Mysterio

Mysterio
Silver Age Mysterio. Art by Steve Ditko.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	(Beck) The Amazing Spider-Man #13 (June 1964) (Berkhart) The Amazing Spider-Man #141 (February 1975) (Klum) Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do #1 (August 2002) (Unknown) Avenging Spider-Man #22 (August, 2013)
Created by	(Beck) Stan Lee Steve Ditko (Berkhart) Gerry Conway Ross Andru (Klum) Kevin Smith Terry Dodson (Unknown) Christopher Yost David Lopez
In-story information
Alter ego	Quentin Beck Daniel Berkhart Francis Klum Unknown
Species	(Klum) Human Mutant
Team affiliations	(Beck) Maggia Sinister Six (Berkhart) Sinister Six
Partnerships	(Berkhart) J. Jonah Jameson
Notable aliases	(Beck) Dr. Ludwig Rinehart (Berkhart) Jack O'Lantern Mad Jack (Unknown) Mysterion
Abilities	(Beck) Special effects, and illusion expert Master hypnotist and magician Amateur chemist and roboticist Exceptional hand to hand combatant Use of weapons (Klum) Teleportation Telepathy Telekinesis

Mysterio is the name of several fictional characters, supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly as enemies of Spider-Man. The first and most high profile incarnation of Mysterio is Quentin Beck, although several other characters have since used the Mysterio alias.

The character has appeared in numerous Spider-Man cartoons and video games. In 2009, Mysterio was ranked as IGN's 85th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.^[1]

Publication history

The original Mysterio (Quentin Beck) was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #13.^[2] It was later retconned that the aliens seen in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 had been Mysterio and his men in disguise; it was revealed that he had been hired by the Tinkerer to disguise himself as an extraterrestrial and uncover military and industrial secrets.^[3]

The second Mysterio (Daniel Berkhart) was created by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #141.^[4]

The third Mysterio (Francis Klum) was created by Kevin Smith and Terry Dodson and first appeared in Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do #1,^[5] and became Mysterio in the final issue of the miniseries.^[6]

The fourth Mysterio (called "Mysterion") was created by Christopher Yost and David Lopez and first appeared in Avenging Spider-Man #22 (August, 2013).^[7]

Fictional character biography

Quentin Beck

Debuting in The Amazing Spider-Man #13, Mysterio is Quentin Beck, a special effects wizard and stunt man working for a major Hollywood studio with dreams of making a name for himself in the film industry. However, he came to see his career in special effects as a dead-end job. His attempts to become an actor were poorly received, but he realized that his expertise in illusions could make him an effective supervillain.

In his first battle with Spider-Man, after he frames Spider-Man for robbing the Midtown Museum, Mysterio obstructs the hero's spider-sense with gas and dissolves Spider-Man's webbing with a chemical abrasive. However Spider-Man tricks Mysterio into revealing he robbed the museum, then Spider-Man revealed he had captured it on tape. Mysterio was then jailed, blaming Spider-Man for his ruined career.^[8] Mysterio later joins the Sinister Six in an attempt at revenge on Spider-Man, and battles him using robots of the X-Men. After this Spider-Man gets a card that enables him to go on to battle Sandman.^[9]

Mysterio later creates the alias of world-renowned psychiatrist Dr. Ludwig Rinehart, using technology and hypnosis in an attempt to make Spider-Man lose his mind, and nearly convincing him to unmask, though ironically Spider-Man was helped by J. Jonah Jameson suddenly bursting into the house. Spider-Man then unmasked Mysterio.^[10] Mysterio then establishes a brief partnership with the Wizard in a plot to kill Spider-Man and the Human Torch on a Hollywood movie set by pretending to enroll them in a film. However they were both defeated and arrested.^[11] He threatens to destroy the city while on TV, and goes on to convince Spider-Man he is 6 inches (150 mm) tall using a post-hypnotic suggestion and a miniature funfair, but Spider-Man sees through the illusion and captures Mysterio yet again.^[12]

While Beck is incarcerated, his cellmate Daniel Berkhart briefly becomes Mysterio on the original's behalf.^[13] Out of prison, Beck resumes his Ludwig Rinehart identity to manipulate Spider-Man's Aunt May into revealing the whereabouts of a lost fortune hidden in her house.^[14] Beck used bogus alien disguises to frighten May Parker into revealing the location of the fortune, but then learned that the money had long ago been eaten by silverfish.^[15] In his next appearance, Mysterio tricks Spider-Man into believing that he had caused the death of a bystander.^[16] Mysterio then attempts to scare the tenants from an apartment complex in a real estate scam thwarted by the preteen superhero team, Power Pack,^[17] much to his later humiliation. He is recruited by Doctor Octopus to form the second Sinister Six, and battles Spider-Man.^[18]

In other encounters, Mysterio has faked the death of Spider-Man's Aunt May, and made deals with demons from Limbo.^[19] Despite this, however, Mysterio was constantly beaten by Spider-Man and usually arrested. He joined Doctor Octopus' Sinister Six on several occasions, but this never gave him the edge against his foe that he desired. Eventually, he began to lose credibility as a supervillain, with his defeat at the hands of Power Pack being a particularly humiliating moment.

