Although Jake Gyllenhaal is appearing as Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home, unlike his comic book counterpart, he will not be a villain. Instead, he'll help the Web-Slinger battle strange creatures called Elementals, three of which we saw wreaking havoc in the first Far From Home trailer that dropped today. However, thanks to some subtle Easter eggs, it's been confirmed that these three Elementals aren't faithful adaptations of the Elementals from the comics, but in fact versions of Sandman, Molten Man and Hydro-Man.
Let's go in order of when these Easter eggs appear in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer. First, look closely at the boat behind Ned.
The Asm 212 refers to The Amazing Spider-Man #212, the comic book that Morris Bench, a.k.a. Hydro-Man, debuted in. It was rumored last year that Hydro-Man could be in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and while Marvel hasn't outright mentioned that character just yet, later in the trailer, we see Mysterio battling a giant water creature.
Next up, we have Nick Fury and Maria Hill shooting at a giant earth monster. Look at the license plate of the car in front of them.
In case you're having trouble making it out, the first portion of that license plate reads 463, referring when Sandman first showed up in Marvel Comics, 1963's The Amazing Spider-Man #4. Sandman was previously played on the big screen by Thomas Haden Church in 2007's Spider-Man 3.
Finally, shortly after we witness a giant fire monster making an explosive entrance, there's this shot of people fleeing, though it's hard to tell whether it's from this attack or something different. Either way, look at the license plate on the left.
2865 SEP: The Amazing Spider-Man #28, released in September 1965, introduced Mark Raxton, a.k.a. Molten Man. That makes three villain teases in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer, and each of those villains have powers that correspond with the Elementals shown. Coincidence? I think not!
In case you're still skeptical about these Easter eggs, it should be noted that this isn't the first time director Jon Watts has teased Spider-Man characters in this fashion. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, two license plates read AMF-1562 and SM2-0563, respectively. The first referenced 1962's Amazing Fantasy #15, Spider-Man's first appearance, and the second referenced May 1963's The Amazing Spider-Man #2, Vulture's first appearance. So there is precedence for all this.
Needless to say that Spider-Man: Far From Home's versions of Sandman, Molten Man and Hydro-Man would be quite different than how they're usually depicted. In the comics, these are individuals who gained their special abilities by accident, whereas here, they appear to be mystical or alien personifications of the forces of nature. Speaking of which, there's no air Elemental shown in the Far From Home trailer, so it'll be interesting to see which Spidey villain is picked to stand in for that monster.
It's also possible that the Elemental versions of Sandman, Molten Man and Hydro-Man are actually human, and that their transformations are a part of a larger scheme masterminded by Mysterio (I still suspect we'll see him become a villain) or someone else. Whatever their backgrounds are, these Elementals are definitely going to give Spider-Man a run for his money and put a major strain on his vacation.
Spider-Man: Far From Home swings into theaters on July 5. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage, and in the meantime, look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what else opens this year.
