Spider-Man: Far From Home concluded with Mysterio's apparent death, but the villain pulls one final trick on the wall-crawler. In the movie's mid-credits scene, we learn that Quentin Beck not only frames Spidey for his murder, but also outs his secret identity as Peter Parker to the entire world via TheDailyBugle.net.
Now, Jake Gyllenhaal has reflected on that scene, and shares his thoughts on why he liked the idea of Mysterio having the last laugh and the impact it will have on the young hero moving forward.
"Well, I just love great endings that refer back to other great endings. The first movie [Homecoming] was great like that, too. I also love the end of Prisoners. I love those kind of cliffhanger moments. So often, we’re used to the same structure, particularly in very large movies, and it takes a lot of courage to leave on those kinds of cliffhangers. The way I look at it is twofold: Mysterio exists as someone to teach Peter Parker a lesson. In my opinion, there’s no use for just a straight-up bad guy unless there’s a lesson to be learned. And the lesson, particularly for Peter, is what is growing up for real.
"The truth of it is, if I go back to earlier work that I did, the thing that I love about adolescence — and was terrible about adolescence — is that as you grow up, the world becomes totally unclear. One of the things that I loved about doing Donnie Darko, when I was Tom’s age, was that it portrayed adolescence in a way that I had not experienced through most high school movies. The courage that the filmmakers had in Far From Home to say, “We’re gonna bring in a villain that’s going to turn Peter’s world upside down and force him to be who he actually is to the whole world. Nothing’s a secret anymore,” that was amazing.
"As an audience member, not as the person who played Mysterio, I believe in Peter Parker, and I believe in Spider-Man, his power and how strong he is. What Mysterio reveals will end up helping Peter, somewhere. He’ll learn from it, and those are the best characters. The characters who teach our heroes a lesson don’t always have to be like Obi-Wan."
That's a fascinating take on that scene and one that definitely makes sense. After all, Peter is now going to be forced to be honest with the world about who he is and that could help him in the long run. In the comic books, Spider-Man has always guarded his secret identity with great care, but this status quo shift for his big screen counterpart is going to be an absolute game-changer.
While Mysterio has tried to convince the world that Peter is a murderer and obsessed with becoming the next Tony Stark, will people really think that badly of a sixteen year old kid?
Whatever happens, nothing will ever be the same again for the web-slinger now and that third movie can't get here soon enough. Unfortunately, it wasn't revealed as part of Marvel's Phase 4 slate, but that's more than likely because it's a Sony Pictures release as opposed to a Marvel Studios one!
Hit the "View List" button to see where Spidey
could go next in the MCU after Far From Home!
Spider-Man On The Run
The movie kicking off with Peter Parker on the run from the authorities definitely makes sense. and with the world still reeling from the Sokovia Accords and Thanos' attack, something tells me the likes of General Ross won't want to hear the web-slinger's explanation that Mysterio was a fraud.
After all, the evidence is stacked against him and even if he has managed to clear his name, the police probably won't trust the hero and he'll find himself being pursued by them constantly.
Throw in the fact that the media will also be in hot pursuit and there's no way Peter is going to be able to just return to high school and continue as normal. so having him go on the run and essentially be a criminal is an exciting and very different route to take Spider-Man down in future adventures.
J. Jonah Jameson's Vendetta
It would be a terrible shame for J.K. Simmons' return as J. Jonah Jameson to be a one off, so this new take on the character definitely needs to factor into the third movie in a big way.
Kevin Feige has said that this version of Jonah exists on the "fringe" of news media so him wanting to validate his claims about Spider-Man seems like an obvious route to head down, and he could decide to hire someone like the Scorpion to unmask the web-slinger or uses some Spider-Slayers!
Seeing Simmons' face on one of those robots would be awesome, and even if he doesn't directly factor into things, he should still be shown tearing into New York's "menace."