After his final imprisonment during the Guardian Devil storyline, Mysterio was given an early release, as he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and lung cancer, both caused by the chemicals and radiation from his equipment. He was given one year to live, but this imminent death caused prison psychiatrists to grant him an early release.^[20] Obsessed with exacting his final revenge on Spider-Man, he was disappointed when he deduced from newspaper articles that the current Spider-Man was just a clone and saw no dignity in overpowering a 'copy' of the real thing (even though by then, the clone had been killed and the current Spider-Man was indeed the original).^[21] Mysterio decided to change his plan and focus on Daredevil, whom he had encountered recently during an insurance scam that the hero had thwarted; Mysterio believed that he had found a 'kindred spirit' in Daredevil, in the sense that both were second stringers with little reputation outside their homes.^[21]

After the Kingpin gave Mysterio all the information he possessed about Daredevil's past, Mysterio developed an elaborate plot to drive Daredevil insane using a special designed drug to influence Daredevil's mood, presenting him with a baby girl and conflicting reports that she was the second coming of Christ or the Antichrist, with the drug rendering Daredevil violent if anyone suggested that the child was innocent.^[22] In the course of the scheme, Karen Page was killed by Bullseye after Mysterio had convinced her that she was suffering from HIV due to her time as a porn star,^[23] Matt Murdock's partner Foggy Nelson was framed for murder after cheating on his current lover,^[24] and Daredevil nearly lost his mind as he appeared to be tormented by the forces of Hell.^[21]

However, Daredevil's will proved stronger than Mysterio expected, and once Doctor Strange discovers and magically removed the drug from Daredevil's bloodstream, Daredevil unmasked Mysterio as the mastermind, shattering the villain's helmet in fury and revealing his now languishing appearance. Beck had thought Daredevil would kill him upon discovery, which in his eyes, was a "grand way to end his final show". Daredevil denied him this and instead dismissed Mysterio's scheme as a basic 'B-Movie' plot and calling Mysterio a 'human xerox', incapable of having an original thought in his life; if nothing else, the Kingpin had already attempted to drive Daredevil insane and he had used the 'supernatural intruding on our world' idea in a previous attack on J. Jonah Jameson. Broken in every sense of the word, Mysterio, saying he was stealing an idea from Kraven the Hunter, pulled out a gun and shot himself dead. While Mysterio has faked his own death several times in the past, this act was apparently legitimate, as Mysterio literally had nothing left to live for.^[21]

Beck returns

Sometime later, Quentin Beck suddenly appears in the Midtown High School auditorium in a dark red version of his costume during the three way battle between Spider-Man and the two successor Mysterios. He confronts Francis Klum before leaving him for Berkhart to deal with. Quentin Beck then confronts Miss Arrow, revealing that half his head is missing from the gunshot wound and explains that, having gone to Hell for suicide, his "superiors" in the afterlife sent him back to Earth to maintain a cosmic balance. His superiors want Spider-Man to continue working at the school and Beck knows Miss Arrow has a similar role for the "other side".

Berkhart and Klum briefly battle one another before Spider-Man captures Berkhart. While trying to escape, Klum runs into Arrow and tries to take her as a hostage, only to be stabbed by one of her stingers. He then teleports away, badly bleeding.^[25][26][27] Neither Berkhart nor Klum have been seen since. Though Berkhart was incarcerated, Klum's status is uncertain.

In The Amazing Spider-Man #581, a flashback shows that, prior to his suicide, Beck had been hired by Norman Osborn to fake his son Harry's death.

Mysterio reappears during The Gauntlet storyline, which re-introduces several past Spider-Man villains with new twists. This Mysterio claims to be a returned Quentin Beck who had faked his death, though it's unclear how this fits in with his aforementioned appearance. He is under the employ of Maggia crime member Carmine, creating androids of various deceased Maggia (including their dead leader Silvermane) to give them a credibility boost in their gang war with Mister Negative. Beck controls the Silvermane robot himself and plants seeds of rebellion in Hammerhead, who had left the Maggia under the belief that Silvermane was deceased. He also tries to drive Spider-Man mad by making him think he's accidentally killed several gang members, while trying to convince him that a returned Captain George Stacy, who claims to have always been the gangster known as the Big Man, also faked his death years earlier. This turn makes Spider-Man realize that Mysterio must be behind the recent mysterious return of so many deceased individuals, and he vows to have Mysterio pay for making it personal. Shortly after, Mysterio uses the Silvermane robot to murder Carmine in an attempt to secretly seize control of the Maggia and its fortune. Spider-Man eventually exposes and confronts Mysterio, who flees. He later runs into Chameleon, who tells him that he has some friends who are "dying" to meet him.^[28]

