In other clips Beck is shown working with SHIELD boss Nicky Fury (Samuel L Jackson), mentoring Peter with advice about superheroism and generally being a stand-up, A-OK guy. Claiming to hail from another universe, Mysterio first appears in the trailer showing off impressive super-powers (including flight and what looks like magic-based energy projection) as he bravely fights off a monster made of water.
The character though, couldn’t be more different. While Quentin Beck was never quite as hunky under the helmet as Jake Gyllenhaal, generally speaking the version of Mysterio we see in the Far From Home trailer is pretty close to how he looks in the comics, right down to that iconic fishbowl head. Which is why we’re far from convinced about what we’re seeing of him in Far From Home… Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home Over the years Beck’s techniques have developed, adding hallucinogenic drugs, 3D holographic illusions and other weaponry to his arsenal alongside his own stuntman training, spring-loaded boots and “mist-cloak,” all used to try and disorientate and confuse his foes.Īll of which is to say, even as supervillains go he’s pretty tricksy and untrustworthy. A couple of wannabe successors – Daniel Berkhart and Francis Klum – popped up at various points before, in true comic-book fashion, Quentin Beck returned from the dead in mysterious circumstances. Later, a terminally ill Mysterio tried and failed to send Daredevil mad, and ended up killing himself in despair when the plot failed.
He also regularly teamed up with other villains including Doctor Octopus and the Vulture for groups like the Sinister Six, but no matter what he did he was always beaten and arrested. In one memorable battle he tried to convince Spider-Man that he’d shrunk him to six inches tall using the power of post-hypnotic suggestion, and in another he disguised himself as a world-renowned psychiatrist to use hypnosis and technology to try and drive Peter Parker mad.
Mysterio, aka Quentin Beck, first appears in the Amazing Spider-Man 13 in June 1964, where he appeared to effortlessly defeat Spider-Man with an array of incredible powers, including a blinding mist and the ability to block Spidey’s webbing with a gesture.Ī movie stuntman by trade who decided his job in special effects was a dead-end and was unable to make it as an actor, Beck had instead realised that his knowledge of costumes, physical enhancements and illusions could make him an effective criminal.Īnd so it seemed at first – but when Spider-Man realised how to negate Beck’s abilities (which were all mostly smoke and mirrors) Mysterio swore vengeance, and continued to plague the web-swinger over the coming years. Until the film’s release we’ll have to look into our own metaphorical crystal ball…helmet…and make an educated guess – though the character’s comic-book history could give us a few clues. But is this all a clever trick from a new Mysterio? Has director Jon Watts gone in a new direction for a reason we can’t yet foresee? And what makes Gyllenhaal’s version of Mysterio so different anyway?