This article is packed with Spider-Man: Far From Home SPOILERS. So do yourself a favor and don’t look further until you’ve joined Peter Parker on his summer European vacation!!
From the moment we learned Jake Gyllenhaal was joining the MCU as the legendary Mysterio, we knew we were in for a treat… but wow did Far From Home deliver! The summer hit beautifully turned Quentin Beck into a formidable foe for Tom Holland’s young Spidey, complete with a fresh and intriguing backstory. Sure, most of us saw right through that ‘good guy’ misdirect in the trailers; however, there still managed to be a big pay off by the film's conclusion.
There are lingering questions after Mysterio’s debut appearance and on-screen defeat. Is that really it for the character? Are we really to believe he’s been defeated and we’ll never see Jake Gyllenhaal’s masterful villain return to the MCU? If Spider-Man: Far From Home taught us anything, it was to question what’s in front of us on the big screen and I’ve got a few ideas that may point to Quentin Beck’s resurrection in future Marvel films. Here we go:
He’s A Master of Illusion
If he’s fooled Spider-Man once, what’s stopping him from pulling it off again? Far From Home closes out with Peter Parker finally being able to outsmart his newfound enemy at London’s Tower Bridge. Mysterio is shot by one of his own drones thanks to some cleverness from Spidey. Stark’s glasses even confirm the reality of Beck’s defeat, but there are a few aspects to this final battle that make Mysterio’s death maybe not so final.
For one, Quentin Beck and his team of experts had possession of the glasses for quite some time. They could have easily programmed the moment beforehand as part of a grander plan. Mysterio’s final words even have a theatrical quality to it as he leaves Peter with “people need to believe, and nowadays, they’ll believe anything.” Perhaps that's a word of caution rather than just a powerfully dramatic moment?
Also, it’s not just Beck at the helm of the operation. He and his crew have been seemingly planning to take down Stark since the first Iron Man, that’s over 10 years and they’re geniuses. Did the grieving and sidetracked Spidey really pull a win opposite them with that in mind?
What About That Surprise Mid-Credits Reveal?
Then there’s that startling mid-credits scene to get into! In an amazing surprise, J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy showed up on-screen to share some important breaking news: the reveal of Peter Parker as the web-slinging hero to the world. It seemed to be tipped off by Mysterio himself as he framed Parker for the drone attack with some doctored footage from his own attack.
If you want to really play the long game and take down Spider-Man, giving away his identity to the world is certainly the way to do it. So would Mysterio and his masterful team only do this as an afterthought to their plan or was it in the cards the whole time? If Mysterio’s death was orchestrated for a purpose, this is the ultimate one. The showdown forced Peter to take off his mask and to say the line that frames him in the footage, making it all feel intentional for this specific reveal.
After this, Spider-Man will have weakened defenses and you can bet other foes will come out of the woodwork to take him on, bringing me to the next point…
What About The Sinister Six?
It’s been long-theorized the MCU’s Spider-Man will feature the Sinister Six, which famously include Vulture and Mysterio, already played by Michael Keaton and Jake Gyllenhaal. Scorpion was also briefly set-up in Spider-Man: Homecoming, who Vulture spoke to in prison at the end. Also in Homecoming, Shocker and Chameleon may have also made an appearance, along with Donald Glover’s Aaron Davis, aka Prowler.
If you’re keeping count, that's six villains that have been already set up, even though the majority of them were brief and in the background. Why do this if Mysterio wasn’t going to join in on the fun? Sinister Five doesn’t have the same ring to it does it? Especially considering he’s the perfect candidate to really lead the operation alongside Vulture.
Now it’s unclear whether Mysterio and Vulture have already been acquainted before Far From Home, but they both have been wronged by Stark Industries and Adrian Toomes does have the intel of Peter’s identity already. It would also be awesome to see Michael Keaton and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Spidey villains in cahoots.
Two Words: Jake. Gyllenhaal.
Marvel chief Kevin Feige recently revealed that he’d been looking for the perfect role for Jake Gyllenhaal for quite some time - approaching the actor “multiple times” to join the Marvel universe. So now that they have the critically-acclaimed actor on their roster, why wouldn’t they keep him for at least a of couple appearances?
There feels like there is more to explore in the actor’s villainous role and while he has strayed away from franchise roles in the past, Jake Gyllenhaal has clearly been smitten with his experience with the MCU thus far, especially considering his blooming bromance with Tom Holland. He has also been taking on intensely dramatic work for a majority of his career, so kicking it as Mysterio with the rest of the talented MCU cast doesn’t sound half bad? It’s a new challenge for him to get to explore his characters more deeply with more than one appearance, too!
How about it? I think we’ve convinced ourselves to Mysterio’s return to the MCU? Despite all the misdirection in Far From Home, there’s tons of evidence pointing to another appearance of Jake Gyllenhaal’s character in the franchise. We’re not only talking Spider-Man films either! Could he be a part of a larger story arc in the upcoming Phase Four? Peter Parker might need all the help he can get with potentially six villains against him!
What do you think? Is Mysterio coming back after Far From Home? How would you like to see it happen? Any more evidence I missed? Sound off in the comments!
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