The "friends" Chameleon was talking about happens to be the Kravinoffs. He was present at the ritual where Spider-Man is seemingly sacrificed in order to revive Kraven the Hunter.^[29]

During the Origin of the Species storyline, Mysterio is among the supervillains invited by Doctor Octopus to join his villains' team where he is promised that he will receive a reward.^[30] Mysterio went after Spider-Man for Menace's infant. He manages to trick Spider-Man into giving him the child by projecting an image of Avengers Mansion and uses his illusions to try to frighten Spider-Man. Ultimately, Spider-Man recovers the baby from Mysterio after figuring out the villain's involvement.^[31]

Mysterio is next seen as part of the new Sinister Six organized by Doctor Octopus. He first works with Chameleon to distract Spider-Man and the Future Foundation, faking an attack in the Caribbean by zombie pirates while the rest of the Six steal something from the Fantastic Four's headquarters.^[32] He also participates in an attack by the Six on the Avengers Academy.^[33] When the Sinister Six launch an attack on the Intelligencia and their new doomsday weapon, Mysterio is responsible for taking down the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes.^[34]

Doctor Octopus and Mysterio later coordinate the Octobots that have infiltrated the Apogee 1 Space Station. When Mysterio notices that some of the Octobots were disabled, Doctor Octopus orders the Octobots to finish their mission and then destroy the space station. Spider-Man, Human Torch and John Jameson later discover that some of the space station's crew members have been taken over by the Octobots making them Octobot-controlled zombies that obey Doctor Octopus' commands.^[35] While in their undersea base, Doctor Octopus and Mysterio discover that their Octobot-controlled zombies have passed out. After Apogee 1 Space Station is destroyed and the crew is evacuated by Spider-Man, Human Torch and John Jameson, Doctor Octopus tells the rest of the Sinister Six that his master plan is about to begin.^[36]

Although Mysterio aids Doctor Octopus in his attack against the Avengers and his plan to 'heal' the world during the Ends of the Earth storyline, he agrees to help Spider-Man, Silver Sable and Black Widow defeat Doctor Octopus's plans after Spider-Man convinces him that Doctor Octopus will not honor any deal he has made with the Six as he will almost certainly scorch Earth if his plan succeeds. Mysterio leads Spider-Man and his allies to a Mayan temple where Doctor Octopus's base is located (claiming that he was responsible for the choice of location due to the supposed Mayan prophecies of the world ending in 2012), leaving them to face the mind-controlled Avengers.^[37] After disabling the Octobots that were controlling the Avengers, Mysterio lends Spider-Man and Silver Sable his vehicle and provides them with the location of Dr. Octopus' base. He then disappears in a cloud of smoke and leaves the heroes to deal with Octavius.^[38]

During the Spider-Men storyline, Mysterio has crossed over to the Ultimate Marvel Universe multiple times only to encounter the mainstream Spider-Man after his last travel. In the struggle, Spider-Man is transported to the Ultimate Universe, where Mysterio reveals that his Ultimate counterpart is simply a robotic avatar controlled remotely.^[39] Refusing to allow Spider-Man to escape, Mysterio sends a robot avatar after Peter and the new Spider-Man.^[40] Despite using chemical weapons to create the hallucination that both Spider-Men are fighting an army of their greatest foes, Peter's greater experience allows him to focus through Mysterio's illusions and destroy the avatar. Mysterio subsequently departs, reflecting that it is more appropriate to leave Spider-Man trapped in a world where he is dead, leaving Iron Man to examine his discarded technology.^[41] Mysterio is preparing to cement his victory by destroying the portal and trapping Spider-Man in the Ultimate universe forever. But unable to resist the temptation to see how his enemy is faring, he keeps the portal open long enough for Peter and the Ultimates to capture him. Despite his best efforts to throw them off with their worst fears, Mysterio is quickly defeated. Fury decides to keep him prisoner in the Ultimate universe due to his knowledge of Peter's secret identity.^[42] He is later questioned by the Ultimates when Galactus is accidentally transferred into the Ultimate universe after they determine that Galactus originates from Mysterio's world. Beck reveals that Galactus's past assaults had been defeated by his world's Reed Richards,^[43] allowing the Ultimates to send their Reed to Earth-616 to hack his counterpart's files on Galactus.^[44]