Kraven's Last First Hunt
Right now, Kraven the Hunter is the clear fan-favourite choice to battle Spider-Man in the next movie, and while it's been said that Sony Pictures is working on a solo movie that would somehow adapt "Kraven's Last Hunt," it seems highly unlikely that will happen due to the wall-crawler sticking around in the MCU for the foreseeable future.
Kraven the Hunter arriving in New York to track down the man who murdered Mysterio adds up, and elements of the classic story mentioned above could easily be adapted.
After all, the deluded Kraven could still try to replace Spider-Man and burying Peter alive would make for a great visual. I wouldn't want to see Kraven end his life by the time all is said and done as he would make a great addition to a certain sinister team, but the potential for an epic movie is still there.
Mysterio Lives!
Mysterio's plan may have failed, but he still had the last laugh because he outed Spider-Man's secret identity and made the world think that Peter Parker is a villain. It seems crazy that these two wouldn't cross paths again, and while it definitely appears as if Quentin Beck is dead, I'm not convinced.
We know that Kraven uses hallucinogenics on his foes, but how cool would it be for a mid-credits scene to reveal that Beck was pulling the strings and creating those so-called hallucinations?
Making Mysterio one of Spider-Man's main enemies and the possible leader of the Sinister Six instead of Doctor Octopus or the Green Goblin may seem controversial, but the groundwork for that has definitely been laid, and this would make for one heck of a jaw-dropping reveal.
Oscorp Wants Its "Experiment" Back
We still don't know who the new owner of Avengers Tower is but Marvel Studios is well aware that fans are hoping its Oscorp, and they do seem like the most likely possibility as of right now.
Yes, Norman Osborn has been seen on screen before, but there's a ton of potential for him in the MCU, especially if we get to see his Dark Reign and the formation of the Dark Avengers. Revealing that the spider that bit Peter came from Oscorp would finally address that big mystery, and Norman targeting Peter because he wants to run tests on his "experiment" seems like a Green Goblin thing to do!
Kevin Feige says that Marvel Studios doesn't really want to go down the route of villains who gained their powers in science experiments gone wrong, but we've seen enough bad guys with ties to Tony Stark and now that Norman knows who Spider-Man is, that would make it even easier for him to track the wall-crawler down (in his Goblin form if he's been experimenting on himself).
Spider-Man Meets Venom
There have been rumblings for a while now that Venom could be about to make the leap into the MCU, and while that's going to be hard to pull off, there's no better team than Kevin Feige and Jon Watts to find a way. There's definitely a desire among fans for this crossover to happen, and Spidey finally getting his hands on that alien suit would be something else.
With rumours swirling that this is going to happen, it's hard not to wonder whether there's not some smoke to this particular fire, but it all depends how
Venom 2 plays out next year.
Regardless, it's hard to say how someone like Venom could factor into a story about Spider-Man's identity being outed to the world, but if The Life Foundation is a subsidiary of Oscorp, this could all tie together in a satisfying way that makes fans happy.
Scorpion Strikes
Spider-Man: Homecoming devoted its mid-credits scene to teasing the Scorpion's arrival in the MCU and, well, he was nowhere to be seen in
Spider-Man: Far From Home!
That was a shame, but there could be a very good reason for that. In the comic books, J. Jonah Jameson is responsible for the villain's creation and if he wants to be credited as the one who stops the "menace" Spider-Man, then TheDailyBugle.net owner helping turn Mac Gargan into Scorpion obviously makes sense.
Michael Mando is a terrific actor, but
Spider-Man: Homecoming really didn't give him chance to shine. By having him suit up and run wild in this movie, he could have a lot of fun, and once again add another possible villain to the Sinister Six's roster!
Meet The Hobgoblin
If Oscorp is going to be introduced, then why not hold off on going down the Green Goblin route and bring us the Hobgoblin instead? Whether he's linked to Oscorp or not (he really should be), Spidey battling this villain would be something new and a lot of fun to see on screen.
