Quentin Beck

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Mysterio in Amazing Spider-Man v1 #618.

Quentin Beck is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.

Contents

Biography

Origin

The Menacing Mysterio in Amazing Spider-Man v1 #13.

Quentin Beck was a male human who was born the son of Elmore Beck and Henrietta Beck where it was noted that his mother died when he was very young. (Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man v1 #1) His father was shown to be a loser who never could understand Quentin's love for special effects. Beck's uncle was responsible for buying him his first camera and his younger cousin Maguire Beck spent a lot of time together over a shared interest. She came to see her older cousin Quentin as her childhood idol and believed him capable of great things. (Spider-Man: Mysterio Manifesto v1 #3) When he was 9 years old, he played with a busted camera given to him by his uncle Vinnie which he used to stage his own home-movies and learnt to create stop-motion special effects. However, his father came to see this as a waste of time and that Quentin was playing with junk leading to Elmore Beck smashing the camera. (Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man v1 #1)

At some point, he came to be enrolled at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) where he roomed with Johnathon Ohnn and gained he technical skill for his future career. (Symbiote Spider-Man v1 #1) At some point, he had created what he deemed the greatest screenplay ever written which he wanted to show the world but this came to be rejected by his peers. (Amazing Spider-Man v5 #1) It was around this time that Spider-Man was making headlines as a media sensation. The Wall-Crawler's agent, Maxie Shiffman hired Beck to come up with special effects for a television appearance. Although Quentin insisted that Shiffman use fake props, the promoter wanted real dangers. Beck complied but warned that he would take any responsibility if anything wrong happened. Sure enough, Spider-Man arrived in late to practice the stunts and the studio audience was almost injured had it not been for the web-slinger's quick thinking. (Amazing Spider-Man v3 #1.1) A skeptical man, Beck doubted that the so called 'Marvels' were anything besides creative charlatans who faked their powers. As he set about replicating Spider-Man's powers, he was having trouble coming up with a convincing way to copy his wall crawling ability. He tried to get advice from a fellow special effects expert, Ray Bradhaus, but he refused to divulge his secrets. Mysterio gassed him and then tore apart his mansion, looking for clues as to how he had created a scene in a movie where a monster crawled down a wall. He eventually found what he was looking for, the monster itself. Beck defeated the creature, thinking it was merely a clever special effect. After he left, Bradhaus was awoken by Dr Strange, whom was also a fan of his. It was then that Bradhaus admitted that the computer effect industry had been killing his stop motion effects company and he had used dark magic to create the creature. (Web of Spider-Man v2 #4)

Mysterio

After arriving in New York from Los Angeles, Beck entered into a partnership with the Tinkerer to steal industrial and military plans. The two men pooled together their genius and developed an alien disguise to mask the true nature of their crime. The scheme was foiled by Spider-Man, but the hero did not see through the villains' disguises. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #2) He later decided to use his special effects and stunt man training to replicate the feats of Spider-Man. In that guise, he could commit all sorts of crimes whilst the real hero got the blame. However, he then decided on an even greater venture where he would devise a masked persona named Mysterio who would operate as a hero that after framing Spider-Man would then seek to capture him for the authorities. This would allow him to operate as a national hero with no one aware of his true activities. As Mysterio, he appeared in the office of J. Jonah Jameson claiming to be a masked hero where he offered to hunt down Spider-Man and bring him to justice over his recent 'crimes'. He then made a public challenge against Spider-Man to meet him at the Brooklyn Bridge where the two did battle. Despite Spider-Man's powers, he was unable to match the tricks at Mysterio's disposal and the Wall-Crawler ended up falling into the river. This made Mysterio the victor of their duel and he was declared a hero where the masked 'crime fighter' received adulation from the public along with a financial reward. He then looked to return to his secret base when he was confronted by Spider-Man who had tracked him down but once again the Wall-Crawler seemed to not be a match for Mysterio who then revealed his origins to him. However, this was a trick as Spider-Man had recorded Mysterio's confessions and battled him once again where he successfully defeated the villain allowing him to be arrested by the authorities. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #13) Later on, Mysterio accepted an invitation from Doctor Octopus to join fellow villains Vulture, Electro, Sandman and Kraven the Hunter to become the Sinister Six who were a group that were all looking for revenge on Spider-Man. Mysterio used robotic versions of the X-Men to attack Spidey, who quickly realized that he was not fighting his old allies. Using his Spider-Sense, he found the control room and easily defeated Beck. (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1)