Eight months after the events of Secret Wars, Mysterio attacks Parker Industries with the intention of using the company's Webware technology to cause mass hysteria by beaming imagery directly into the minds of the product's users. The plot is thwarted by Deadpool, who runs Mysterio over with his "Dead-Buggy".^[45] While recovering in the hospital, Beck is visited by an unknown figure, who leaves a Mysterio bust on the supervillain's bedside table while declaring that he is "not out of the game yet".^[46] After Deadpool is manipulated into killing Spider-Man, Mysterio tortures the hero's Limbo-bound soul by projecting his own spirit into the realm using power provided by a mysterious benefactor. Deadpool is able to enter Limbo and help Spider-Man overpower Mysterio, who is afterward shown to have disappeared from his hospital bed.^[47]

Daniel Berkhart

After the original Mysterio seemingly died in prison, Spider-Man found himself under psychological attack from someone claiming to be his ghost.^[4] It was eventually revealed to be Daniel Berkhart, a stuntman who had previously worked with Beck and had inherited some of his equipment after his "death".^[48] He had been hired by J. Jonah Jameson to torment Spider-Man in order to discredit him. After being arrested, Berkhart is abandoned by Jameson, for whom he develops a lifelong hatred.^[49]

Later, after Beck's suicide, someone claiming to be Mysterio appeared later with the revised Sinister Six, making references to his "death", stating how after fighting Daredevil he had exited in a "most spectacular fashion".^[49] There was some confusion to this Mysterio's identity until Spider-Man: The Mysterio Manifesto hinted that it was again Daniel Berkhart, an old friend of Beck and a previous Jack-O-Lantern who had taken over the mantle of Mysterio during a period when Beck had previously faked his death and has reassumed it after Beck's current death.^[49] This issue was not addressed again until a Mysterio briefly fought Spider-Man and was captured.^[50] Berkhart was later confirmed to be this second Mysterio by Quentin Beck.^[26]

The Jack O'Lantern fought by Agent Venom claims to have killed off all of the surviving previous Jack O'Lanterns, leaving Berkhart's status uncertain.^[51]

Francis Klum

Francis Klum, a mutant with the ability to teleport, was sexually abused by his older brother Garrison (Mr. Brownstone) and forced to use his powers to assist Garrison's illegal activity as a heroin dealer. When Garrison dosed the Black Cat with heroin and attempted to rape her, Francis decided to stop his brother's cruelty for good, teleporting within and blowing up Garrison's body.^[52]

Eventually learning the details of Francis' abusive relationship with Garrison and his role in his brother's death, Felicia nearly convinced Francis to turn himself into the authorities; but Spider-Man, believing that Francis was trying to throw the Cat from the bridge on which they were talking, brutally attacked Klum. Believing that Felicia set him up, he fell from the bridge, teleported in mid-fall and sustained severe physical injuries, losing his left leg below the knee.^[6]

Hungry for revenge against Spider-Man, he contacted the Kingpin and purchased the paraphernalia of the currently-deceased Mysterio (Quentin Beck). He reasoned that by using an old enemy's costume, he could put Spider-Man off-guard; Spider-Man would assume he knew who he was dealing with until Klum demonstrated his powers and it was too late for the wall-crawler to do anything about it.^[25]

However, Klum's plans to kill Spider-Man at Midtown High were interrupted when he was stabbed in the chest by school nurse Miss Arrow's stingers after an altercation with the other two Mysterios (Quentin Beck having returned from the dead).^[26] Klum teleported to safety, although Arrow (who was later revealed to be Ero, a being composed of hundreds of spiders) would later state that her stingers were fatal to anyone except Spider-Man.^[27] Klum has not been seen since.

Mysterion

An unknown African-American individual purchases the suit of Mysterio from Roderick Kingsley and calls himself Mysterion. He fights the Superior Spider-Man (Doctor Octopus' mind in Spider-Man's body) and Punisher. While keeping Punisher from killing Mysterion, Superior Spider-Man captures Mysterion and places him in containment with Sandman, Electro and Chameleon in his hidden underwater lab.^[53] He is later forcibly put under mind control by the Superior Spider-Man and forced to join his Superior Six superhero team.^[54] Mysterion escapes with the other members after being freed from Octavius' influence.^[55]

Mysterion later attacks Liberty Island with an army of robot dinosaurs, which are defeated by Squirrel Girl and other superheroes.^[56]

