With the recent success of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” fans have been left wondering what lies in store both for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and for the web-slinger.
Theories about future movies have swung into action, from how the story of “No Way Home” will lead into “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” or how it will affect characters such as Peter Parker’s best friend Ned, who may be slated to become the Hobgoblin, the comic book successor of the Green Goblin.
Despite all the insanity surrounding the movie, a newly released concept art suggests our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man could have taken a darker turn than what we saw in the film. Instead of looking ahead, praying that certain theories are true, I ask you to look back at the time you spent in the theater and ponder the question, “What if?”
About a month or so ago, Twitter grew abuzz with excitement. A piece of concept art for “No Way Home” had come out, and it depicted a foe we had not seen in the movie but had appeared previously in the franchise. In the picture, Mysterio – who we can assume is still played by Jake Gyllenhaal – and Doctor Strange circle around the head of the Statue of Liberty, fighting stances prepared and ready to battle.
This was an odd piece, especially since we never saw an inkling of the former Spider-Man villain in the new movie, yet there was supposed to be a sixth villain to complement Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Electro, Sandman and Lizard. You can’t have the Sinister Six with only five members.
Based on what we saw in the art, Mysterio was going to be the sixth villain before he was ultimately cut from the story. I don’t believe that the film would’ve brought Mysterio back from the dead, so the still version must have been from another universe in search of Peter Parker, much like the other villains.
Mysterio could’ve been introduced at the last second, just after the Green Goblin shows his true colors and kills Aunt May. The grief of losing Aunt May combined with the return of the man who disgraced Tony Stark’s name and forced Peter to go into hiding would be insurmountable for him.
Alas, we will never know. However, with the multiverse coming to the forefront, who’s to say that Mysterio won’t return to haunt our beloved Spider-Man?
