*Spoilers will be discussed*
Keep going only if you watched the movie
“No matter how many hits I take, I always find a way to come back.”
Amid exams and decision-making processes, I managed to squeeze in some time for the latest Marvel production, Spider-Man: Far From Home. Coming to a rather peaceful ending, I can finally concentrate on the dwelling thoughts from the past few weeks and also reconsider the quote mentioned in the beginning. Surely that must ring a bell. It is indeed Spider-Man’s mantra in 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse. I cannot help but think of the dazzling animation being closely connected to Marvel Studios’ recent movies, Endgame and Far From Home. The audience first learned that there was only one Spider-Man ruling the neighborhood. But in the meantime, a growing multiverse demonstrated that there would always be a bit of Spider-Man in each one of us, most likely due to his relatable personality.
“Anyone can wear the mask. You could wear the mask. If you didn’t know that before, hope you do now. So I’m Spider-Man. And I’m not the only one. Not by a long shot.”
While watching Far From Home, plenty of viewers must have reminisced 2017’s Peter Parker (Tom Holland), the one stuck between excitement and disappointment, firmness and hesitation. Truth is, his core hasn’t changed a bit. His reactions to various situations only get to reveal both his general uncertainty and his tendency to experience deeper feelings. 2017’s Homecoming presented Peter as an overly-excited teenager, eager to become an Avenger, for he constantly had a few figures to look up to, especially Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr). But Iron Man knew better. He knew the kid could always think more about college, despite him having gone through an exhilarating superhero fight in Captain America: Civil War (2016). Tony always made sure to casually throw in the key phrase “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man”, phrase which would be immediately put aside by the anxious Peter (But I’m ready for more than that now.). Opportunities swung in eventually, quicker than anyone could have expected, and in times of crisis, Spider-Man was proclaimed as an Avenger, prepared to prove himself. Afterwards, mostly everyone knows the outcome.
Keeping these in mind, we can slowly proceed to the tumultuous events of Far From Home. The world feels the frightening deprivation of the original Avengers (and pretty much any other hero). Young people seek recognition and reassurance more than ever, because of (mostly) parental absence. What the movie offers is Peter’s persistent shift from being brutally thrown under the spotlight to running away from problems while having numerous second thoughts. In simpler terms, everything is unstable. And that word alone is the substance of the entire film. In a world filled with such unstable people (It’s been a long, dramatic, somewhat confusing road.), a world devoid of permanent security and a bunch of trusty heroes, a new individual takes advantage of the freshly-built path and decides to take control of everything. Step aside, for Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) – soon dubbed as Mysterio by the public – steps in to save the day. Or himself from his own instability (You don’t want any part of this.). Stick around (or as Happy Hogan would say, stay sticky).
Before hitting theatres, Jon Watts’ movie was already greeted with concern, for its trailer showed Mysterio being (way too) kind to Spider-Man and fighting off massive Elemental creatures.
Quentin Beck is known to be a villain in the comics, a special effects master who can easily create realistic illusions. Some agreed a twist was to be expected, others perceived the new version of Mysterio as something plausible, given the multiverse concept (he was, after all, presented as a soldier from Earth-833). Regardless of the expectations, everyone had to wait approximately an hour to witness Beck sharing his true motives.
It is safe to admit that Far From Home would have never existed if Iron Man hadn’t died in the first place. Although he’s gone, he’s still everywhere, mourned all over the world either through murals or funnily edited video montages.
He’s the one dictating the film’s trajectory, bit by bit. Were we to observe the created atmosphere, we would reach the idea that, by and large, people are trying to rebalance their lives in silence. There is, from time to time, a slightly alarming Does anyone even have a plan? echoing in our heads, in opposition to Peter’s fretful reply, Does anyone have any neighborhood questions?, addressed to intrigued journalists. When the boy first appears on screen and confidently claims he has a plan, for a split second we’re hoping for grandeurs, only to find out that he wants nothing more than a peaceful school trip in Europe and the glorious chance to express his feelings towards his new crush, MJ (Zendaya).
But these on their own ought to be grandeurs fit for a teenager. And yet the world, as always, expects more, waits for someone to take Tony’s place and protect the universe from (no longer surprising) alien attacks.
The first part of the movie unfolds in a drowsy manner, despite the battles with the Elementals in Venice and Prague,
and the comical twists and turns within the trip. We are introduced to the familiar environment of teenagers who capture every part of their excursion through selfies and Instagram live stories. We watch the accompanying Science teachers being unable to keep up with their students’ intricacies and bizarre phenomena (no wonder they’re blaming it all on witches). We may unconsciously fidget whenever Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is straightforward and pressures Peter into manning up and deciding once and for all what he should focus on more.
Spider-Man’s shattered foundations, redefined by Iron Man once, don’t allow the 16-year-old kid to defend himself. His stumble of words do not suggest thrill, but rather a continuous mental block – this is where Beck takes on the role of a tolerant, supportive father.