Powers, abilities and equipment

Quentin Beck does not possess superhuman abilities but he is an expert designer of special effects devices and stage illusions, a master hypnotist and magician and an amateur chemist and roboticist. He has extensive knowledge of hand-to-hand combat techniques learned as a stuntman, allowing him to engage in combat with Spider-Man despite his foe's superior physical abilities and using his skills at misdirection as a further method of self-defense.^[57] Mysterio's suit has personal weaponry which include many devices that aid him in his many agendas. His most striking feature, his helmet, is made of a one way plexiglass material, meaning he can see out but no one can see in. The helmet also includes an air supply to protect him from his own gases, sonar to navigate within his own mist cloak and a holographic projector to aid in 3D illusions that can be used to fool the weak willed. His boots contain magnetic coil springs which allow him impressive leaps as well as the ability to cling to surfaces. His most distinctive and persistent trademark however is his smokescreen cloak. Mysterio's costume contains nozzles in the boots and wrists that can release a constant stream of smoke that shields his movements as well as enhancing his mystique. He can mix various other chemicals into this smokescreen for various effects. Such chemicals include a gas that dulls and inhibits Spider-Man's spider-sense, a gas that causes paralysis for 30 minutes in those that breathe it in, a chemical abrasive that eats away Spider-Man's webbing, hypnogens that make those around him more susceptible to his will and hallucinogens to cause vivid hallucinations in those who breathe them. A combination of the hypnogens and hallucinogens, along with his holographic projectors, are how Mysterio achieves most of his illusions. The costume sometimes also includes offensive weaponry, such as lasers or knockout gas nozzles in the eye emblems on his shoulders, or electric coils within his cape to electrocute those who touch it. He also employs many different weapons, such as hand-held hypnotic aids or robotic drones, to further his aims in battle.

Francis Klum is a mutant with the ability to control people's bodies to do anything he wants them to without actually controlling their minds. He is also a long-range teleporter who can teleport his body to other locations, as well as other objects to and from his present location. His costume features an electrically-charged cloak, boots with magnetic plate springs and mechanical smoke ejectors that produce a concealing mist and gloves which emit a web-dissolving acid spray and electric bolts. He is self-educated in the use of mechanical/visual special effects and illusion. Klum has an artificial leg.^[52] It has been confirmed that Francis kept his powers after M-Day.^[25]

Other versions

Marvel 1602

This dimension's Mysterio, known as Magus, is a member of the Sinister Sextet, the dimension's Sinister Six.^[58] The Web Warriors (alternate versions of Spider-Man) visited the 1602 Universe to deal with the Sinister Sextet and apprehended the villain.^[58]

Marvel Noir

In the Marvel Noir universe, Mysterio is a stage magician who operated under the title of "The Magnificent Mysterio." He debuted during the Spider-Verse storyline where he and his assistant Ella collaborated with Wilson Fisk to obtain the blood of The Spider-Man after interrogating The Ox.^[59]

Marvel Zombies

A Zombie Mysterio appears with five other Spider-Man villains attempting to eat civilians, but all six are repelled by Magneto and Wolverine. It reveals that he was somehow infected by the Zombie Spider-Man of this reality.^[60]

Marvel Zombies Return

A past version of Mysterio from Spider-Man's college days appears as a member of the Sinister Six and battles the reality hopping Zombie Spider-Man. Like his fellow Sinister Six members, he was horrified by the undead Spider-Man's actions. The Zombie Spider-Man pulls parts of this Mysterio's brain out of his dome and head, which infects Mysterio with the zombie virus, causing him to participate with other zombie members in eating Spider-Man's friends. Angered, the Zombie Spider-Man kills him.^[61]

Old Man Logan

In an alternate future of the Marvel Universe, Mysterio casts an illusion which makes Wolverine believe that the X-Men are various deadly villains of the Marvel universe while matching their scents. Wolverine slaughters them all, only discovering the trick after he killed the last "villain" (such as Jubilee who appeared as Bullseye) and the illusion cleared up. Without the X-Men, the Red Skull's alliance of villains manages to conquer America and kill most of the heroes.^[62]

Spider-Man Reign

In the Spider-Man: Reign alternate reality, an older Mysterio works with the 'Sinner Six' to stop Spider-Man's rebellious assault. Mysterio's fear-inducing powers fail to work for Spider-Man had already confronted and become bored by his personal demons.^[63]

Spider-Verse

In "Edge of Spider-Verse" as part of the Spider-Verse storyline, Mysterio is piloting an enormous flying orb and is infecting the people of New York with hallucinogenic gas. He came in conflict with SP//dr (Peni Parker) and despite being able to dose her with the gas, he was still beaten and brought for interrogation and exposed an illegal biological enhancement ring.^[64]

Another version of Mysterio is a member of the Six Men of Sinestry of the dimension Earth-803 and appears briefly assisting the group in escaping from Lady Spider.^[65]

Ultimate Marvel

The Ultimate Marvel version of Mysterio was introduced in Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3. His appearance is drastically changed from his 616 counterpart. He wears all black with a green neck brace that produces blue smoke that envelopes his face. In his first appearance, he had a police technician to set up surveillance equipment to the police department. However, after NYPD's police captain Frank Quaid asked Spider-Man to aid them to find the crook who somehow able to stay ahead of his unit. Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man's love interest, figured out how the criminal does it after the hero informed her of the situation. After the police arrested his accomplice, the villain vowed to get even with Spider-Man and then escapes.^[66]

Mysterio appears again in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1, blasting Kingpin out the window of a skyscraper.^[67] He publicly confesses to Wilson Fisk's murder and threatens the city, stating that he is now in charge. He releases a fear hallucinogen across Manhattan in order to rob the Federal Bank. Spider-Man stops him and Mysterio's personal hatred for the web slinger increases.^[68]

