The following article contains massive spoilers in regard to Spider-Man: Far From Home. Many aspects of the story and post-credit sequences will be spoiled. Only continue if you have already seen the film or do not care for spoilers. You have been warned.
Mysterio might have become one of the MCU’s most interesting characters. Not only does he work thematically into the story but also from an emotional standpoint. He plays perfectly into the current MCU after Avengers: Endgame and pushes Peter into a new world. Quentin Beck teaches the cruel world of adults by abusing Peter’s kind nature while pushing him to his limits. He already had an internal struggle on what it means for him to continue on his path. The world asking if he will be the next Iron Man while he is just trying to survive as Spider-Man. Luckily, with the help of MJ, he figures out Beck’s deception and is able to stop him alongside a drone army that was creating the hallucinations. At the end of it all, Beck’s stubbornness gets him shot by his own drones’ ricochet and it seems as if he had died. That was not all, as before he passed away he made Mysterio seem like the greatest hero ever in the eye of the public and revealed Spidey’s true identity to the world. The man with an almost endless amount of plans left a dying message for his followers to share. Somehow it is a bit hard to believe that Marvel Studios would use such a creative villain like Mysterio and Jake Gyllenhaal for a one-off villain. So, here are our theories on how the characters may return in future MCU installments.
Mysterio Playing the Long Con
Let us get the obvious theory out first. It would make sense for Quentin Beck, the man who fooled the fake Nick Fury, to pretend as if he died. Peter did confirm that he wasn’t an illusion with the help of Edith, which was a surprising dark moment for the character. Beck had a smile on his face as he lied there presumably dead. Yet, outside of the post-credit sequence, there isn’t really a confirmation of his death. Peter only makes sure that Quentin is, in fact, Quentin and not an illusion. He did try to shoot him while faking his death so it made sense for him to make sure that it wasn’t just another attempt.
We don’t see a scene of Fury recovering his body or even him being arrested so they could go either direction. Moreover, he had an entire team to assist him and a lady was supposed to bring him his suit. There is a chance that he faked his death and was dragged off by one of his compatriots. It seems that Talos did not consider that he was working with a group, as to them there was only Beck orchestrating everything. The drones can create any kind of illusion so him getting potentially shot as well seemed almost planned to use a “fake death” scenario just in case. Perhaps Mysterio always planned on dying; it looked as if it was resentment towards Stark at first for naming his technology B.A.R.F. but maybe he truly just wanted the world to believe he was a hero. Still, for a man so obsessed with becoming famous, it wouldn’t be too surprising if he planned out a grand return to defeat the villainous Spider-Man and cement himself as the ultimate hero.
There is a lot of potential with a character like Mysterio. He left such a massive impact in the MCU it would be a waste to not have him return in a future installment. The post-credit from Spider-Man: Homecoming teased the potential appearance of the Sinister Six and he would make for a perfect mastermind. Normally there is always a mastermind that is controlling from the shadows. In the animated series Spectacular Spider-Man and in the comics it was commonly Doctor Octopus. He wasn’t introduced into this universe as of now and Beck has already proven to be quite a formidable foe that works from the shadows. With the world believing Mysterio is a hero, he could easily manipulate the villains to attack Peter. He has all the information they need beyond just his name to get to him. Vulture, Tinkerer, Shocker, and Scorpion already were introduced and would be interested in getting their hands on Peter. Even better, Mysterio has his thing for flair so he and his team might create some more comic-accurate costumes for Shocker and Scorpion. As soon as they all corner Spidey, Mysterio returns from the dead and takes them all, or at least tries.
Even Dead, I’m the Hero
So, let us assume that was his plan. J. Jonah Jameson made him look like the greatest hero that lives on as the next Iron Man. As such, it would not be too surprising for that legacy to live on in some form or manner. The before-mentioned team may not just try to find someone to continue his legacy. It may not be Quentin Beck but other incarnations of the character that have taken the mantle in the comics. They could go with Gerry Conway and Ross Andru‘s Daniel Berkhart or even Kevin Smith and Terry Dodson‘s Francis Klum. They could even go with Mysterion, who appeared in the Superior Spider-Man run and became an unwilling ally to the mind-altered Spidey. We still have not had a legacy villain up until this point and could be an interesting way to mix things up.
Actually, let us add an extra lair to the Mysterio legacy. The world now sees him as a hero and we do know that Spidey had to face him as a villain. Now, he is seen as a “menace” in the public eye, which many know as a classic view of the character by J. Jonah Jameson. Now imagine, one of the before-mentioned characters becomes a new heroic version of Mysterio only to meet a rather brutal end once meeting with Spider-Man. They believe he is a villain that killed their idol and want to take him down on their own. It would add an incredible layer to the difficulty of Spidey trying to prove himself as a hero in this day and age. Beck’s scheme changes more than just Peter Parker’s life but also challenges the way he needs to interact with this brand new world. He may know what that man once was but the rest does not share his perception. Fighting a new Mysterio will only get Peter into more trouble and hurt is public opinion.
The Perfect Doppelganger
Hell, let us take it one step further. How about continuing the character of Quentin Beck through a copy cat. If there is anyone that perfectly fits the role it would be Chameleon a.k.a. Dmitri Anatoly Nikolayevich Smerdyakov (I never realized how long his name was until now). Numan Acar supposedly played the character in the film. While he only had a stoic background role, there is quite a bit they can do with him. He was part of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team led by the fake Fury so he could be a Skrull or an undercover agent for Beck. He might have access to S.H.I.E.L.D. technology so we could see the return of the face-changing masks from Captain America: Winter Soldier. Someone who can alter his face certainly would fit the role to keep Mysterio living on. He has now known as the world’s greatest hero so what better opportunity to keep the man alive with someone who can impersonate anyone.
Mysterio wasn’t just one single man. He had an entire team of disgruntled former Stark employees working for him. The man also seemed to have contingency plans for almost any outcome and with him creating an illusion to make the world believe Spidey is a fraud. He literally walked around in a mocap suit while his projection was thrown around. In a world with this technology, they pretty much could have a digital copy of him available. Beck was ready for almost anything so he might have some plan to maybe stick around. He is the inventor of B.A.R.F. after all so why wouldn’t he experiment with some way to continue his legacy in some grand return even beyond death.
What are your hopes for Mysterio in the MCU? How do you think he might return? Leave your theories in the comments!
Source: Digital Spy
