Draft:Quentin Beck (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

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Quentin Beck
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
First appearanceSpider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Based on
Mysterio
by
Adapted by
Portrayed byJake Gyllenhaal
In-universe information
AliasMysterio
Occupation
Affiliation
Weapon
NationalityAmerican

Quentin Beck is a fictional character portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and sometimes known by his alias, Mysterio. In the MCU, Beck is a former Stark Industries employee and holographic illusion specialist, who was fired by Tony Stark for being "unstable". Embittered, Beck sought to gain recognition he felt he deserved, teaming up with a group of other ex-Stark employees. Together they staged a series of drone attacks disguised by complex illusions, with the intention of making Beck look like a hero from another dimension.

Beck successfully tricked the Skrulls impersonating Nick Fury and Maria Hill (as well as Peter Parker) into believing his story, gaining access to Tony Stark's technological glasses with the intention of staging even larger attacks. Beck's plan was discovered by Parker and Michelle Jones, however, and he was eventually killed by one of his own drones whilst fighting Parker. After his death, Beck's team framed Parker by doctoring footage of their fight to demonize Spider-Man and reveal his identity to the world.

Beck was introduced in the film Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Gyllenhaal reprising his role in the web series The Daily Bugle and the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) through archival footage.

Concept and casting[edit]

Gyllenhaal, who portrays Beck, at the Spider-Man: Far From Home premiere in 2019.

Quentin Beck was originally created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, first appearing as Mysterio in The Amazing Spider-Man #13 (June 1964),[1] although it would be retconned that the aliens seen in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 had been Beck and his men in disguise.[2] Beck is depicted in the comics as a skilled special effects artist, stuntman, illusionist, and actor using his talents to commit crimes.

In May 2018, Gyllenhaal was reported to be in talks to play Beck in the Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) sequel,[3][4] and later confirmed his casting that December.[5] Gyllenhaal was previously going to replace Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in Spider-Man 2 (2004) due to Maguire suffering from back problems during filming of Seabiscuit (2003). Maguire managed to return to set shortly afterwards and continued filming Spider-Man 2.[6] Matt Damon, who played an Asgardian actor playing Loki in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), was offered the role of Mysterio in early 2018, but turned down the offer.[7]

Characterization[edit]

Early in the process of writing Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers had discussed the possibility of using several different villains, but had "always came back to" using Beck, feeling that he was the most logical choice as antagonist for the film. McKenna and Sommers struggled to think of how to update Beck from the source material, leading to conversations with the creative team about how to adapt the character. It was decided that after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Beck would be able to take advantage of the fallout.[8] Director Jon Watts agreed, stating that people would be more likely to believe Beck's lies.[9] Watts also supported the inclusion of Beck as the main antagonist as it allowed the inclusion of a sequence where Beck tortured Parker with his illusions, which he found to be "creatively daunting".[10]

Early in the writing process, McKenna and Sommers considered having Beck be a Skrull in disguise. However, this was mostly abandoned, with only Nick Fury and Maria Hill being revealed to be Skrulls.[8] Other early versions of the story showed Beck already as an "out-and-out" villain that Parker and Fury had to chase around Europe as he orchestrated the Elemental attacks, with his backstory being fleshed out around the third act. Eventually, the writers concluded that it would feel natural for Beck to mislead others with his alter ego, choosing to give him a fake backstory to hide his villainy.[11] Due to this decision clashing with Fury's characterization, Watts later decided to establish the Fury seen in the film to be Talos, following his first screening of Captain Marvel (2019). In contrast, Watts and the writers decided early on that Beck's illusions would be connected to the "B.A.R.F." system, as seen in Captain America: Civil War (2016).[10]

Upon conceiving the idea of Beck exposing Parker's secret identity, McKenna and Sommers discussed whether Parker should sacrifice his identity out of necessity or if Beck would trick him into revealing it. They were initially unsure whether Parker's identity should simply be exposed, or whether he should be framed and turned into a pariah, before realizing that both could be done through Beck's machinations. In turn, this decision allowed the writers to integrate J. Jonah Jameson into the story so that he could expose Parker.[11]