Creating an illusion of the Hulk to lure Spider-Man to him, Mysterio ambushes and severely wounds the hero. Before Mysterio can unmask and kill Spider-Man, a mysterious vigilante rescues him and together they defeat Mysterio, revealing his true face. Mysterio finds Spidey's blood on his broken armor and designs a Spider-Slayer that personally targets Peter. Spider-Man defeats it, and before Mysterio can do anything else, the police rush to his hideout, which they found by tracking a piece of Mysterio's tech. Mysterio curses and proceeds to blow up his hideout.^[69]

It was revealed in Spider-Men that this reality's Mysterio is a simple android, remotely controlled in real time by an 'avatar' program that was created and sent forth by the Earth-616 Mysterio in order to conquer the world of the Ultimate Marvel universe.^[42]

In other media

Television

• Mysterio was a villain in the 1960s Spider-Man animated series voiced by Chris Wiggins.^[70] He appeared in two popular episodes from the first season "The Menace of Mysterio" (one of two half-hour episodes of the season) and "Return of the Flying Dutchman". Mysterio also appears in a third-season episode "The Madness of Mysterio" although he appears out of costume and has red hair and green skin. He makes Spider-Man think he has been shrunken down to six inches tall by trapping him in a fairground. In the final episode during which Spider-Man tells his past adventures to a boy, Mysterio appears in a flashback of "Return of the Flying Dutchman".
• Mysterio appeared in the Spider-Man episode "The Pied Piper of New York Town" voiced by Michael Rye.^[70] He is shown hypnotizing the youth of New York via special music in a fake disco club.
• Mysterio made an appearance in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode "Spidey Goes Hollywood" voiced by Peter Cullen.^[71] He blackmails movie director Sam Blockbuster to persuade Spider-Man to star in a movie rigged with devices he created. Spider-Man's teammates Iceman and Firestar help the web-slinger overcome his deathtraps ranging from a robotic giant gorilla and a robotic shark. This led Mysterio to create special traps to keep Iceman and Firestar from interfering which included android look-a-likes of their favorite movie stars. Mysterio even created a robot duplicate of Hulk to attack Spider-Man which ended up fighting the real Hulk. After Hulk was defeated, Mysterio is apprehended by Spider-Man.

• Mysterio appears in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, voiced by Gregg Berger.^[70] Quentin Beck was a former stuntman and special effects artist who blames Spider-Man for ruining his reputation. In his first episode "The Menace of Mysterio", Mysterio frames Spider-Man for various crimes but his plan is exposed by Spider-Man and Detective Terri Lee and he is jailed. Later, he becomes a member of the Insidious Six in the episodes "The Insidious Six" and "Battle of the Insidious Six". In his final appearance in the series "The Haunting of Mary Jane Watson", Mysterio creates a studio in secret intending to defeat Spider-Man there. After breaking out of prison, he aided Spider-Man in his search for Mary Jane Watson through his studio. Spider-Man discovers that Mysterio was in love with a former actress (Miranda Wilson) who was mortally wounded from a filming accident the day Spider-Man exposed Beck and was saved only by Quentin's cybernetic technology. Miranda planned the entire kidnapping to swap bodies with the similar-looking Mary Jane using a machine developed by Mysterio, Mysterio explained that he faked the machine and only built it to give her hope for a new body. Devastated, Miranda set the studio to explode. Spider-Man saved Mary Jane but Mysterio was caught in the explosion, staying with Miranda to the end. In the five-part "Six Forgotten Warriors" storyline, Kingpin hires the Insidious Six again with Vulture, replacing Mysterio.

