Mysterio in the MC2

Yes, Spider-Man: Far From Home has just hit cinemas. No, I'm not going to review it. I don't like to be too negative on this blog if I can avoid it. But I will be shamelessly cashing in on it's popularity by talking about Quentin Beck aka Mysterio in the MC2! 

So where is Mysterio in the MC2? Short answer: He's almost certainly dead. Long answer? Well...that requires a little history lesson. As I've previously touched on in my History of the MC2: Daredevil post, it appears that the events of the 'Guardian Devil' arc published in Daredevil (vol. 2) #1-8 unfolded in much the same manner in the MC2 as in the Main Marvel Universe, except for the break up of Foggy Nelson and Liz Osborn in #8 as they remained a couple and eventually married in the MC2. With 'Guardian Devil' playing out in the MC2 as it did in the Main Marvel Universe, that means that Quentin Beck, the original Mysterio also committed suicide as depicted in Daredevil (vol. 2) #7.

But if you aren't convinced, let's take a look at more evidence. The Spider-Man Family one-shot comic published in 2005 features a lengthy flashback to an adventure involving Spider-Man meeting Araña and uncovering a revenge plot by the villainous Jack O' Lantern aka Maguire Beck. So why is this relevant? Because -as Peter explains to May- Maguire Beck was out for revenge for her deceased relative, Quentin Beck aka Mysterio. 

Now here's where it gets a little bit complicated. Maguire Beck was only officially revealed in a mini-series called Spider-Man: The Mysterio Manifesto published in 2001 to address several loose plot threads surrounding Mysterio, including why a Mysterio claiming to be the original was seemingly back from the dead in the Spider-Man titles around that time. As an aside, I should mention that the mini-series retconned Maguire as one of the two people behind the super villainous Jack O' Lantern who first appeared in Spectacular Spider-Man #243, written by J.M. DeMatteis and published in 1997. The mini-series seems to suggest Maguire's partner in crime, Daniel Berkhart was posing as the original Mysterio at the time, a fact clarified in the Official Handbooks.

With all of that out of the way, these various stories support the idea that not only did Quentin Beck kill himself in the MC2 as he did in the Main Marvel Universe, but that at least some version of the events depicted in The Mysterio Manifesto must have occurred for Peter Parker to learn of Maguire's identity and motives as demonstrated in the Spider-Man Family story. Rest in Peace, Mysterio.

On another related side-note, I should mention that both the Spider-Man: The Mysterio Manifesto mini-series and the Spider-Man Family story were written by none other than MC2-alumni Tom Defalco. Despite this, Manifesto seems to imply that Maguire is Quentin's cousin whereas the Spider-Man Family story explicitly states she is Quentin's niece. A small goof, perhaps?

 Mysterio Manifesto also makes reference to Quentin Beck's father and uncle, both of whom were first referenced in Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #1 (1999) which was written by J.M. DeMatteis. I mention this because it's a nice use of established continuity but also because it helps reinforce the idea that Maguire's father was Quentin's uncle. It's also possible Maguire Beck simply called Quentin her 'uncle' colloquially, as a term of endearment and there's another unseen sibling of Quentin who had a daughter, though there's nothing to support this idea. There are even a few references to the Webspinners story in Daredevil (vol. 2) #7, tying all these Mysterio connections together. 

So there you have it; some version the events depicted in Daredevil (vol. 2) #1-7, Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #1-3 and even Spider-Man: The Mysterio Manifesto #1-3 also played out in the MC2 and we know this all because their was such tightly linked continuity across various writers, artists, titles and characters. 

I have to give special thanks to regular reader and frequent co-conspirator arias-98105 for help with this topic as well as to the wonderful Marvel Appendix Profile for Maguire Beck which can be found here.

Until I stop diving down mysterious and complicated rabbit holes, I remain

frogoat

Bullseye in the MC2

Having binge watched almost all of Daredevil Season 3 on Netflix, coupled with my recent post about the character in the MC2, I figured it would be a fun to do a quick little post about one of ol' horn-head's greatest foes: Bullseye.