Beck returned some time later, posing as a European psychiatrist named Dr. Ludwig Rinehart. He claimed to have expertise studying men like Spider-Man and he believed that the web swinger was in danger of a psychotic breakdown. Jameson published the story, which again made Peter an insecure wreck. Peter changed into Spider-Man and went to see 'Dr. Rinehart', only to be attacked by visions of Dr Octopus, Sandman and the Vulture on his way. He later arrived at Rinehart's office, to find that everything in the room was upside down. Spidey ran out of the room in terror of the illusion, thinking he was hallucinating. Beck calmed him down, telling him that he was suffering from schizophrenia and that it was caused by the stress of his dual identity. To be cured of the hallucinations, Spider-Man needed to tell Rinehart his secret. The conversation was interrupted by Jameson and Flash Thompson, who barged into the room demanding to know why Frederick Foswell had found that that Dr. Rinehart was unlicensed and a fraud. Spidey then removed Beck's mask and defeated him. (Amazing Spider-Man #24)

After serving time in jail, Quentin tried to get work again in Hollywood but he was rejected due to his criminal past. He pondered his life back at his childhood apartment, and ran into his old friend Betsy Schneider. Feeling that his life was going nowhere, he felt that the only thing that ever saved him was his imagination and again became Mysterio. He kidnapped Jameson and created an illusion that he had died and gone to Hell. Feeling powerful again, Beck found the courage to call Betsy and invite her to lunch. Spider-Man, meanwhile, was investigating the scene of Jameson's "death" via a car accident and was attacked by a clumsily assembled facsimile of the Sinister Six. The defeated "Doctor Octopus" told Spidey that Beck had Jameson at a movie studio and was waiting for him. (Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man v1 #1)

Later on, Doctor Octopus came to be murdered at the hands of the vigilante known as Kaine. Following Octavius's death, Mysterio and the other members of the Sinister Six were called together by one of Otto's relatives named Elias Hargrove. He enlisted their aid on a mission to recover Doctor Octopus's mechanical arms from the government. The briefing on the mission came to be interrupted by the masked hero known as the Scarlet Spider. (Spider-Man: Funeral for an Octopus v1 #1)

Death

He later invited his cousin Maguire Beck to join him where he taught her the secrets of his special effects and even helped her fashion her own costumed identity. (Spider-Man: Mysterio Manifesto v1 #3)

After coughing up something sickly, he made a visit to Ravencroft's physician where they were hoping it was not a tumour. However, the prognosis revealed that a lifetime of absorbing poisonous bases that he used on his latex appliances along with years of ingesting chemicals for his special effects had created a toll on his body. This resulted in him suffering from not only a brain tumour but from lung cancer as well both of which were completely inoperable where he was given a year at most to live. He was then immediately released from Ravencroft and declared sane along with it being said that he was no longer a menace to society. On the day he departed the asylum, the chaplain told him to trust in God and that he should dismantle his criminal past. (Daredevil v2 #7)

Return

As a reward for his service, Kindred was said to had been responsible for sending Mysterio to Earth-1610 that was a world where Spider-Man was still a teenager. (Amazing Spider-Man v5 #71)