• Mysterio appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man voiced by Xander Berkeley.^[70] In the episode "Persona", Quentin Beck was a film special effects expert and stuntman who eventually became one of the Chameleon's henchmen alongside Phineas Mason. After Chameleon impersonates Spider-Man, using Beck's special effects tech, and goes on a crime spree, the group are taken down by the real Spider-Man and the Black Cat. Quentin takes on the Mysterio identity in the season two episode "Blueprints". He steals tech from Tricorp and Oscorp, pretending to be a sorcerer "saving" mankind from technology. He defeats Spider-Man twice but Spidey discovers his lair and defeats him after realising that he does not use magic but technology and illusions, the tech itself is not a threat while the illusions could not fool Spider-Man's spider-sense. Mysterio is seemingly taken to jail, but in the end, it is revealed it was actually a robot made in Beck's image; when asked why he did this he stated that he did not want anyone else taking the credit for his performance as Mysterio. The real Mysterio is also revealed to be working with the Tinkerer for the enigmatic Master Planner. He returns in the episode "Reinforcement" as part of the new Sinister Six. He attacks Spider-Man alongside Kraven the Hunter and the trio end up in a mall. He does not really fight, but helps Kraven the Hunter with robot duplicates of himself. When Kraven is defeated by one of the exploding robots, Mysterio tries to escape but is stopped by Spidey's web fluid which made sure that Mysterio was not a robot this time. After unmasking him, Spider-Man questions Quentin Beck about who the Master Planner is. He is arrested by the police, while the others villains were extracted by the Tinkerer. In the episode "Identity Crisis", reporter Ned Lee is interviewing Beck when Peter Parker was rumored to be Spider-Man. Beck states that he hopes that Parker is Spider-Man and that a lot of people in the prison would know what to do with that info. In the episode "Opening Night", however, it is revealed that the Quentin that was imprisoned in the Vault was actually a robot that can switch between Quentin and Mysterio (since Montana (Shocker) knew how to do this which implies that the two were in an alliance). The robotic Mysterio aides the other villains in the Vault in fighting Spider-Man, but is accidentally destroyed by Molten Man. The real Quentin's whereabouts remain unrevealed.
• Mysterio appears in the Ultimate Spider-Man episode "The Moon Knight Before Christmas",^[72] voiced by Paul Scheer.^[73] Quentin Beck is portrayed as an old enemy of Spider-Man and former stage magician who is presumed dead after an encounter with Spider-Man when he fell off the Brooklyn Bridge. Spider-Man dove into the river and only found Mysterio's helmet at the bottom of the river while his body is nowhere to be found. Since that incident, Spider-Man gave his helmet to Doctor Strange for safekeeping at the Sanctorum. Following his death, his daughter Frances Beck (voiced by Mary Kate Wiles)^[74] uses his helmet in an attempt to exact revenge on Spider-Man as a female Mysterio only to discover that Quentin Beck's soul is trapped within the helmet. Recalling Doctor Strange's saying "The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend", Spider-Man casts the spell that would enable Frances' pursuer Moon Knight to enter when it comes to Mysterio summoning evil elves, giant gingerbread men, snow monsters created from snowmen and animated toys. Using a specific wand that the Moon Knight told him to wield, he stabs the helmet with the wand. Spider-Man pretends to follow the Moon Knight by telling him to free Frances from the helmet's control, after ending up inside the helmet where he sees Quentin in the helmet as a result of a deal with Dormammu. As Quentin states that his soul is lost, Spider-Man persuade Quentin not to give up. As a result, Quentin Beck, Frances Beck, and Spider-Man return to reality. Quentin and Frances later attend a dinner with Aunt May alongside Spider-Man and Moon Knight. In episode final, "Graduation Day" (Part 2), Frances Beck is now a new student as well in S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.

Film

Bruce Campbell made varying cameos throughout the Sam Raimi Spider-Man film series. Jeffrey Henderson, who worked on the storyboards for the cancelled fourth Spider-Man film, said in 2016 that Campbell was slated to eventually play Quentin Beck / Mysterio.^[75][76]

