The Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer gives MCU fans their first glimpse of a post-Avengers: Endgame universe.
This article contains discussion of plot points from Avengers: Endgame revealed in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer.
Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer Analysis
Avengers: Endgame is currently dominating the box office both domestically and internationally. However, Endgame signals the end of an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (“MCU”). Heroes that fans have come to know and love for the ten years are saying their farewells. Notably, Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America, has passed on his shield in favor of a life with with Peggy Carter. In addition, Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Natasha Romanov (Black Widow) made the ultimate sacrifice in the fight against Thanos and his quest to wipe out half of all life in the universe. The MCU needs its next generation of heroes to emerge. Cue the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home. Movie audiences are now getting their first glimpses of the consequences of Endgame in the MCU.
Passing the Torch
The trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home plays on a number of themes. The very first one is that a new generation of heroes must step up. As the trailer begins, Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) laments that everywhere he looks, he is reminded of his former mentor, Tony Stark. Indeed, graffiti adorns the walls of buildings in New York. After thwarting a crime, a police officer asks if Spider-Man is the next Iron Man. Peter simply can’t escape Tony Stark’s legacy. The question is, does Peter Parker want that responsibility?
A Question of Balance
Another theme present in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer is balance. This theme is synonymous with Spider-Man. Whether it is comics or Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies, Peter has always struggled with balancing the great power and responsibility inherent in wearing the mask with his desire for a normal life. On the one hand, the world is reminding Spider-Man that he and his abilities are needed. Heroes are in short supply. Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) practically demands he takes a call from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Peter avoids the call only to have Fury track him down on his vacation to Europe. The veteran spy leaves Peter with little choice but to join the team and the fight.
Which brings up the other half of Peter’s life — that of his school work, friends, and family. Post-Endgame, the trailer for Far From Home makes clear that all Peter wants to do is go on his school trip to London, and possibly the rest of Europe, with his classmates. A relationship appears on the horizon between him and MJ (Zendaya). He wants to see where it goes. In addition, the trailer teases that MJ might just be on to Peter’s secret identity. Then again, Spider-Man: Homecoming made great use of MJ’s ability to deliver a blunt line to throw people off their game. Perhaps she is just messing with Peter again?
Despite Peter’s desires, the world is running out of options. In a clever bit of dialogue in the Far From Home trailer, the lack of alternative heroes for whatever the crisis becomes clear. Peter pleads with Fury to get someone else. He suggests Thor, but he is off-world. Then he proposes Captain Marvel, but she is unavailable. The world needs Iron Man, but Iron Man is gone. Therefore, the world needs his successor: Spider-Man.
Enter Mysterio
The marketing for Spider-Man: Far From Home has teased that Jake Gyllenhaal is playing a new hero in the MCU. The twist on that is that his character is Quentin Beck, also known as Mysterio. Traditionally, Mysterio has been a member of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. However, in this trailer, he is presented as a hero from another dimension. As in the teaser trailer, Mysterio arrives in a suit of armor and clashes with monsters in Europe while flinging magical flames. Mysterio appears as a combination of Iron Man and Dr. Strange.
This raises a few questions. First, is Mysterio really a hero from another dimension? Or, is he attempting to deceive Nick Fury? Could Nick Fury be so easily fooled? In the comics, Mysterio’s “powers” really were carefully applied special effects. Beck’s history was that of a Hollywood stuntman and special effects wizard that turned to crime. Pulling some sort of scheme on Nick Fury in Far From Home seems natural. It wouldn’t be surprising if Mysterio truly is the villain of this movie.
The second question is, if Mysterio isn’t the villain, then who is? The trailer features a number of monsters attacking London and Europe. Who is in control of these monsters, if anyone? What do they want? Far From Home might focus on character development for Peter and Spider-Man and less on conflict with a villain, but that seems unlikely.
Mysterio utilizes powers similar to those of Dr. Strange and the other sorcerers of the MCU. It is noteworthy that his magic beams are green instead of the bright orange that Strange and his companions used. Given that the Ancient One explained to Dr. Strange that a sorcerer draws energy from another dimension or universe, perhaps Beck is just getting his from elsewhere. He doesn’t quite fly like the other sorcerer’s either. That power more closely resembles Iron Man’s abilities with his armor. Deception seems likely.
Final Thoughts on the Far From Home Trailer
Spider-Man is back after Thanos’s snap, but his world isn’t the same. He misses his former mentor, but Happy believes Tony Stark wouldn’t have sacrificed himself if there wasn’t somebody like Peter to replace him. At least from this trailer, Happy appears to adopt Peter as a surrogate for Tony. In a comedic moment near the end, Happy tries to rescue Peter’s classmates from the chaos unfolding around them in London. Just as he is urging them to get on a plane, it blows up. It is a fine bit of comedic timing.
The potential for the introduction of the multiverse as an active feature of the MCU is a surprising choice. The character of Spider-Man just entertained the multiverse in animated form with last December’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. That Oscar winning film explored the notion that anyone can “wear the mask” and be the hero when Miles Morales, an alternate dimension successor to Peter Parker, suddenly discovers he has spider powers after his universe’s Spider-Man meets his doom at the hands of Kingpin. Conversely, Peter Parker seems much more reluctant to fill Iron Man’s shoes in Far From Home.
Although Spider-Man: Far From Home previously benefited from a teaser trailer, the full trailer is much more dense with story details. The consequences from Endgame for the MCU at large begin here. Of course, this is just a trailer, and things may change. But, if the purpose of a trailer is give the potential audience clues to the story, then Spider-Man fans have a lot to contemplate between now and July.
Dennis Keithly is a graduate of the University of Missouri, North Texas attorney, husband, father of two, and co-host of Starships, Sabers, and Scoundrels. In addition to Star Wars, Dennis is a fan of science fiction, fantasy, and super heroes in general. When not engaged in fictional universes, Dennis is reading a good book or watching the NHL, football, or studying the NFL draft.