By this point, he admitted himself to the Bedford Hills Psychiatric Hospital to recover as he intended to stay there and enjoy the mundane routine he had created there as Beck had grown tired of being beaten by various superheroes. During this time, he was visited by Miss Sinister who wanted to recruit him on a task but Beck refused to return as Mysterio as he had abandoned that life behind. She informed him that Old Man Logan was coming to the hospital to kill him as he intended to stop the coming of a future that happened in his own timeline that resulted in the world becoming the Wastelands where supervillains ruled the planet. Quentin reluctantly accepted and returned as Mysterio with Miss Sinister revealing that she had glimpsed into Old Man Logan's mind and wanted to make a world a reality for Earth-616. Thus, she took Mysterio with her as they met the forces of Neo-Hydra as they met with Sin and Crossbones at a Hydra island base. (Dead Man Logan v1 #1)

Kindred Saga

Overview

Personality and attributes

He chose the name Mysterio to instil awe and fear in the heart of his enemies. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #13) One of his schemes involved the creation of a fake identity named Dr. Ludwig Rinehart. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #24) At one point, he came to masquerade as film director Cage McKnight. (Amazing Spider-Man v5 #29)

From a young age, he came to be fascinated with movie productions. (Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man v1 #1)

He believed himself to have superior filmic acumen then the likes of Spielberg, Lucas and Cameron. According to him, those directors had simply tinkered with pedestrian two-dimensional imagery in pictures with a degree of success. However, he noted that he could craft three-dimensional illusions that were greater than all the works of those film makers combined. (Daredevil v2 #7)

Beck was the son of Elmore Beck and Henrietta Beck where it was known that his mother had died when he was a young boy. This led to him being raised by his father who had a habit of ignoring his son and talking directly to his dead wife. This made the young Quentin feel invisible and dead like his mother with his father often berating him for being useless. (Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man v1 #1)

Quentin was known to have had an uncle named Vinnie who gifted him a busted camera once. (Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man v1 #1)

He had a short-haired grown up daughter by the name of Misty who loved her dad and respected him for being a criminal mastermind. (Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider v1 #10) She grew up to operate as a stage magician who was obsessed with acquiring true magic with Misty Beck operating under the name of Mysteria. Her father Quentin never wanted this life for her and wanted her to abandon the pursuit of magic. (Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider v1 #18) Among his relatives was a cousin named Maguire Beck who idolised her cousin Quentin and believed him possible of great things. (Spider-Man: Mysterio Manifesto v1 #3)

Powers and abilities

The Master of Illusion in Captain America v9 #9.

As a special effects person, he designed all sorts of costumes and props for movies and television. He remarked that it as only his genius that could not only imitate Spider-Man's powers but improve upon them. This was achieved through weeks of study where he was able to successfully duplicate the Wall-Crawler's powers through artificial means with various gadgets. As a former stunt man, he knew how to roll with a punch in order to reduce the damage caused by such a blow and quickly recover from it. In one case, he was shown to fall only to land upright thanks to his stunt training. He could also toss an enemy over his back as a sudden move that caught his opponent off-guard. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #13)

He created a range of equipment, props and gadgets for his guise as Mysterio. His helmet was said to function similar to Spider-Man's eye pieces in that it allowed him to see out but no one could see in the bowl-shaped head. On his gloved wrists, he could discharge a fine spray made of a specially treated acid that could dissolve Spider-Man's webbing. Meanwhile, the bottom of his boots contained chemical smoke ejectors and magnetic plates that enabled him to duplicate the amazing leaps performed by Spider-Man. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #13) The suit was said to had been wired to enhance his strength. (Daredevil v2 #7) He was able to discharge a concealing mist to hide him from his opponents and give him an advantage in a fight. Mysterio was able to see within the protective cloud with this being achieved by a built-in sonar device. This was also responsible for jamming Spider-Man's Spider-Sense thus putting the Wall-Crawler at a disadvantage. This only worked so long as the jammer was operational and if damaged then it helped Spider-Man work with his Spider-Sense. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #13)

Beck was trained in basic psychiatry and was capable of psychological manipulation of other people. He was also trained in the basic art of hypnotism. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #24)

At one point, he had created a perfect copy of Spider-Man's Suit where he had props that replicated his powers. This included a nylon cord to resemble his webbing and gloves with suction cups that enabled him to stick to walls. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #13)

Beck was skilled enough to operate mechanical facsimiles of himself that he called a Mysterio avatar. He was able to operate them remotely and they were sophisticated enough to operate across the Multiverse. (Spider-Men v1 #2)

Notes

  • Quentin Beck was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko where he made his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man v1 #2 (May, 1963) with him later debuting as Mysterio in Amazing Spider-Man v1 #13 (June, 1964).