Gyllenhaal shared ideas with the writers regarding the character's personality, and was drawn to the idea that Quentin Beck is "manipulating everyone's love of superheroes and that need for heroes". Gyllenhaal wanted to play the character's fake backstory as realistically as possible.[12] Regarding Beck's relationship with Parker, Watts says that "If Tony Stark was sort of the mentor in the previous films, we thought it would be interesting to play Mysterio as almost like the cool uncle".[13] Watts felt that Beck could also serve to reevaluate Stark's legacy, being a reminder of how Stark made some mistakes in his life and created some enemies like Beck and his crewmembers, with Stark's heroic death allowing the opportunistic Beck to see an opportunity to tackle Iron Man's legend. Watts also compared Beck to a film director and his crew like a film crew, which served like a meta narrative.[10] Despite the difficulty of what Beck's plan was and how he would carry out it, McKenna and Sommers decided to depict Beck as a friend, an ally and potential replacement mentor for Parker after Stark's death, only to eventually reveal his deceptiveness;[8] they felt that Mysterio serves like a "dark father figure" towards Parker at the end fo the film for exposing him from the grave.[11] By having Beck exposing Parker at the end of the film as Parker struggles to take over Tony Stark's legacy, there's a purposeful reflection to the ending of Iron Man (2008), where Stark voluntarily reveals himself as Iron Man.[10] Watts was excited to have Beck team with Fury and Parker as it introduced the character to the MCU "in a way that people weren't expecting".[14]

Fictional character biography[edit]

Stark Industries and betrayal[edit]

Beck worked for Stark Industries as an engineer, developing holographic technology. Tony Stark showcased the technology at Stark Expo in 2016, dubbing it "B.A.R.F." for "Binary Augmented Retro-Framing".[a] Believing his work could change the world, Beck became disillusioned with Stark for misusing and "stealing" his work. He was subsequently fired for his unstable nature. Swearing revenge, he teamed up with other embittered ex-Stark Industries employees to create complex illusions known as the "Elementals", using drones equipped with his holographic technology.

A narrative was fabricated by Beck and his team, in which he and the Elementals originated from a different reality in the Multiverse dubbed "Earth-833" that was destroyed by the entities, leaving Beck as the sole survivor. Due to a dimensional tear caused by The Blip, he and the Elementals were supposedly able to to enter their dimension, dubbed "Dimension 616".

Mysterio and death[edit]

Further information: Spider-Man: Far From Home

Upon Stark's death in 2024, Beck and his team learnt of him passing the E.D.I.T.H. glasses onto Peter Parker / Spider-Man. Seeing an opportunity for Mysterio to replace Stark as the 'next Iron Man', the team stages the first elemental attack in Ixtenco, where Beck introduced himself to Nick Fury and Maria Hill. After staging another attack in Morocco, Beck stages the next attack in Venice, meeting Parker as Mysterio for the first time. After 'saving' the city, Beck is dubbed Mysterio by the local news.

After Parker was recruited by Fury to help 'defeat' the Elementals, his trip was routed to Prague, where the site of the final elemental attack was due to happen. When Parker gets stressed due to the pressure placed on him by both Fury and his duty as a hero, Beck comforts him on a rooftop before fighting the final elemental, gaining his trust. Upon fighting and 'defeating' the final elemental, Beck persuades Parker to transfer ownership of E.D.I.T.H. and the drone network to him. Upon Parker leaving, Beck and his team celebrate. However, Beck notices a broken holographic projector, realising that Parker is aware of his secret. Luring Parker to Berlin, Beck subjects him to a series of horrific illusions (including a zombified Stark), tricking him into revealing that Ned Leeds and Michelle Jones also know his secret.

Believing Parker dead after tricking him into being hit by a train, Beck uses a fight in London between Mysterio and an Elemental fusion monster as both a distraction to dispatch Leeds and Jones and as an 'Avengers-level threat' to prove himself as a hero. However, this was foiled by Parker's return. With the illusion destroyed, Beck grew more unstable, ordering ever drone to attack him. Parker confronts Beck face-to-face, and Beck is shot by a drone. Parker takes back E.D.I.T.H, as Beck seemingly dies.

Legacy[edit]

Further information: Spider-Man: No Way Home

William Ginter Riva downloads the drones' data and edits the footage of Beck and Parker's fight to demonize Spider-Man, making it seem like he killed Mysterio with the army of drones, making Beck "posthumously" look like a hero. In the doctored video, Beck reveals Parker's secret identity. Ginter Riva sends the footage to J. Jonah Jameson, who reveals Parker's identity to the entire world.[b] Public opinion turns massively against Spider-Man, with Parker pronounced as "Public Enemy #1" by Jameson. Parker avoids facing criminal charges, but is harassed by people believing Beck.

