Not every scene makes the final cut of a Marvel movie but recently shared concept art from Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) reveals that Marvel villain Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) was supposed to make his return to the Marvel Universe, completely changing the results that every Marvel fan witnesses in the movie today.
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That’s right, Mysterio was supposed to appear in No Way Home, having a significant battle between Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) on the Statue of Liberty at the end of this Multiverse movie.
While Jake Gyllenhaal is spotted at the very beginning of the Marvel movie on news headlines, new concept art reveals that this beloved Marvel character was supposed to have a significant role amongst the Sinister Five:
New #SpiderManNoWayHome concept art features a battle between Doctor Strange and Mysterio.
New #SpiderManNoWayHome concept art features a battle between Doctor Strange and Mysterio. pic.twitter.com/JRxRoEGuyo
— SPOILERS: Spider-Man: No Way Home Updates (@spideyupdated) January 25, 2022
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Recently revealed concept art showcased superhero America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) opening the portals that brought Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s respective Marvel characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Still, Marvel Studios decided to save her character for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) after multiple release delays shifted the Marvel timeline, forcing Spider-Man: No Way Home to debut before the Doctor Strange sequel.
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Of course, virtually every Marvel fan is pretty confused about what’s happening in the above concept art, as Mysterio doesn’t have any superpowers or access to the Stark Drones confiscated by the Damage Control Department.
Nonetheless, Mysterio’s involvement in the film would have patched the “Sinister Six” pothole, as we only got the “Sinister Five” with Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Electro (Jamie Foxx), Lizard (Rhys Ifans), and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church):
This is funny af cuz Mysterio don’t even have super powers.
This is funny af cuz Mysterio don’t even have super powers😭
— Peter Parker’s Precarious Profession (@Mr_Red18k) January 25, 2022
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Another fan wrote:
As cool as this is, I think not having Mysterio show up was the right call. The entire movie is based on everyone thinking Peter killed Mysterio. If Mysterio showed up at the end fight, it would take one pedestrian to notice him and realize he lied about everything.
As cool as this is, I think not having Mysterio show up was the right call. The entire movie is based on everyone thinking Peter killed Mysterio. If Mysterio showed up at the end fight, it would take one pedestrian to notice him and realize he lied about everything.
— jj rotate (@official_bigj) January 25, 2022
What Happened to Mysterio?
This jaw-dropping concept art revealed the early production stages of Spider-Man: No Way Home, mainly when Marvel head Kevin Feige, director Jon Watts, and writers Chris McKenna and Eric Sommers were still kicking around the early ideas of which villains would appear in this Spider-Man film.
Early reports suggested that Venom (Tom Hardy) would star as the sixth villain of the “Sinister Six,” but the movie only featured five Multiversal villains. While many reports have recently surfaced that Venom was initially intended for the film’s final cut, this Mysterio concept art changes everything.
Given that Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) lost access to the Stark Drones in the first act of No Way Home, Mysterio would have been utterly powerless against Doctor Strange and ultimately met his doom.
Of course, this could have been a variant of Mysterio, one with superpowers from a different universe. Still, one glance from civilians looking at the Statue of Liberty during the final battle would reveal that Mysterio never died and Spider-Man would no longer be “Public Enemy #1.”
Marvel and Sony Pictures are most likely saving Mysterio for a solo Sinister Six film, one that’s set either within Tom Holland or Andrew Garfield’s respective universes.
Given that fans spotted Mysterio’s silhouette in the reality streams at the end of No Way Home, it’s safe to say that Mysterio will return to the Marvel Universe at some point.
More about Spider-Man: No Way Home
In Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) and Zendaya (MJ) are joined by Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Stephen Strange), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Marisa Tomei (Aunt May), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), and the villain with great power Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus.
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The Marvel Universe is becoming much more than iconic characters/Earth’s Mightiest Heroes like Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), and Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (Brie Larson).
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Tom Holland’s Avenger is leading the way for Marvel Cinematic Universe newcomers Kate Bishop, Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), Eternals’ Thena (Angelina Jolie), and more — especially with his next Spider-Man trilogy that’s currently in the works.
Should Mysterio have been in No Way Home? Let us know in the comments below!