Roderick Kingsley could try to frame Ned Leeds, or Marvel Studios could head down the Ultimate route by making Hobgoblin a monstrous Harry Osborn who has completely lost control.
There are a lot of different comic books that Jon Watts can turn to for inspiration and having Hobgoblin come before the Green Goblin really wouldn't be the end of the world (it's definitely better than what
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 did by having Harry become a Goblin before his father!).
Spider-Man Vs. The Avengers
This could be a tough one, as it seems The Avengers have disassembled for the time being. However, if Marvel Studios reforms the team in the meantime, then they could definitely come after Spidey.
After all, he's currently in control of E.D.I.T.H. and if they buy into Mysterio's claims that he's lost control and wants to be the next Tony Stark, they'll want to talk to him and possibly take him down.
If Earth's Mightiest Heroes making a cameo is too ambitious, perhaps the lawyer Aunt May hires for Peter could be Matt Murdock, a character better known to comic book and Netflix fans as Daredevil.
The Sinister Six Assembles
Heading into
Spider-Man: Far From Home, rumours were swirling that the mid-credits scene would feature the big screen debut of the Sinister Six. Fans are desperate to see the wall-crawler face a team of his greatest foes, but it looks like Marvel Studios is choosing to take a slow burn approach.
Well, assuming that we get at least another two villains in this sequel, there's really no reason why we can't finally get a hint about the Six coming together to take Spider-Man down once and for all.
The Vulture surely wants revenge, while the aforementioned theory about Mysterio making his return also adds up. Whatever happens, we need to see Spidey taking on this team and while a third movie is a little too soon for this, it's about time the stage was set for it to finally happen.
Wouldn't People Realise That Elemental Was An Illusion?
During the final battle between Spider-Man and Mysterio, the wall-crawler starts destroying Quentin Beck's drones and reveals that the final Elemental is little more than a hologram/illusion. London is one of the most highly surveilled cities in the world and so some footage of that must have been recorded, thereby debunking Beck's claim that he sent it back through the interdimensional rift.
Throw in the fact that at least some of the drone's remains must have been found and there's definitely evidence that Mysterio was a fraud. The problem is, people wouldn't necessarily know what an "interdimensional rift" would look like, and it could boil down to some believing Beck's story and others not. That could factor into future stories in a big way, but we'll get to that later in this post...
Does The Multiverse Even Exist?
It doesn't take any time at all for us to learn that Mysterio was lying about the Multiverse, so there go those theories about the events of
Avengers: Infinity War and
Avengers: Endgame creating multiple timelines that will be explored in future movies! Does this mean the Multiverse is fake, though?
Beck is clearly just using it to explain where he's come from to Nick Fury and company, and we highly doubt he's basing his claims on anything concrete. As a result, it really doesn't appear as if the Multiverse is going to be something Marvel seriously explores moving forward, and that's sure to disappoint some.
Will Nick Fury Return To Earth?
Nick Fury allowed Talos to take his place so he could have a "vacation" of sorts in outer space, but it seems like he's in command of that Skrull spaceship and that could mean a lot for the MCU's future.
For starters, there's a very good chance that he's planning to replace S.H.I.E.L.D. with S.W.O.R.D. in order to stop another invasion happening again, and that could easily tie into plans for Captain Marvel. Alternatively, we might just see Fury join Carol Danvers in space in a fun role reversal where he's on her turf this time and coming to grips with protecting a much, much wider universe.
What Is Spider-Man Going To Do With E.D.I.T.H.?
Spider-Man regains control of E.D.I.T.H. at the end of
Spider-Man: Far From Home and that means he has access to all of Tony Stark's technology and creations. The question is, what is he going to do with it all? Honestly, the most likely explanation is that he will probably hand it over to Pepper Potts or have it taken away from him once the government tracks the wall-crawler down.
Alternatively, he could continue using it to his benefit and that has a lot of potential as well. After all, it would make Spidey one of the most formidable heroes in the entire MCU and means that he can access different suits and weapons on a whim. However, just like Karen/"Suit Lady" was abandoned in this sequel, there's a very good chance that Marvel Studios will end up brushing over this.