Alternate Versions

  • In Spider-Gwen v2 #13 (2016), an alternate version of Quentin Beck as Mysterio appeared in the Spider-Gwen reality set in the world designated as Earth-65 in the Multiverse. Quentin Beck used to run a theme park named the Cursed Carnival of Mysterio in the state of New Jersey where he created illusions based upon people's fears; however, due to the rise of modern technology and media, people became less scared of his park, the attendance dropped, and Mysterio went bankrupt, which broke his heart. The park fell into disrepair, but the man continued to reside it in, using his gas to scare the outsiders away from the area.

In other media

Television

  • In Spider-Man, Mysterio appeared in the 1980s animated television series in the episode "The Pied Piper of New York Town" where he was voiced by actor Michael Rye.
  • In Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Mysterio appeared in the animated television series in the episode "Spidey Goes Hollywood" where he was voiced by actor Peter Cullen.
  • In Spider-Man, the Quentin Beck Mysterio appeared in the 1990s animated television series where he was voiced by actor Gregg Berger.
  • In The Spectacular Spider-Man, the Quentin Beck Mysterio appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Xander Berkeley.
  • In Ultimate Spider-Man, the Quentin Beck Mysterio appeared in the animated television series in the episode "The Moon Knight Before Christmas" where he was voiced by actor Paul Scheer.

Films

  • In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Quentin Beck appeared in the live-action film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he was portrayed by actor Jake Gyllenhaal. He was shown as being an employee at Stark Industries who was the developer of highly sophisticated holographic technology that could render entire environments. However, he felt that his genius was never recognised by Stark who used his life's work for petty ventures and even made fun of it. Eventually, he was fired from the company as Stark declared Beck to be unstable leading to Quentin swearing revenge. He came to gather a group of fellow disgruntled Stark employees that wanted to be recognised for their genius where they intended to do so after Tony Stark died. It was then that they learnt that Stark had gifted access to his Starktech network to Peter Parker in the form of an artificial intelligence called E.D.I.T.H.. Thus, Beck along with the others concocted an elaborate job to acquire the E.D.I.T.H. technology. They established a fake backstory for Beck as a human from another Earth in the Multiverse that had come to protect it from the threat of Elementals though these creatures were all created by elaborate holographic technology. This was to earn the trust of Nick Fury and Spider-Man so that the latter would feel frustrated at not being able to an inheritor to Stark's legacy and giving Beck E.D.I.T.H. Quentin's appearance led to people in Europe calling him a man of mystery and eventually brought his identity as Mysterio.
  • In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Quentin Beck was referenced in the setting of the live-action film sequel set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Video games

  • In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Mysterio appeared as a mini-boss in the video game where he was voiced again by actor James Arnold Taylor.
  • In Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Mysterio was revealed as the primary antagonist in the video game where he was voiced by actor Robin Atkin Downes.
  • In Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Mysterio appeared in the setting of the PS2 and PSP video game versions where he was voiced by actor Greg Baldwin.
  • In Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Mysterio was the primary antagonist in the video game where he was voiced by actor David Kaye.
  • In Marvel: Future Fight, Mysterio appeared as a playable character in the mobile video game.
  • In Marvel Super War, Mysterio appeared as a playable champion in the setting of the MOBA mobile video game.

Appearances

  • Amazing Spider-Man v1: (1964)
  • Amazing Spider-Man Annual v1:
  • Daredevil v2:
  • Spider-Men v1:
  • Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider v1:
  • Dead Man Logan v1:
  • Amazing Spider-Man v5:
  • Amazing Mary Jane v1:
  • Sinister War v1:

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