Making a grand total of one appearance, Bullseye appears in the MC2 in just one panel of a two page story from J2 #7 where he squares off against his former victim Elektra and her daughter Wild Thing. With no context or other clues to suggest any information bout the deadly assassin, I figure it's best to just provide the story here in it's entirety.

There you have it! Bullseye appears to be alive and well and still up to no good in the MC2.

Until I find something of more substance to cover here, I remain

frogoat

History of the MC2: Daredevil

I was inspired recently to make a timeline of events covering the history of the MC2, spanning the nebulous 15 year stretch of time after the Main Marvel Universe (or Universe-616) split off and became the MC2 (or Universe-982) and before the next-generation of heroes began to debut starting with J2 #1, A-Next #1 and What If #105.

Given that Daredevil Season 3 is coming to Netflix, for the third installment of this series I've chosen to examine The Man Without Fear himself; Daredevil. We first learn that Matt Murdock aka Daredevil was killed in What If #105. However, a reoccurring mystery in the pages of Spider-Girl revolves around the identity of the vigilante known as Darkdevil and his connection to the man called Kaine. This is most prominently addressed in Spider-Girl #17 where we learn Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin of Crime was responsible for Daredevil's death. The full story would finally be brought to light in the phenomenal Darkdevil mini series.

While we don't know the exact point at which the history of the Main Marvel Universe's Daredevil stops reflecting that of the MC2's Daredevil, we can make a very educated guess based on the evidence. In Daredevil (vol. 1) #354, Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson - lawyer and close friend of Matthew Murdock - began dating the widowed Liz Osborn. The couple are later split up through the machinations of Mysterio in Daredevil (vol. 2) #8. As we learn in the MC2 that Foggy and Liz eventually married and remained so until Liz's death, we can assume the point where the two Universe's stop sharing a common history is sometime prior to Daredevil (vol. 2) #8.

Spider-Girl #63

Beyond this, we don't know a huge amount about the intervening years before Matt Murock's death.  Phil Urich aka the good Green Goblin tells us in Spider-Girl #42  that at some point Daredevil was ultimately responsible for the capture of the mentally unstable villain Angel Face.

Several years later the District Attorney had collected enough evidence to finally put Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin away for life. Confronting him, Daredevil finds himself in battle with Fisk's enforcer Kaine. With nothing to lose, Fisk orders his men to open fire on Daredevil despite Kaine being in their way. In a heroic final act, Daredevil dies shielding Kaine from the barrage of bullets with his own body (Darkdevil #2).

Deeply moved by Daredevil's selfless sacrifice, Kaine vowed to save the hero through any means necessary. Bringing the slain Murdock's remains to a hidden lab, Kaine endeavoured to revive the dead hero through scientific means. When this proved fruitless, Kaine turned to the arcane methods he himself had used to stave off the effects of clone degeneration.

Unfortunately, Kaine's well meaning actions would have unintended consequences. Nearly a year earlier, Kaine had found his 'brother' Ben Reilly and Elizabeth Tyne's son (later known as Reilly Tyne) dying as a result of Ben's clone nature. Having placed him in a Resuscitation Tube to save his life, the boy lay in stasis when Kaine summoned the demonic Zarathos. The Spirit of Vengence ignored Kaine's offer of his own life in exchange for Daredevil's. Instead Zarathos possessed the teenage boy, altering his body into a demonic adult form with the intent of walking the earth once more.

Suddenly confronted by the soul of Daredevil in spirit form, Zarathos and the hero battled for the body and soul of the innocent. The conflict raged until finally Daredevil succeeded in banishing the demon, with Zarathos leaving his marks upon the boy and swearing vengeance. 

 The boy eventually mastered the residual abilities Zarathos had given him, though he now appeared to be a man in his twenties. Driven by the spirit of Matt Murdock, he enrolled in college and eventually joined Foggy Nelson's law firm under the name Reilly Tyne while fighting crime as the vigilante Darkdevil.

Though Matt Murdock died years ago, Daredevil lives on within the soul of another hero dedicated to justice. 

Based on various comments throughout various MC2 titles, we can piece together the order of events surrounding Daredevil's death and afterlife. However, unlike previous entries in this series, we have far less definitive references to determine placement in the pre-history of the MC2. We know Murdock died 'quite a few years ago' thanks to a line in Spider-Girl #17 but that's not much to work from. 