Video games

• Mysterio appears in the Spider-Man Questprobe game.
• Mysterio appears as the first boss of The Amazing Spider-Man for Game Boy.
• Mysterio appears as the final boss in the sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
• Mysterio appears in the Sega CD version of The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin.
• Mysterio appears in Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace.^[77]
• Mysterio appears in the game The Amazing Spider-Man.^[78]
• Mysterio appears in Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six.
• Mysterio appears as a boss in both the Super NES and Sega Genesis games based on the animated series.
• Mysterio appears as a boss in the Super Famicom game The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes.
• Mysterio appears as the first boss in the Game Boy Color game Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six.
• Mysterio appears in the 2000 Spider-Man PC, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and PlayStation game, voiced by Daran Norris.^[79]
• Mysterio appears in the Spider-Man 2 video game, voiced by James Arnold Taylor.^[80] He first appears without a secret identity, trying to discredit Spider-Man as a fake with no actual powers and gain fame for himself. However, this event includes Beck releasing several criminals, including Herman Schultz threatening the crowd, getting Beck in trouble with the law. Later he appears as Mysterio, posing as an alien who aims to conquer New York City with his army of robots, although this plan is foiled by Spider-Man. He then lures Spider-Man into a "Funhouse of Doom" hidden in an apartment, where he puts him through several challenges before slipping away again. Spider-Man eventually discovers Mysterio's identity when he stops the villain from robbing a shop. In this game, Beck wears a suit that looks like the traditional Mysterio costume (sans helmet and cape) while trying to discredit Spider-Man, while his Mysterio costume consists of the familiar "fishbowl" and a flowing robe bearing a large M on the chest. Also in the game, when he is fought in the store, his boss meter appears to have three bars - creating the illusion that he will be an extremely tough boss - but he is easily knocked out with one attack.
• Mysterio appears as a mini-boss in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced again by James Arnold Taylor.^[80] He appears a member of Doctor Doom's Masters of Evil and joins MODOK and Crimson Dynamo in the attack on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Omega Base to steal the Mutant Amplifier, with Mysterio also tasked to steal secret plans for Ultron that were developed by S.H.I.E.L.D. with the intention of capturing and reprogramming the robot to work for them, despite such an act being deemed illegal because of his sentience. Ultron wants them to use to upgrade his weapons. Mysterio has special dialogue with Spider-Man and Venom.
• Mysterio appears in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.^[81] He combines the shards of the meteor that originally brought Venom to earth with his nanotechnology and hard-light holograms to create P.H.A.N.T.O.M.s (Perpetual Holographic Avatar Nano-Tech Offensive Monsters). Adding to his ranks is a wide array of villains: Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Scorpion, Rhino, Sandman and Venom (in that order) where each on was under a control amulet that Spider-Man had to destroy. He sends Doctor Octopus and Green Goblin to Tokyo, Scorpion and Rhino to the mystical Tangaroa Island, Sandman to Egypt, and Venom to the historic Transylvania. His base of operations is in Nepal. Mysterio first encounters Spidey in Nepal somewhere near his lair, where he steals back two shards. Mysterio disappears and summons two P.H.A.N.T.O.M.S. to destroy the hero, but they are defeated when Spider-Man unleashes the power of the symbiote by smashing the shard in his hand. Spider-Man fights through his forces until he reaches his headquarters, where he utilizes laser weaponry, occasionally stopping to laugh in "triumph", giving Spider-Man time to punch him. In the end, Mysterio is defeated and imprisoned (off screen).
• Mysterio appears in the PlayStation 2 and PSP versions of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, voiced by Greg Baldwin.^[82] He is an assist character who takes down enemies with his illusions.
• Mysterio appears in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, voiced by David Kaye.^[83] As revealed in the intro video, he shatters the Tablet of Order and Chaos while fighting Spider-Man, causing problems with reality.^[84] When Mysterio learns of the Tablet's power from a piece that he managed to acquire, it allows him to turn his illusions into real magical powers. He finds out that Spider-Man is gathering the pieces and hungers for more of its power. When Spider-Man gives Madame Web the tablet fragment, Mysterio attacks and threatens to kill her if Spider-Man does not recover the remaining tablet fragments for him. Upon receiving the remaining pieces, Mysterio is transformed by the completed tablet into a mystical, godlike being bent on remaking all of reality in his own image. He individually fights each Spider-Man in that version's decomposing dimension, and each one smashes Mysterio's helmet until all four beat him into submission. The game ends with Madame Web returning each Spider-Man to his own dimension (Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man 2099, Ultimate Spider-Man and Amazing Spider-Man) and with Mysterio being sent to jail. During the credits, he is sitting in a jail cell feeding goldfish in a bowl.
• Mysterio appears in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, voiced by Dave Boat.^[85]
• Mysterio appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes,^[86] voiced by David Sobolov.^[87] In a bonus mission at the Raft, Magneto and Mystique infiltrate the Raft when Magneto suspects that Mysterio has his chess set that Magneto had left behind during his escape and confrontation with the heroes. Mysterio is reluctant to give Magneto his chess set back, causing Magneto and Mystique to fight past the inmates to get to Mysterio. Magneto and Mystique defeat Mysterio as Magneto reclaims his chess set.
• Mysterio appears in Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes,^[88] voiced again by David Kaye.^[70]
• Mysterio appears as a boss in the game Marvel: Avengers Alliance, voiced again by David Kaye.^[83]
• Mysterio appears as the final member of the Sinister Six in the mobile app Spider-Man Unlimited, voiced by Fred Tatasciore.^[70]
• Mysterio appears in Disney Infinity 3.0, voiced again by David Kaye.^[89]
• Mysterio is a boss in the mobile game Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2.^[90]
• Mysterio will appear as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.
• Mysterio appears as a playable character in the mobile game Marvel: Future Fight.

Toys and collectibles

• Mysterio has been the subject of two different action figures produced by Toy Biz under their Spider-Man: The Animated Series and Spider-Man Classics lines. The Toy Biz Mysterio was repainted for the first wave of Spider-Man figures by Hasbro.
• Mysterio has been reproduced as a mini-bust and as a thirteen-inch (330 mm) statue by Bowen Designs. He has likewise been crafted as a mini-bust by Art Asylum as part of their Rogues Gallery line. He also makes up one-seventh of the "Sinister Six" statue set from Diamond Select.
• Hasbro has made various action figures of Mysterio over the years, including a Spider-Man 2 game version Mysterio to their Spider-Man 3 Movie figures series.

References

External links

• at Marvel.com
• Profile of Mysterio I at Spiderfan.org
• Profile of Mysterio II at Spiderfan.org
• Mysterio II at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
• Mysterio III at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe