MYSTERIO YOU SEXY SNEAKY BASTARD!!

So I was just as surprised as everyone else when Marvel Studios decided to drop this gem of a trailer on us randomly on a seemingly normal Tuesday morning. Thank God they did though, because now my hype levels have risen to the point of no return. The sight of a comic-book-accurate Mysterio alone, was enough to knock the soul from my body like The Ancient One did to Doctor Strange. So while my adrenaline levels were still sky-high, I decided that instead of repeatedly punching my pillow and screaming like a man out of prison, all that energy would be put to good use writing this analysis. So without further ado, let's frickin talk about this thing before I start punching stuff again.

Yes. I like superheros.

This trailer was extremely special-effects heavy, so no wonder Marvel/Sony kept delaying it. After the lukewarm reception to Homecoming...and the masterpiece that is Into the Spiderverse, they knew they really had to get this one right. After all, Spider-Man is the third highest grossing superhero in the world behind Batman and Superman...and with Into the Spider-Verse being so good, people...myself included...started to wonder if we really needed a live-action Spider-Man! It's no coincidence that after 6 live action Spider-Man films, only 2 have been really spectacular, while 2 more were just "meh", and the remaining two atrocious....and the first and only feature-length animated one hit it out of the ballpark. Spider-Man is just a really hard character to adapt in live action. Gotta give it up to Sony for not giving up though. After six attempts and years of anguish, it finally seems like they understand Spider-Man and his universe. Even Venom, despite its sub-par reviews, was extremely entertaining and seemed to understand the character of Venom. Now let's just get Spidey in there! We didn't sacrifice that "R" rating for nothing!

Although some may complain about the amount of VFX that they are using to make this film (I never really understood that anyway), if you know the character of Spider-Man, then you know that without heavy use of VFX...his character just doesn't really translate to live action. In modern day cinema that is. Combine that with Mysterio...whose powers are literally creating illusions that seem like magic...and you get perhaps one of the most CGI-heavy superhero films in recent memory, and yes, that includes Infinity War. If you aren't on board with that, then I have really unfortunate news for you. It ain't going away anytime soon. The things these superheros do in the comic books aren't really MEANT to be replicated in real life. The more comic-accurate these studios want to be with their live action films...the more money they will have to fork over for CGI. It's that simple. I wouldn't be surprised if CGI got so life-like that they just switched over to completely CGI-rendered films...but that's a topic for a different day. The point is that the CGI in this film looks beautiful so far, and I'm really happy with the insertion of color and variance in scenery (something I thought was really lacking in Homecoming).

I also saw much more web-swinging in this one, which I was a huge fan of. Look, I get it. Homecoming was supposed to be an origin story, so the lack of web-swinging is justified. I also actually really liked the film...I just wished we would have seen him actually swinging more. Some of the best scenes in every single Spider-Man film are ones where is doing crazy shit in mid-air while tethering himself to buildings with synthetic spider webbing. I'm glad to see him growing into his own a little bit.

Speaking of growing, I love what they are doing with Peter as a character in the MCU. When I heard they cast a younger person to play Peter, I instantly loved it. Part of the reason comic-lovers love Peter so much, is because he was actually that young in the comics! We have grown up with him, and been through everything with this character. His triumphs, his defeats, his heartbreaks...everything. It's what makes him such a relatable and compelling character. The things Peter goes through are things we all have gone through (minus the suit), and we watched him grow from an adolescent, into the hero we all knew he could be. That is what they are trying to replicate with the MCU version of Peter, and yes it will take some time...but I think they payoff will be huge. Peter could be the next Tony Stark of the MCU in terms of fan loyalty and adoration, which is why it makes so much sense to pair them together. We see a little of that growth and development in the few scenes they chose to show off during the trailer, and it's obvious that they don't want us thinking the film will be all glitz and glamour.

(Some of the screenshots might be blurry...I apologize. I tried my best but some of the mid-action scenes are hard to capture)

Although I think I might have a good idea on what the plot of this film could be just based on the trailer and my comic knowledge, I still find it extremely intriguing and perplexing. With Mysterio, anything could be a possibility...literally. It's really interesting to me that Nick Fury is involved...and even more interesting that of all the heroes he could have chosen to complete his mission, it was Peter! I wonder what kind of things he will have Peter do in order to utilize his powers to the greatest capacity. By the looks of it, Peter even gets a few new suits! Yes, they look gorgeous....but where are the Avengers? Whatever is going on throughout the trailer looks pretty big. Big enough to have more than one hero deal with it, anyway. Happy Hogan even reminds Peter (and the audience) that he is "alone". Why? Will they explain that in the film, or will it be for dramatic effect? One of the more dramatic pieces to Spider-Man's story is that he constantly feels alone, even though he isn't. I think that him having to save the day alone will play on this...but I also think there is a slight possibility that it could go even deeper than that.

Peter's personal story and growth aside...I think this could be the best villain the MCU has had since...ever. Yeah. Mysterio has always been a crazy good villain in the comics, and he has proven himself on more than a few occasions to be a seriously devious adversary (see his arc in the Old Man Logan comics...simply stunning). Yes, he has been horrendously done wrong a few times here and there, but if they really wanted, the MCU can make Mysterio a truly great villain. The source material is there...all they have to do is act on it. I have been begging for Mysterio in a Spider-Man movie ever since Doctor Octopus in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2. Once I got a taste of the cerebral genius that is Doc Oc, and how well it played off of Spider-Man's fault of always over-thinking the situation (as well as his spider sense)...I knew that Mysterio would be the perfect cinematic villain. Alas, we never got him in any of the sequential Spider-Man films, and although that upset me at the time, I believe they are bringing this guy in at the perfect moment.

If you know the character of Mysterio, then you know the tragedy of his backstory as a failed Hollywood hopeful who failed in almost any attempt to make a name for himself in the industry. Having landed what he considered to be a "dead end" job in the special effects, he decided that, if his acting/stunt-man skills wouldn't bring him fame, perhaps his talents in special effects could....

I think they are playing off this backstory...almost to a T. However, instead of immediately using his "powers" for villainous means, he will try to create his masterpiece. This is an even more compelling origin than the one in the comics! He will be left rejected by Hollywood for his crazy ideas, and will most likely discover some sort of alien technology that will allow him to create special effects and illusions the likes of which have never been seen. We have already seen this type of power before with Loki, the God of mischief. His suit actually DOES looks Asgardian in nature, so perhaps he came into possession of a few Asgardian artifacts! That would explain the magic he seems to be using...and would make him a potentially really powerful character. Imagine the illusory powers of Loki, but on a global scale...enough to fool the world into thinking he is a superhero.

There are a few directions they could go with the character of Mysterio and how he will drive the plot forward. Everyone seems to assume that, just because he looks comic-accurate, he will be completely comic-accurate, which could be meant to divert us away from any theories to the contrary. They COULD decide to actually give him magical powers like doctor strange, and although that would be cool, I don't think it would add anything unique to the MCU that we haven't seen before. They also could make the WHOLE THING an illusion which would also be cool at first, but once the shock wore off, it would appear to be another cliche "it was a dream the whole time" twist. The most compelling one, in my opinion, is to have everything played out as described above, but before his "masterpiece" could be completed, Spider-Man swoops in to "save the day", and realizes that nothing that is happening is real. He somehow shuts the whole thing down, and makes Mysterio look like the crazy dangerous person he is...ruining his image forever. Without a reason to live life normally anymore (his Hollywood hopes being crushed forever), Mysterio devotes his entire life in pursuit of the downfall of ALL superheros...but will have a special place of hate in his heart for Spider-Man. This would ground the character and help him develop as a troubled human, and not as just another meta.

This is why I think now is the perfect time for this villain to be introduced into the MCU. If he can't be a hero, then no one can. It's very reminiscent of Syndrone's plan in The Incredibles, but instead of one super family...he has the entire world's worth of metahumans to play around with. We will need villains that are in-between huge galactic-scale ones (like Thanos) and one-offs (like Yellowjacket in Ant Man). Villains that could compete with ANY hero and could show up at any time. Mysterio can fill that role...especially with the power that he is exhibiting in this trailer. With his main ability being illusions, the possibilities are truly endless, and he could really have an impact on multiple heroes' lives mentally and physically.

This trailer gave us so much to talk about and to look forward to in regards to the MCU, including ones about the nature of the ending of Avengers: Endgame (Nick fury is alive!?), and even if it proves to be just an above-average film, I am extremely happy that they finally seem to understand Spider-Man and are trying to incorporate some of his best villains. Something tells me the fans will be REALLY satisfied with this film, but I could be wrong. God knows I have been before. I guess what I'm trying to say is....

The trailer was dope. The movie looks dope.

and speaking of dopeness...

LOOK AT MYSTERIO. LOOK AT HIM. LOOK HOW SEXY THIS MAN LOOKS. THAT SUIT. HOLY GUACAMOLE. TAKE NOTE DIRECTORS. THIS IS HOW YOU DESIGN A VILLAIN.