Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Spider-Man: Far From Home
Spider-Man: Far From Home closes out the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 in style, with the best post-credits scene so far. Spider-Man: Homecoming may have pranked us all with the Captain America "Patience" PSA at the very end of the credits, but that didn't stop fans from sticking around for hints of what's to come in the MCU. Far From Home's mid-credits scene not only brought back J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson in a delightful cameo, but also completely blew up Spider-Man's secret identity.
In the second solo outing for Tom Holland's version of Spider-Man, Peter Parker is still mourning the death of Iron Man and hoping to catch a break from the superhero life by taking a school trip to Europe. However, it isn't long before he's recruited by Nick Fury, who is working with a new superhero called Mysterio to stop a group of supervillains called the Elementals. Peter realizes too late, after handing over control of Tony Stark's EDITH system to Mysterio, that the Elementals were actually faked using advanced special effects, and Mysterio himself is the real villain - a disgruntled ex-employee of Tony Stark, using BARF technology to portray himself as a noble superhero.
Spider-Man ultimately manages to defeat Mysterio and stop his plan to destroy half of London, and Mysterio is killed by bullets from one of his own drones. Peter and MJ finally declare their feelings for one another and share a romantic kiss, and it seems as though the danger has passed. However, after returning to New York and going on their first "date," Peter and MJ are interrupted by a news bulletin. Before his death, Mysterio made a video that paints Spider-Man as the villain of the attack on London. But that's only one part of the big surprise!
Far From Home's Mid-Credits Scene Brings Back J. Jonah Jameson
Spider-Man has been rebooted twice in the past decade, so we've different version of Peter Parker, Aunt May, MJ, Gwen Stacy and Uncle Ben. However, there's only one J. Jonah Jameson: J.K. Simmons' version, who made his debut in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and reprised the role in the two sequels. With his rapid-fire patter and inimitable screen presence, Simmons' Jameson is one of the defining characters of the original Spider-Man trilogy, perhaps even more so than Spider-Man himself. His return in Far From Home was a well-guarded secret and a delightful surprise for fans.
After dropping the bombshell of Mysterio framing Spider-Man for the attack on London, the news bulletin reveals that the video was posted by TheDailyBugle.net, and then cuts to Jameson gleefully declaring the video to be proof that Spider-Man was responsible for the brutal murder of beloved hero Mysterio. Then, Jameson gets the honor of dropping an even bigger bombshell, as a further video clip shows Mysterio revealing Spider-Man's secret identity, and a photo of Peter Parker, to the world.
Far-From Home's Mid-Credits Scene Changes Everything For Spider-Man
It's become standard for Marvel post-credits scenes to set up future movies, but this is generally done in the form of previews, like Captain Marvel meeting the Avengers for the first time, or teases like Thanos donning the Infinity Gauntlet and saying "I'll do it myself." Perhaps the most famous and iconic post-credits scene so far is the original Iron Man's, in which Tony Stark is approached by a strange man called Nick Fury, who says that he wants to talk to him about something called "The Avenger Initiative." It was this scene that truly birthed the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and marked a change in the landscape of cinema as we know it.
While Spider-Man: Far From Home's mid-credits scene may not have the same universe-wide implications, it does change everything for Spider-Man. The two previous movie versions of the character always managed to keep their secret identities under wraps from the general public, and Spider-Man's anonymity has always been a core part of his character. Far From Home itself had fun with the idea of Peter being an internationally-known superhero while wearing a mask, while still being a bit of a loser and an underdog at school. Now, Mysterio has completely blown up Peter's normal life and set up a Spider-Man movie like we've never seen before: one where the character is a fugitive who can't even take off his mask and retreat to his normal life.
How Will Far From Home's Mid-Credits Scene Affect Phase 4?
The big question now, of course, is how the MCU will deal with a Spider-Man who no longer has a secret identity, and a Peter Parker whose name and face are known to the world. When Spider-Man revealed his secret identity in the comics things didn't end well, with Aunt May being lethally shot because of her relationship to Peter, and Peter sacrificing his marriage to MJ in order to save her. Needless to say, this scene has major implications for Phase 4 of the MCU.
In many ways, shaking up the status quo might be the best possible thing for the Spider-Man franchise - for the same reason that the movies were wise not to tell the character's origin story all over again. We've already seen Peter Parker gain superpowers, learn how to use them, and adjust to the responsibilities of being a superhero in two recent Spider-Man movie franchises. The MCU now has an opportunity to do something that moviegoing audiences have never seen before: portray a world where Spider-Man's alias is known and protecting his secret is no longer a chief concern.
Spider-Man: Far From Home's mid-dredits scene is particularly great because it reflects Peter's main struggle in the movie: trying to live up to the legacy of Iron Man. This is something that he arguably couldn't have done while maintaining a secret identity, since the MCU's Iron Man has been open about who he is behind the mask since the end of the very first Iron Man movie. And just as Tony Stark declaring "I am Iron Man" was a defining moment for him," Peter Parker being exposed as Spider-Man can be a defining moment as well.