Mysterio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mysterio | |
 Mysterio drawn by Todd Nauck. |
|
| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | (Beck) Amazing Spider-Man #13 (June 1964) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Steve Ditko |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | - Quentin Beck - Daniel Berkhart - Francis Klum |
| Team affiliations | Sinister Six |
| Notable aliases | (all) Master of Illusion (Beck) Ludwig Rinehart |
| Abilities | (Beck and Berkhart) Special effects expert and masterful illusionist (Klum) Teleportation |
Mysterio is the name of three fictional characters that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original Mysterio was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appears was in Amazing Spider-Man #13, although it was later retconned that the aliens seen in 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. [1]
Contents |
[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Quentin Beck
Quentin Beck was born in Riverside, California. Before becoming Mysterio, Beck was a special-effects wizard and stunt man who worked for a major Hollywood studio and had dreams to make a name for himself in the film industry. However, he lacked the looks and talent to be a star and the patience to be a director, and saw his career in special-effects to be a dead-end job. When a friend jokingly suggested that the quickest way to become famous is to take out a costumed hero, Beck realized that his expertise in illusions could make him an effective supervillain. Choosing Spider-Man, a relatively weak and inexperienced target, Beck prepared his resources for a few months before attempting to eliminate the wall-crawler. Mysterio, his chosen identity, became one of Spider-Man's most elusive and persistent foes.
Mysterio showed his full range of talents in his first battle with Spider-Man, fogging the hero's Spider-Sense with a special gas and dissolving his webbing with a chemical abrasive.[2] He later joined the original Sinister Six in a failed attempt at revenge on Spider-Man.[3] Mysterio created the alias of world-renowned psychiatrist Dr. Ludwig Rinehart and used technology and hypnosis in an attempt to convince Spider-Man that he was losing his mind.[4] Mysterio later established a brief partnership with the Wizard in a failed plot to kill Spider-Man and the Human Torch on a Hollywood movie set.[5] He convinced Spider-Man into believing he was 6 inches tall using a post-hypnotic suggestion.[6]
Some time later, Beck's cellmate Daniel Berkhart briefly became the new Mysterio on the original's behalf.[7] Much later, Beck resumed his Ludwig Rinehart identity to manipulate Spider-Man's Aunt May into revealing the whereabouts of a supposed fortune hidden in her house.[8] 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.[9] Some time later, Mysterio tricked Spider-Man into believing that he had caused the death of a bystander.[10] Mysterio then attempts to scare the tenants from an apartment complex in real estate thwarted by the preteen superhero team, Power Pack.[11] He was recruited by Doctor Octopus to form the second Sinister Six, and battled Spider-Man.[12]
In other encounters, Mysterio has faked the death of Spider-Man's Aunt May, and made deals with demons from Limbo. 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, 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. Obsessed with enacting 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). Mysterio decided to change his plan and focus on Daredevil, who he had encountered recently during an insurance scam that the Man Without Fear had thwarted, instead, believing that, in Daredevil, he had found a 'kindred spirit', in the sense that both were second stringers with little reputation outside their homes.
After the Kingpin gave Mysterio all the information he possessed about Daredevil's past, Mysterio developed an elaborate plot to drive Daredevil insane. Daredevil was nearly manipulated into killing an innocent baby (falsely accused of being the Antichrist), 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, Matt Murdock's partner Foggy Nelson was framed for murder after cheating on his current lover, and Daredevil nearly lost his mind as he appeared to be tormented by the forces of Hell.
However, Daredevil's will proved stronger than Mysterio expected, and he 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 verbally abused Mysterio's plot and very existence, dismissing 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 legitimate, as Mysterio had nothing left to live for.
[edit] Daniel Berkhart
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'. There was some confusion to this Mysterio's identity until Spider-Man: The Mysterio Manifesto hinted that it was 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 death. This issue was not addressed again until a Mysterio briefly fought Spider-Man and was captured in Spider-Man Unlimited (Vol. III) #7. In a recent storyline in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #12, Berkhart was confirmed to be this second Mysterio by Quentin Beck. (See below.)
[edit] Francis Klum
A teleporting mutant named Francis Klum was seen purchasing Mysterio's costume from the Kingpin, swearing revenge on Spider-Man for the events in Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do. This would make him the third Mysterio, and the first Mysterio to have actual powers instead of using illusions.
[edit] Return of Beck
In Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #11, Klum plots to destroy the recently unmasked Spider-Man in revenge for the events that took place in The Evil That Men Do. Enacting his plot by turning the school Peter Parker worked in into a 'haunted house', Klum fills it with hauntings and death-traps, including luring the children away from Peter's protection. To prevent interference, Klum cordons off the school with a barrier of toxic smoke, which only served as a beacon to Daniel Berkhart, who recognized the trick and was incensed that someone was stealing his Mysterio act. Penetrating the barrier, Berkhart prepares to team up with Spider-Man in order to defeat Klum.