That said, here's what we do know:

• Foggy Nelson and Liz Allan Osborn continue dating and eventually marry, raising Liz's son Normie Osborn together.
• Many years later, the 13 year old son of Ben Reilly and Elizabeth Tyne is found near-death by Kaine, who places him in a Resuscitation Tube to stave off his clone degeneration.
• Nearly a year later, the District Attorney has collected enough evidence to send Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin to jail for life
•  Daredevil is killed saving Kaine from Fisk's gunmen.
• Kaine attempts to revive Daredevil using science but fails, and so resorts to the arcane.
• Kaine summons Zarathos and pleads with the demon to restore Daredevil to life in exchange for his own.
• Zarathos instead possesses and alters the body of Reilly and Tyne's son. 
• Daredevil's spirit battles Zarathos for the boy's soul and body, eventually driving the demon out.
• The boy eventually masters his demonic abilities and studies law, gaining a job at Foggy Nelson's law firm under the name Reilly Tyne while also operating as the masked hero Darkdevil in Murdock's honour.
• Daredevil's soul continues to guide Reilly Tyne.

*Theoretically, we could use 'Reilly Tyne's' age of 13 years (+1 year in stasis) to estimate how long ago Daredevil was murdered and Kingpin went to jail but that requires knowing when Tyne was conceived. While that might sound easy, we actually have at least two potential answers. But that's a topic for another day.*

The Darkdevil mini series represents a truly mind-boggling collection of concepts and ideas that somehow work really well together. I think it's a fitting end for the Man Without Fear to fight vengeance with justice. 

Until I go blind reading MC2 comics, I remain

frogoat

Previous entries in the History of the MC2 series to-date:

History of the MC2: The Avengers

History of the MC2: The Fantastic Four

Building a Rogues Gallery

One of the biggest challenges of any superhero comic is building up the rogues gallery. If Spidey didn't have such an impressive array of villains to trounce every story, he wouldn't be nearly as interesting. Yes, the character of Peter Parker is fascinating,  but think: without the dynamics of his and Norman Osborn's relationship wouldn't he be a little less? Without the Green Goblin to torment Spider-Man, life just wouldn't be as flavorful. Doctor Otto Gunther Octavius', with all his plans and arms, and Electro with his electricity, Venom with his dark-Spidey-analog schtick. Cruel old Vulture, cold-blooded and cold-hearted Lizard, stinging Scorpion, Cunning Hobgoblin, tricky Mysterio. The list goes on and on. I may not be knowledgeable about DC Comics, but honestly, Batman's rogues gallery are notoriously notable. The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, so many long-running titles and characters have developed many varied and fascinating villains through the years.

But what are all these new heroes supposed to do? Sometimes, borrowing from other characters works wonders. Daredevil doesn't have many truly great bad guys, but Kingpin fits so well amongst DD's assorted rogues, it's like he was made for the part. Spider-Girl utilised a few of daddy dearest's villains in her adventures. Notable amongst them are the Hobgoblin and Carnage. In fact, I'd go so far as to say ol' Kingsley worked better against Mayday, the cunning older man against the youthful hero. A new twist on an old villain then, is that the answer?

A mix of new villains unique to the character has to be included, surely. Otherwise, isn't it just wholesale theft? Okay, so Spider-Girl has some nice villains too: Dragon King and Mr Nobody are personal favorites of mine. They have a nice visual and both pose a genuine threat when written appropriately. Any villain can become iconic. By tossing a loved one off a bridge, for example. But a good villain shouldn't have to resort to killing cast members. That's cheap. In the case of the Green Goblin, his and Peter's war was personal. The death of Gwen Stacy was a direct result of it, but I don't believe it's the crux of what makes Norman Osborn infinitely re-usable. Osborn himself is interesting: A ruthless businessman with a lot of personality before he ever put on a garish green mask.

I love this art by John Romita Jr

Maybe that's the answer then: A mix of the old and new, the borrowed and true-blue with a lot of character depth and a great visual thrown in for good measure. What do you think?

Until Hypno Hustler gets his own series, I remain

frogoat