Now that we’ve finally gotten a glance at Spider-Man: Far From Home and what it plans to bring to Spidey’s MCU story-line, many people are more excited than ever to finally get a look at the film’s villain(?) Mysterio. We all know that in the comics, Mysterio is one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes, regularly terrorizing the citizens of New York with his smoke, mirrors, and illusions. While there are still plenty of questions as to Mysterio’s role and abilities in the MCU, we can, perhaps, look to the comics as a guide to where we think Jake Gyllenhaal's version of the character may be heading. So here are some facts you should know about Mysterio before heading in to watch Far From Home.
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Multiple Mysterios
Something that fans of the films may not be surprised to learn is that in the comics, several men have taken on the mantle of Mysterio. The original Mysterio (and the one we’re likely to meet in Far From Home) is a man named Quentin Beck. A talented engineer, actor, and a dastardly villain who has often fooled Spider-Man with his illusions, Spider-sense blocking chemicals, and other tricks. There’s also Daniel Berkhart, a former cellmate of Becks, who takes up the mantle after Beck’s supposed death. And last, but not least, we have Francis Klum. A rather sad character who decides to dawn the mantle of Mysterio after being the recipient of a vicious beat-down by Spider-Man.
Powers (Or Lack Thereof)
There’s a lot of debate current circulating about whether the Mysterio of Far From Home will actually have powers or if, like in the comics, his abilities will simply be another act. The Quentin Beck of the comics is a brilliant man, capable of creating very advanced androids, complex illusions, and power-packed suits. The one things he is not, however, is magic. For the most part, the folks that have taken on the mantle of Mysterio have been completely powerless (other than a genius level intellect) without the suit. Except for Francis Klum, but we’ll get to him a bit later.
Sinister Six
Average viewers may not realize that Mysterio is actually one of the founding members of the Sinister Six, an entire group of villains working together with the sole purpose of taking out Spider-Man. Now, it may be a little too early to tell if Far From Home is setting up Tom Holland’s Spider-Man on a collision course with the Sinister Six, but it’s certainly been talked about for some time now. With Michael Keaton’s Vulture having already been introduced, along with Mac Magarran -- the man who will become the Scorpion, it seems like the Sinister Six may finally be making their way to the big screen.
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Ultimate Universe Umbrage
Many fans are aware of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse star Miles Morales’ shift into Marvel’s main universe from the Ultimate, but something fans may not know is that Mysterio from the main Marvel Universe actually ventured to the Ultimate Universe long before Miles made his move. It turns out that the Mysterio of the Ultimate Universe was actually an android sent by the Mysterio of the main Marvel Universe to wreak havoc on the Ultimate Universe and the Spider-Man that protects it. As you can probably imagine, the odds of one Mysterio and his android taking on two Spider-Men and winning were rather small, regardless of what universe the fight takes place in.
Suicidal Tendencies
Quentin Beck, master of machine, illusion, and the good old fashion fake death plotline. Quentin Beck’s Mysterio may have been a major pain in Spider-Man’s cephalothorax, but that pain was only worsened by the fact that Quentin Beck has a bad habit of faking his own death in order to fool Spider-Man (and whoever else may be watching) into thinking Mysterio is no longer an issue. But it’s during one of his run-ins with another famous New York hero that Mysterio decides to actually take his life -- for real this time. After a particularly tough run-in the man without fear, Mysterio, being utterly and completely defeated, decided that it is the right time to pull off his greatest trick of all: making his consciousness disappear. Quentin then places a gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger, seemingly ending the tale of Quentin Beck and his misadventures as Mysterio. Seemingly.
Mysterio’s Mutant Mixup
While Quentin Beck and Daniel Berkhart both have no real powers to speak of when they don the mantle of Mysterio, Francis Klum is an entirely different story. Klum manages to get his hands on one of Mysterio’s spare costumes after Spider-Man delivers an unusually savage beating to Klum for his part in kidnapping Black Cat. Klum realizes that if he dons the mantle of a powerless villain, Spider-Man will hold back - and that caution is what Klum decides to exploit. Francis Klum is a man who inherited mutant abilities from his parents after they were experimented on by the Nazis. Klum can teleport himself and other objects across various distances. He can also telepathically compel people to take actions they normally wouldn’t; like drug use, suicide, or committing a crime. You can imagine how a man with Klum’s talents could take the role of Mysterio to new heights.
Killed Kingpin
Probably one of Mysterio’s greatest accomplishments, besides making it into an MCU film, is the fact that he killed the Kingpin in the Ultimate universe. A fact made all the more impressive when you recall that the Mysterio of the Ultimate universe is nothing but an android designed by Quentin Beck to cause as much trouble for the Ultimate Universe as possible. Mysterio may have some major difficulties standing up against the likes of Spider-Man, but it seems like even with the entirety of New York’s crime families behind him, Kingpin just couldn’t match up again the master of illusion Mysterio. Or his multi-dimensional android clone.