“Peter: I didn’t think I was gonna have to save the world this summer. I know that makes me sound like such a jerk, I just… I had this plan with this girl I really like and now it’s all ruined.
Beck: You’re not a jerk for wanting a normal life, kid. It’s a hard path. You see things, you do things, you make choices, people look up to you.”
He reassures Peter that he is gifted and reminds him to never apologize for being the smartest person in a room and to stop believing he owes something to others. He’s even the first one to actually listen to the troubled teenager and ask him what he truly wants. Naturally, Beck doesn’t sugarcoat everything and, in a tactful manner, makes Peter realize his overall awkwardness and inability to handle Tony’s gift, a pair of glasses equipped with artificial intelligence called E.D.I.T.H. (which stands for “Even Dead I’m The Hero” – starkasm at its finest). Some may call Mysterio’s approach as straight-up manipulation. I would rather point out that he did nothing more than offer Spider-Man the chance to walk away from danger for a while and restart his normal teenage life. Did I just defend Beck? Not entirely. The ways he hits the switch in his subconscious and decides to use the E.D.I.T.H. glasses and the rest of the Stark technology are immature, without a doubt. But despite his tunnel vision in the second part of the movie, he still remains the most aware of the bigger picture. At the time being.
Mr. Stark would have really liked you. It could easily be said that Peter’s words may have triggered some great discomfort in Beck’s soul. After receiving the glasses (for demonstrating he is a brave and trustful soldier, with more experience than Spider-Man), he is seen struggling for a brief moment to maintain a tempered look and lets out a small sigh which could mean plenty. Normally, these are gestures noticed and better grasped after watching the movie at least twice.
“To the man who brought us all together, our former boss, Tony Stark. The jester king. Literally wrapped in wealth and technology that he was unfit to wield. Like the holographic system I designed, a revolutionary breakthrough with limitless applications, that Tony turned into a self-therapy machine and renamed B.A.R.F. (Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing).”
This is the moment when Beck leaks upsetting truths. His dark, embittered side. His team of former similarly malcontent employees from the Stark Industries. The irritating fact that the Elementals had always been mere illusions, created by some highly-advanced drones. The shocking reveal that the E.D.I.T.H. glasses had been created by Mysterio himself and undervalued by Tony. As a short side note, the B.A.R.F. tech was indeed mentioned in Captain America: Civil War, after Iron Man had confessed he was still affected by the death of his parents, hence “the self-therapy machine”. In the movie, Tony did scold himself briefly for choosing one such name (God, I gotta work on that acronym.), a remark which was left out in Far From Home, most likely intentionally, so as to portray his ungrateful attitude towards others’ lives and works.
“These days you can be the smartest guy in the room, the most qualified, and no one cares. Unless you’re flying around with a cape or shooting lasers from your hands, no one will even listen. Well, I’ve got a cape. And lasers.”
Beck’s confession may resemble Vulture’s own resentment at the Stark Industries’ power. His subtle venting doesn’t bring forward just the typical infuriated villain, instead it highlights Tony’s haunting presence in Peter’s life. His “enemies” will consider Spider-Man’s association with Iron Man and potentially target the young hero. Before diving into gradual insanity, Mysterio sees Peter’s unfortunate position and firmly says, Poor kid. We’ll second that.
From this point on, the movie does get more thought-provoking and psychologically dangerous, for Beck messes around with the kid’s innermost fears in a visually unsteady scene, engulfed in the Mysterio-like green smoke.
This would have never happened if Spider-Man hadn’t found out about Beck’s duplicity and stepped in his way. The illusionist activates his drones for his most glorious show (yes, “them pathetic Elementals”, dare I say) and pops in as many agonizing elements as possible – including a disturbing “corpse” of Iron Man (If you were good enough, maybe Tony would still be alive. Deep down you know I’m right.).
As the hallucinations come and go, the crawling and echoing voice of Mysterio can be heard in the background.
“I tried to help you walk away. Now you’re making me do this. You told me you were just a kid. You told me you wanted to run after that girl. (…) I don’t think you know what’s real, Peter. I mean, look at yourself. You are just a scared little kid in a sweatsuit.”
The monologue adds nothing revolutionary, truth be told. It is only a candid alarmed cry that Peter – and humans altogether – lack stability, a certain direction to follow, frequently getting tangled up in their own piles of mess.
“I created Mysterio to give the world someone to believe in. I control the truth, Mysterio is the truth.”
The audience is set to let out a sigh of relief when the illusions come to a halt and Nick Fury walks in to save the day. For safety reasons, he urges the mumbling Peter to say who else knows about Mysterio’s fraudulence. As soon as the names are blurted out (MJ, Ned and Betty, his girlfriend), the mental torture reaches its peak and the fake Fury is replaced by the shivery figure of Beck (Now all your friends have to die. It’s easy to fool people when they are already fooling themselves.).
