Everyone’s going gaga over the new Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer. There’s plenty to be excited about. From the flirting between Aunt May and Happy
The character’s got a long history with Peter Parker. His debut presented an interesting discussion in the trailer. Let’s break down just who Mysterio, Quentin Beck, the master of illusion is, and just what role he could play in the MCU.
Who is Quentin Beck, AKA Mysterio?
Quentin Beck is a Hollywood special effects wizard. He becomes disillusioned with the film business and decides to use his talent for VFX and acting to become a supervillain. The character battled multiple enemies in the Marvel Universe. Spider-Man remained his number one foe however, and the two clashed on several occasions. Beck was obsessed with getting the edge over the well-known wall-crawler.
The former artist used everything from illusion to psychotropic drugs to entrap Spider-Man and his friends and enemies. Utilizing everything from fake movie sets to alien disguises, he tries to thrwart Peter at every turn. His efforts earned him the respect of the Secret Six, a team of super villains dedicated to bringing Spider-Man down. Recruited into multiple iterations of the team, he worked alongside such iconic members of Peter’s rogues gallery including Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Black Cat, and others.
Beck’s wizardry has only taken him so far however, and he has earned the ire of most of the Secret Six groups. Despite doing everything from making deals with demons to travelling to other dimensions, he still managed to lose. Eventually imprisoned, Mysterio is given early release when it’s discovered he has a brain tumor and cancer from the radiation in his equipment.
Beck switches his attention to Daredevil. After attempting to drug the devil of Hell’s Kitchen and his associates, Daredevil eventually beats him. Beck hopes that Matt will kill him, considering it a grand end to his final show. Daredevil rebuffed him and called him a human xerox machine incapable of “original thought.” Since then, Mysterio has remained a B-List villain in the Marvel universe.
Where Could Mysterio’s Journey go in Spider-Man: Far From Home
It’s our fondest hope that Mysterio could lead to more exploration of Hollywood in the Marvel Universe. Much like New York relies on its newspaper and publishing culture, there are stories dealing with Hollywood that tie into heroes like Moon Knight and others. For such a power-house franchise, there’s a lot of possibilities. It would be great, after 20 years, for the MCU to potentially poke fun at itself. Mysterio could be a pathway for a serious exploration of the entertainment industry that might lead to more hilarious meta opportunities.
The MCU has shared that Mysterio doesn’t have positive intentions. While he might come from Hollywood, he’s rumored to be the head of a group of thieves. That makes the stuff seen in the trailer interesting. The trailer presents Mysterio as a positive character. Someone who is “Thor and Iron Man” combined. With an almost-comic accurate suit, it seems likely that Mysterio is creating the enemies Peter will be fighting. Alternatively, there could be some sort of inhumans or people with powers at play.
Hydro-Man is a character in the comic books as well as Sand Man (all characters that Spider-Man has fought who also have connections to the Secret Six.). There could be some sort of falling out between Mysterio and Spider-Man. At this point, anything is possible. It’s a long time until Spider-Man: Far from Home hits theaters. We have plenty of time to think about the mystery at the heart of Mysterio.
Do you have any theories? What did you think of Mysterio’s first appearance in the MCU? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Spider-Man: Far From Home swings into theaters on July 5th, 2019.