Spider-Man has faced numerous diabolical foes throughout his storied theatrical career, but perhaps none so cunning and mentally taxing as Mysterio. Quentin Beck, otherwise known as Mysterio, is a special effects guru and stunt man with big dreams of working for Hollywood film studio. Sadly, he found his career in special effects in the proverbial toilet, and his acting attempts got him nowhere. Following failure, the only logical conclusion leads an expert in illusions and graceful falling to the high-demand profession of Supervillainry (which clearly worked, since he now has a role in blockbuster film Spider-Man: Far From Home). And who better to play a failed actor and expert mind-messer than thespian Jake Gyllenhaal, who has struggled mightily since peaking in the hit 2001 comedy Bubble Boy.
Unlike Jake Gyllenhaal, Quentin Beck does not possess superhuman abilities. He designs gadgets and elaborate illusions, he is a hypnotist and magician, he can take a punch (stuntman, duh), and he is skilled at misdirection and wearing a fishbowl on his head. In the comics, Mysterio’s suit includes a helmet made of one-way Plexiglas, meaning he can see out but no one can see Jake Gyllenhaal’s handsome mug (this may change for the movie, since Sony pays a lot of money for Gyllenhaal’s mug). The helmet also protects him from his toxic gases, includes sonar to navigate within his mist cloak, and creates 3D illusions.
Much about Spider-Man: Far From Home is still unknown, including small, unimportant details like the plot. Full disclosure: we don’t even know for sure that Gyllenhaal is playing arch-villain Mysterio. Some believe that this is an elaborate misdirection, and Gyllenhaal is actually playing Peter Parker’s (Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland) acquaintance and eventual nemesis Norman Osborn (a.k.a. Green Goblin). With actors Numan Acar and J.B. Smoove also in the mix and having unconfirmed roles (though Acar is rumored to play the villainous Chameleon), perhaps another actor will don the fishbowl and all of this is an illusion designed by Mysterio himself.
Will Mysterio be Spidey’s greatest challenge yet, or will he go up in smoke? Check out the leaked pics below, including the video below that, and let us know in the comments what you think about Jake Gyllenhaal joining returning cast members Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, and Marisa Tomei in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
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