Everyone was rooting for Spider-Man when he managed to “activate” his long-neglected spidey sense (named “Peter tingle” in the movie – cue some laughs, will you?) and detected what obstacles were real or not. Meanwhile, a significant part of me felt sorry for Beck as I was watching him crumbling down to his defeat and death in London, after bringing into the city an Avengers-level threat (a giant monster also created by drones – They’ll see what I want them to see.). Undoubtedly, the image of him attempting to shoot Peter straight in the head left plenty of people traumatized, but going beyond all this, I kept thinking how much Mysterio deserved to be part of future movies (as many other Marvel characters). “The bad guys” are often cut off from the hero’s story, just when it seems they are about to share and prove much more. I’m even tempted to say that well-constructed villains will always be more complex than heroes. They originate from harsh backgrounds, their nerves have been put to the test multiple times – there comes a moment when everything builds up and they are required to rise and transmit their viewpoints. However, that applicable message may be invalidated by a platitudinous counter-argument from the suddenly-recovered hero and… that’s where it all stops, the villain is defeated and we receive the happy ending. Except that’s not the case in Far From Home.
Moving forward to the first post-credits scene, Peter – dressed up as Spider-Man – is seen swinging through the neighborhood with MJ as his girlfriend, feeling more secure than ever.
But do you recall Mysterio claiming he controls the truth? Here you have his one last trick up his sleeve. Breaking news spread across New York City, everybody turns to face the big televisions and see the distorted reality of what happened back in London. Some video footage, sent in anonymously to The Daily Bugle, shows Beck taken down by Peter who had no other intention but to become the next Iron Man and execute people (when in fact he ordered E.D.I.T.H. to execute all the cancellation protocols). Then Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson (played by the same J. K. Simmons from the original Spider-Man movies) praises Mysterio as being “an interdimensional warrior who gave his life to protect the planet and who will no doubt go down in history as the greatest superhero of all time” and prepares the audience for the biggest divulgation: Spider-Man’s identity. Peter has been known as the concerned teen who didn’t wish to have his real name thrown out there, in the big wide world. But these are the perks of listening to someone’s problems and exploiting their weaknesses, isn’t that right? Can you picture Mysterio smiling mischieviously while wearing the E.D.I.T.H. glasses? You can probably catch him whispering: Even Dead I’m The Hero.
It is understandable why many people hate Beck and do not wish for him to return in any shape or form. It is clear that most are inclined to regard him as a jealous madman. Nevertheless, it should be taken into consideration that Peter was never fully responsible in the first place. He did try his best and did succeed in overcoming some barriers, but Beck knew all along someone had to alter the unbelievable mess left behind by Tony. Could we really say it was wrong for the intimidating illusionist to be concerned about a 16-year-old teenager owning a valuable piece of tech and, simultaneously, an army of killer drones?
Should anyone decide to be more attentive towards Mysterio, they are to notice (hopefully) that Beck never lies when emphasising Peter’s traits (You’re a good person, Peter… Such a weakness.). At one point, the boy has two choices: either become available for any upcoming threat and take on the tiring, but exhilarating job of a superhero or allow himself to heal his spiritual scars and mind his own teenage business, keep a low profile. Peter seems to know he wants a break, therefore Beck, almost like a vigilant father, grants his wish and takes away what he has always wanted and what the boy doesn’t need at the moment. Of course, Spider-Man will forever have the impulse to exit his neighborhood and dispose of any wrongdoings. Seeing the rebellious teenager craving more and recklessly disobeying his indications, Mysterio ensures that Peter gets a taste of the increasingly complicated issues approaching him. In addition, as his unofficial initiator, Beck plans a “proper” introduction of Peter Parker to the world. Does the kid ever want to rise to the heights of Iron Man? If so, then he must be raw, exposed to any sort of peril, as Tony used to be. The world has just fully discovered a human figure to count on.
“Peter: How could you do all of this?
Beck: You’ll see, Peter. People need to believe and nowadays, they’ll believe anything.”
We are plainly indicated that we must always look deeper, never trust what we see at first glance. This whole concept is solidified in the last post-credits scene, when the audience finds out that, throughout the entire movie, Nick Fury and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) had actually been the shapeshifting Skrulls, Talos and Soren, from Captain Marvel (2019).
This does explain Fury’s unusual behavior and passing comment – Beck is from Earth. Just not yours. – which was modified in the film, since he’s clearly heard in the trailer saying Just not ours. One word can really change the perspective and prick up one’s ears.
In all its hidden simplicity, Far From Home does make its viewers toss and turn in their seats, experience Peter’s terror at the highest level. In all his instability, Mysterio is still the most stable character, aware of his abilities and the message he has to get across. He is the director, producer, writer, the hero constructing the movie – the grandest illusion up to date – and (un)fairly disturbed by his antagonist, Spider-Man. But we are offered the silently fabricated ode, dedicated to our unstable nature, our predisposition to be guided by misinformation and misguided by trivial veneration. Is the boy’s declaration – You can’t trick me anymore. – convincing enough for those who want him to find a way to come back? Has he taken too many hits? Until the definite answer… a toast to Quentin Beck.
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