Before the fight began, however, Klum had already encountered a third man in a more radical, purple and red Mysterio costume. Lecturing Klum on the aspects of showmanship, he eventually removes his helmet to reveal that he was apparently Quentin Beck, back from the dead, still with half of his head missing. The full nature of this alleged resurrection has yet to be revealed (Although Beck did cryptically state "While I was done with life, it appears life was not yet done with me", implying that the resurrection was not preformed intentionally by Beck, who had meant to stay dead).
In a recent conversation with Miss Arrow, he revealed that his "bosses" and her "bosses" had further plans for Peter Parker and that she should keep him employed in the school.
[edit] Powers, abilities, and equipment
Quentin Beck was an expert designer of special effects devices and stage illusions, a master hypnotist and prestidigitator, and an amateur chemist and roboticist. He had extensive knowledge of hand-to-hand combat techniques learned as a stuntman but didn't otherwise possess superhuman abilities.
Daniel Berkhart, a former friend and protégé of Beck's, presumably has much of the same training and skills that Beck does, though to what extent is unknown.
Francis Klum, having purchased the identity from the Kingpin, has not been identified as having any such training. He is, however, depicted as being at least knowledgeable enough to operate some of the Mysterio equipment and techniques. Additionally, he has the mutant ability to teleport both himself and other objects.
Mysterio (in any incarnation) has personal weaponry that includes a one-way plexiglass fishbowl helmet (with 30 minute air supply) with holographic projector, and gloves and boots armed with nozzles which emit hallucinogenic gas. He developed a gas that can cancel Spider-Man's spider-sense, and when he is cloaked in his mist gases, he uses sonar to detect objects and beings nearby. He also has more advanced technology (not of his own design) at his disposal.
[edit] Other versions
[edit] Ultimate Mysterio
No counterpart for Mysterio has thus far been written into the Ultimate Marvel universe yet. However, the character was alluded to in the "Hollywood" arc of Ultimate Spider-Man (which poked fun at the Spider-Man movies) as a villain in a movie about Spider-Man.
[edit] In other media
[edit] Television
[edit] Spider-Man (1967)
Mysterio was a villain in the 1960s Spider-Man animated series 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 looks completely different. In all three episodes, he was voiced by Chris Wiggins; this portrayal of the character has since inspired later actors to give Mysterio a British accent.
[edit] Spider-Man (1981)
He later appeared in the Spider-Man episode "The Pied Piper of New York Town", hypnotizing the youth of New York.
[edit] Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
He then made an appearance in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, in the episode "Spidey Goes Hollywood" voiced by Peter Cullen. In that episode, he blackmails a director to persuade Spider-Man to star in a movie, rigged with devices he created. The plot is similar to The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #4 (where Mysterio and The Wizard summoned Spidey and The Human Torch), as well as the first appearance of The Green Goblin in The Amazing Spider-Man #14, where the Goblin cons Spidey and a Hollywood director into making a Spider-Man movie. In both "Spidey Goes Hollywood" and the Goblin's first appearance, the "movie" is actually a trap meant to destroy Spider-Man, and in both of these cases, The Hulk becomes involved.
[edit] Spider-Man: The Animated Series
In the 1994 Spider-Man animated series Mysterio, voiced by Gregg Berger, was a supervillain who blames Spider-Man for ruining his reputation. In his first appearance, "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", but the entire team fails and disbands to avoid being arrested. In Mysterio's final appearance in the series, "The Haunting of Mary Jane", he creates a studio in secret. He kidnaps Mary Jane Watson (or rather, her clone) and Spider-Man teams up with Mysterio, battling robot versions of Carnage, Venom, Rhino, The Lizard, and Dr. Octopus, all of whom Spider-Man fought in the past in a deathtrap Mysterio had designed to one day lure Spider-Man to and kill him (though not all the villains were exact copies, namely the Venom robot with fire-breath). Spider-Man discovers that Mysterio was in love with a woman named Miranda Wilson, a former actress who was disfigured and planned the entire kidnapping to swap bodies with the similar-looking Mary Jane. The studio exploded, Spider-Man saved the Mary Jane clone, and Mysterio apparently died in the explosion, staying with Miranda to the end. In the five-part "Six Forgotten Warriors" storyline, in which the Kingpin hires the Insidious Six again, the Vulture replaces the late Mysterio.
[edit] Spider-Man Unlimited
Mysterio is briefly mentioned in the Spider-Man Unlimited episode "Enter the Hunter" when, confronted by a hologram of The Hunter, Spidey remarks "Give a guy holographic technology, and he thinks he's Mysterio."
[edit] The Spectacular Spider-Man
Quentin Beck appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Xander Berkeley. In "Persona", he worked under Chameleon along with Phineas Mason as a special effects expert to make it appear that Chameleon had all the abilities of Spider-Man, until being arrested at the end of the episode.[13]
[edit] Video games
- Mysterio appears in the Spider-Man Questprobe game.
