Image via Sony
While we’ve seen many classic Spider-Man villains on the screen (Green Goblin, Venom, or Doctor Octopus might ring a bell), longtime comic fans have been patiently waiting for one in particular to rear his dome-shaped head. Often thought to be too silly a character to be adapted from page to film, Mysterio (played by former Spider-Man contender Jake Gyllenhaal) will finally make his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest Spider-Man movie, Far From Home, in theaters July 2nd. But just who is he?
Quentin Beck—or Mysterio, as he’d come to be called—was created and introduced by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko back in 1964’s The Amazing Spider-Man #13. Beck’s story begins in Hollywood of all places, where he’s a triple threat: stuntman, magician, and special effects artist. (Think of him as Gob Bluth, but evil). A jack of all trades but master of none, Beck’s career stalls and he decides his skillset might be used more effectively elsewhere.
After studying Spider-Man and deeming him a worthy fall guy, Beck leans on his movie chops to artificially replicate the hero’s abilities, including a nylon spray for webs and suction cups for wall-scaling. In full Spidey costume, Beck initially poses as Spider-Man to frame him for a series of robberies. He then lures Spider-Man into a trap atop the Brooklyn Bridge, besting him and positioning his alter ego, Mysterio, as the city’s newest hero. Of course, Spider-Man eventually gets the drop on Beck, defeating and humiliating the villain in the process.
Beck, doing business as Mysterio, proves to be somewhat of an admirable foe, as his suit has all kinds of tricks illusions designed to counter Spider-Man specifically. His now-infamous fishbowl helmet contains a sonar device that disrupts Peter’s Spider-Sense; his gauntlets are filled with a special fluid that dissolves webbing; the bottom of his boots shoot smoke for distraction or cover and are also spring-loaded so he can mimic Spidey’s acrobatic feats.
Image via Marvel
Beck would eventually go on to become one of the founding members of the Sinister Six, the villainous supergroup formed by Doctor Octopus to take down Spider-Man. Despite the combined powers of Beck, Doc Ock, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Sandman, and Vulture, Spider-Man ultimately proves victorious. Beck floats in and out of Spider-Man’s life, joining a new Sinister Six, taking on Daredevil (more on that in a bit), faking his own death, and various other comic book shenanigans--but the key takeaway is that sleight of hand and obfuscation are the name of the game for Mysterio. When he appears to be telling the truth, he rarely is.
In his MCU debut, Mysterio appears to have been lovingly adapted, big ol’ fishbowl head and all, as he looks to team up with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker abroad. While Into the Spider-Verse fans got understandably excited about a Far From Home clip that made mention of the multiverse, we’re not sure yet if Beck’s bluffing or telling the truth. Regardless, we won’t have to wait much longer to find out his true purpose. To hold you over until then, check out some of our favorite Mysterio comics listed below.
The Amazing Spider-Man #13 (1964)
As mentioned above, this was Mysterio’s introduction, penned by Stan Lee with art by Steve Ditko. Also of note: Beck’s crime spree, carried out while he was disguised as Spider-Man, goes so far as to convince Peter that he may have developed a split personality. Additionally, there’s a totally absurd bit where, after Mysterio defeats Spider-Man, Beck then receives a ticker-tape parade through New York City. The climax also features a sprawling battle across a soundstage, with plenty of striking backgrounds for Ditko to situate the character within.
Daredevil: Guardian Devil (1999)
Written by filmmaker Kevin Smith and illustrated by Joe Quesada, Guardian Devil finds Mysterio turning his attention to the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. After he’s diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, Beck strikes a deal with Kingpin to get all of Matt Murdock’s secrets, part of his scheme to push Daredevil to his breaking point. Throughout the story, here are just some of the things that Mysterio does:
::Deep breath::
Infects Matt with a chemical that makes him more aggressive; introduces Matt to a young child and heavily insinuates the child may be the Anti-Christ; convinces Matt’s love interest, Karen Page, she has a terminal illness; frames Matt’s partner, Foggy Nelson, for murder; and hires Bullseye to attempt to kill Daredevil.
::Exhales::
It’s a truly insane storyline, one that doubles down on the dark and gritty tone established by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli in their legendary 1986 tale, Born Again. Their influence will inhabit most Daredevil tales for the better part of a decade--also making Mysterio an even more compelling villain in the process.
Amazing Spider-Man #618 - #620: "Mysterioso" (2010)
Following Guardian Devil, Mysterio takes a backseat for a time until he returns as part of the Gauntlet storyline. As part of an arc that reintroduced readers to classic Spider-Man villains, Mysterio finds himself working to accelerate a turf war between rival gangs (including one helmed by Mr. Negative, as featured in the Spider-Man Playstation 4 game). Naturally, Spider-Man shows up to save the day, and it’s only a matter of time before Mysterio finds himself in over his head, again. After this defeat, Beck would lay low until…
Spider-Men (2012)
Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sarah Pichelli set up a Universe-spanning caper that united Miles Morales and Peter Parker for the first time. After getting caught in a device that can access other dimensions (created by Mysterio), Peter finds himself in the Ultimate Marvel Universe not long after that dimension’s version of Peter has died. Sound familiar? Elements of Spider-Men were tapped for the story that we all saw—and loved—in 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse. The two heroes have to work together to stop Mysterio and return Peter to his proper timeline.