Is Iron Man The New Uncle Ben?
During that illusion sequence with Mysterio, Peter Parker falls in front of a grave, and I can't have been alone in thinking that would belong to Uncle Ben, right? Instead, it's Iron Man's, and the deceased Avenger rises up from the ground to terrorise the wall-crawler. Yet again, there's no mention of Ben in this movie, so is Iron Man really taking on his role in the hero's story from here?
Spider-Man: Homecoming made it clear that something happened to Peter's uncle, while
Captain America: Civil War also alluded to his death. He's clearly dead in the MCU and definitely existed, but we have no idea if Peter was indirectly responsible for what happened to him. Either way, it seems as if the burden of following in Iron Man's footsteps will be a key part of future adventures.
Who Owns Avengers Tower?
It seemed as if
Spider-Man: Far From Home would provide some answers in this respect, but they never come and it instead looks like Avengers Tower is still undergoing re-construction (to be fair, if Norman Osborn and most of Oscorp's executives were dusted, work on it was more than likely halted).
Of course, there's nothing to say it is owned by Osborn and this reveal we're waiting for might never come. The Fantastic Four are another likely candidate for who could have bought the building from Tony Stark. Either way, it now appears as if we'll have to wait for a future MCU movie before getting answers, and
Spider-Man 3 seems a strong contender.
Is Mysterio Really Dead?
Mysterio takes a bullet from one of his drones and E.D.I.T.H. later confirms that he's died. However, is it not possible that this Master of Illusion could have faked his own death? It's been known to happen in the comics and he had so many tricks up his sleeve, I find it hard to believe there isn't one more!
For the purpose of that mid-credits scene, it's important that the world believe Mysterio is dead, but I can easily imagine him making a return in a future instalment, something that would come as a huge surprise to fans at that point - especially if Marvel Studios manages to keep it fully under wraps.
Will The World Believe That Peter Parker Is Spider-Man?
Thanks to Mysterio and TheDailyBugle.net, the world now knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. The question is, will anyone believe that the high school student is a superhero? Well, Mysterio has fooled them into thinking that he sacrificed himself to save the planet from the Elementals so there's really no reason to believe that they won't buy into the villain's "dying" words.
Even if Peter/Spidey denies it, the press are bound to be on his tail as are the authorities! The best thing Marvel Studios can do is embrace this plot thread rather than backing out in a third instalment, because this opens the door to a lot of huge stories and seeing people's reactions (like Flash Thompson) promises to be priceless. It was a bold move, but the pay off needs to be huge!
Where Are The Avengers?
Talos mentions in the post-credits scene that he didn't know what to say when he was asked about the whereabouts of The Avengers, so what has become of the team since
Endgame?
Well, the Avengers Compound has been destroyed and the man who bankrolled the team - Tony Stark - is dead. Captain America, meanwhile, is M.I.A. so it's going to be up to someone else to assemble the team. That could be a hero like Black Panther (he certainly has the wealth) or even the new Captain America, Sam Wilson, albeit on a smaller scale as a team of "New Avengers."
Is Spider-Man A Criminal Now?
Well, it's hard to imagine that not being the case! As I said at the start of this post, I believe that some people will view Spider-Man as a hero, while others are sure to brand him a menace. Sound familiar? That's something that has plagued the web-slinger for decades in the comics, and it feels like Marvel Studios just moved him one step closer to being like his comic book counterpart.
After all, Peter Parker isn't a superhero for the adulation and attention; he does it because he's a good person and has a responsibility, something which means he's willing to be chased down by the police so long as he can still do the right thing. It will be tough for Peter to adjust to that status quo, and I wouldn't be surprised if the next movie kicks off with him actually on the run!
Continue reading below for an in-depth explanation of
Spider-Man: Far From Home's post-credits scenes!