After being rejected from MIT, Parker seeks to undo Beck's actions, asking for help from Dr. Stephen Strange. Strange intends to cast a spell that would remove anyone's knowledge of Parker's identity though Parker's frequent tampers with the spell causes it to bring in individuals who know his identity from the Multiverse into his reality. Eventually, Parker convinces Strange to cast a spell to make the entire world forget his existence, ultimately undoing Beck's actions at the cost of his identity.

Reception[edit]

Alonso Duralde of TheWrap praised Gyllenhaal's performance as the MCU's Mysterio, saying he "nails his character's earnestness but also clearly enjoys a few moments that let him channel every exasperated-sigh, I-just-want-to-get-this-right male diva director he's ever known".[15] Owen Gleiberman of Variety described Beck as a "flimflam visual-effects wizard", commenting that Gyllenhaal’s performance "starts off a bit dorky" and later turns into a "knowing piece of satire" on the nature of the comic book film genre.[16]

Future[edit]

Several fans have speculated that the character may still be alive due to his ambiguous death at the end of Far From Home; when asked about the possibility of Mysterio's survival, Watts expressed openesss to the possibility, but personally remarked that for him, Mysterio "definitely seemed dead".[10] Upon being questioned if Mysterio was dead or alive after the film's release, producer Amy Pascal replied "You don't know".[9] Gyllenhaal himself later commented that for him, Mysterio was "a dead man".[17]

In January 2022, concept art from No Way Home was released that depicts Mysterio fighting Doctor Strange, through from an alternate universe than than the main MCU.[18]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ As depicted in Captain America: Civil War (2016).
  2. ^ As depicted in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).

References[edit]

  1. ^ Stan Lee (w), Steve Ditko (p). "The Menace of...Mysterio!" The Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 13 (June 1964). Marvel Comics.
  2. ^ Roger Stern (w), Marie Severin (p), Jim Mooney (i). "Aliens And Illusions!" The Spectacular Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 51 (January 1981). Marvel Comics.
  3. ^ Borys, Kit; Vessling, Etan (May 21, 2018). "Jake Gyllenhaal in Talks to Star in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' sequel". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Goldberg, Matt (May 21, 2018). "'Spider-Man: Homecoming 2' Lands Jake Gyllenhaal to Play the Villian". Collider. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  5. ^ Long, Christian (December 5, 2018). "Jake Gyllenhaal Confirms He'll Be Playing Mysterio in 'Spider-Man: Far From Home'". Syfy Wire. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  6. ^ Kaye, Don (July 1, 2019). "How Jake Gyllenhaal Almost Replaced Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man". Syfy Wire. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  7. ^ Thompson, Simon; Sneider, Jeff (March 30, 2018). Pedro Pascal Joins Wonder Woman Sequel, New Mutants and Dark Phoenix Delayed - Meet the Movie Press. Popcorn Talk – via YouTube.
  8. ^ a b c Chitwood, Adam (July 17, 2019). "'Spider-Man: Far from Home' Writers on Mysterio, Those Credits Scenes, and Following 'Endgame'". Collider. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Davis, Brandon (July 7, 2019). "Spider-Man: Far From Home Director Breaks Down Mysterio, Major MCU Ties". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d e Pearson, Ben (July 8, 2019). "'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Spoilers: Director Jon Watts On The Post-Credits Scene, The Song He Wrote For The Film, And More [Interview]". /Film. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  11. ^ a b c Buchanan, Kyle (July 9, 2019). "'Spider-Man: Far From Home': The Screenwriters Explain the Twists". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  12. ^ Woerner, Meredith (July 12, 2019). "'Spider-Man' Writers Break Down What Really Happened During the Marvel Blip". Variety. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  13. ^ Coggan, Devan (April 25, 2019). "Tom Holland teases Spider-Man's adventure abroad in Far From Home". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  14. ^ Coogan, Devan (May 6, 2019). "Spider-Man: Far From Home director Jon Watts breaks down that post-Endgame trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  15. ^ Duralde, Alonso (June 27, 2019). "'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Film Review: Tom Holland Goes Abroad in Globetrotting Marvel Romp". TheWrap. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  16. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (June 27, 2019). "Film Review: 'Spider-Man: Far From Home'". Variety. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  17. ^ Hochman, Jillian (September 3, 2019). Jake Gyllenhaal & Tom Sturridge | Broadway's Sea Wall/A Life | Talks at Google. Talks at Google – via YouTube.
  18. ^ Davis, Brandon (January 25, 2022). "Spider-Man: No Way Home Concept Art Reveals Mysterio Return Was Removed". ComicBook.com. Retrieved February 4, 2022.

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