, it's entirely possible they survived the snap and have even completed their prison sentence. Meanwhile, Donald Glover's Prowler doesn't appear either, which makes sense; he's a New York crook, and Spider-Man: Far From Home is set in Europe.

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