- Mysterio is the first boss of The Amazing Spider-Man, a Game Boy game.
- He appears as the final boss in the sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2, .
- He appears in the Sega CD version of The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin.
- Mysterio is the primary villain in Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace
- Also is the main villain in the game The Amazing Spider Man.
- He is working with Dr. Octopus in Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six.
- He appears as a boss in both the Snes and Sega Genesis games based on the animated series.
- He was a boss in the Japanese only Super Nintendo game Spider-Man: Lethal Foes.
- He appears as the first boss in the Game Boy Color game Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six.
- Mysterio plays a significant role in the 2000 Spider-Man PC, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and PlayStation game, voiced by Daran Norris. He frames Spider-Man by disguising himself as the hero and steals the reformed Dr. Octopus' new machine. However, Mysterio secretly works for Dr. Octopus, who has only pretended to reform. Later, Spider-Man and Mysterio confront each other in The Daily Bugle's basement. Mysterio makes the illusion that he increases his height to fifty feet, and Spider-Man must destroy his power source to return the villain to his normal size. After defeating him in battle, Spider-Man forces Mysterio to give him information on a coming symbiote invasion. There is also a "What If?" cheat, which makes several things happen during the game. One of them makes goldfish swim around in Mysterio's helmet while you fight him.
- Mysterio was also Spider-Man's secondary enemy in the game based on Spider-Man 2. In this game Quentin Beck is voiced by James Arnold Taylor. As Beck, he attempts to discredit Spider-Man's credibility by defeating him in a series of tests, only to be humiliated when Spider-Man wins all his challenges. (During all this, the Shocker escapes). He returns later as Mysterio, claiming to be an alien invader. After several acts of terrorism (such as staging an alien invasion and taking the Statue of Liberty hostage and turning into a monument for himself) Mysterio is tracked down by Spider-Man in a bizarre funhouse, which Spider-Man escapes again. After this, Mysterio vanishes. During a brief transition period, Spider-Man will occasionally face Mysterio's robots during his civilian missions. Mysterio makes one final and intentionally anti-climatic appearance later in the game where he attempts to rob a supermarket. Spider-Man tracks him down, and after the player is given the impression that Mysterio will be a big threat (he has three life bars), Spider-Man easily takes him down with one punch. One interesting note is that Beck, during his attempt to discredit Spider-Man, wears the classic Mysterio costume from the comics, minus the cape and helmet. Mystero's costume is a cloak with a M on it with gold carved cape-holders and claws. It also seems that, like other thugs, he doesn't know about how Spider-man works out his powers.
- Mysterio appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. He is a member of Doctor Doom's Masters of Evil and is one of the villains attacking the S.H.I.E.L.D. Omega Base alongiside of Crimson Dynamo and MODOK. There is special dialogue between him and Spider-Man as well as Venom. A VS simulation disk has the heroes fighting Mysterio in Murderworld and another simulation disk has Iceman fighting Mysterio in Mephisto's Realm.
- Mysterio was revealed as the main antagonist of Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, on IGN September 6th, 2007. In the game he seeks to use an army of Phantoms, foot soldiers made of a combination of the symbiote and holography, to conquer the world. At the same time, he brainwashes a large part of Spider-Man's rogues gallery to do his dirty work and retrieve the shards of the meteor that will let him achieve his goal. He was voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.
[edit] Toys & 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.
- He has also been reproduced as a mini-bust and as a thirteen-inch 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 will be adding a Spider-Man 2 game version Mysterio to their Spider-Man 3 Movie figures series as well as Shocker and Vulture. Source can be found on Cool Toy Review.com
- The Marvel Figurine Collection & magazine have released a Mysterio figure. He is number 57 in the collection.
[edit] Novels
Mysterio is a member of the Six in the Sinister Six novel trilogy by Adam-Troy Castro, set shortly before his terminal illness and including references to his feeling ill. He also appears in the kids' book Spider-Man and the Menace of Mysterio, written by Scott Ciencin and published by Scholastic Corporation.
[edit] External links
- Marvel.com Bio
- Profile of Mysterio I at Spiderfan.org
- Profile of Mysterio II at Spiderfan.org
- http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/mysterioklum.htm
[edit] References
- ^ Roger Stern (w), Marie Severin (p), Jim Mooney (i). "Aliens And Illusions!" The Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 1, #51 (January, 1981) Marvel Comics
- ^ Amazing Spider-Man #13
- ^ Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1
- ^ Amazing Spider-Man #24
- ^ Amazing Spider-Man Annual #4
- ^ Amazing Spider-Man #66-67
- ^ Amazing Spider-Man #141
- ^ Amazing Spider-Man #198-199
- ^ Spectacular Spider-Man #50-51
- ^ Amazing Spider-Man #311
- ^ Power Pack #55
- ^ Amazing Spider-Man #335-339
- ^ Comics Continuum by Rob Allstetter: Tuesday, January 29, 2008
