If Mysterio returns after Spider-Man: there is no way home”, he will become the first MCU villain to receive the title of “sworn enemy”. The Spider-Man Villain Gallery is one of the most recognizable: villains such as Doctor Octopus and Venom constantly play a significant role in Spider-Man stories in all media, including comics, movies and video games. Being one of the founders of the original Sinister Six, Mysterio is also among the Spider’s worst enemies. However, he is rarely considered Spider-Man’s biggest nemesis.
The concept of “arch nemesis” has been surprisingly absent from the Marvel cinematic universe until now, despite its popularity in comics. Just like the Joker is Batman’s eternal enemy in DC comics, Captain America has a Red Skull, Iron Man has a Mandarin, and Spider—Man has a Green Goblin. KVM did not allow many villains to stay to build a common story with their heroic colleagues. For example, Captain America only met Red Skull a couple of times in Captain America: The First Avenger and never saw him again, Iron Man never even met Venwu, and Spider-Man is just now getting acquainted with the multiverse version of Green. The goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Related: “Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home fixes the MCU Iron Man bug”
The only two villains who came close to being considered sworn enemies of the MCU were Loki and Thanos. However, Loki was portrayed more as Thor’s complicated brother than as his direct enemy, and Thanos was the villain who gathers all the Avengers in a huge crossover event. On the contrary, Mysterio was a nightmare exclusively of Spider-Man. First, he became the complete opposite of Iron Man, posing as Peter Parker’s mentor before betraying him. He then tried to use Stark’s technology to kill Peter, and finally ruined Peter’s personal life when he revealed his secret identity to the world. In Spider-Man: There is No Way Home, Mysterio’s actions still strongly influence the story of Spider-Man – even after the supposed death of Quentin Beck.
How the Return of Mysterio Can Help the MCU
As soon as Spider-Man finishes fighting Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Electro, Lizard and Sandman, he will already fight a huge list of villains. But considering that Mysterio’s posthumous blow to Spider-Man’s secret identity forces Peter to resort to an unsuccessful spell to erase Doctor Strange’s memory, it’s safe to say that none of Spider-Man’s other villains came close to Mysterio’s influence. Therefore, if Mysterio returns in Spider-Man 4, his defeat will feel like the final culmination of Spider-Man’s journey into the MCU. He will turn Peter Parker’s life into hell for three films, and his fake death will prove that no one will ever know if he really left.
Mysterio’s status as Spider-Man’s nemesis will help change the relationship between heroes and villains in the MCU. A long—standing one—on-one feud spanning multiple films is something that hasn’t happened to multiple superhero franchises before-partly because villains rarely survive after a single movie. This will only become more interesting if Marvel Studios and Sony agree to move Tom Holland’s Peter Parker to Sony’s Spider-Man universe after the events of Spider-Man: There is no Way home, as the feud between Spider-Man and Mysterio will not only be the first in the MCU, but he will also be the first. which will surpass entire franchises.
