“Avengers: Endgame” had fans cheering with excitement as they watched their heroes set out to undo the consequential finger snap in “Infinity War.” Alongside all the cheering and anticipation for Marvel’s 22nd motion picture, there were also tears shed — even Chris Evans admitted to crying several times during the production of the movie.
The film not only ended the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) Phase 3, but it wrapped up a story that started with “Iron Man” over a decade ago, delivering both an epic and satisfying finale. It was truly a bittersweet ending, but what happens now?
After being in theaters for over three weeks and having the secrecy lifted, Sony released another trailer for “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” which revealed a spoiler from the aftermath of “Endgame.” Tom Holland even appears before the start of the trailer and warns fans not to watch it if they haven’t seen the newest “Avengers” movie.
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” picks up where “Endgame” left off, and there is so much going on. Let’s break it down.
In Loving Memory
“Everywhere I go I see his face.” – Peter Parker
The trailer opens up with a heartbroken Peter Parker, who is struggling to cope with the death of Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). It was Tony Stark who first discovered Spider-Man through social media videos, and with Tony’s intuition, it didn’t take long to figure out Spider-Man’s secret identity.
Their relationship was significant to the MCU’s version of Spider-Man, where both Tony and Peter began their friendship in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Tony took interest in Peter, seeing a hero in the making, and decided to mentor him as part of the next generation of superheroes. However, their mentor-student relationship turned into much more.
In a heartbreaking turn of events, the relationship between the two came to an abrupt end as Peter was one of the many victims of Thanos’ finger snap in “Infinity War.” Iron Man watched in horror as Spider-Man faded away into dust, and all seemed lost.
When the concept of time travel was mentioned to Tony in “Endgame,” he immediately refused because he now has a family. However, it resonated with him and he soon realized that this was his opportunity to bring back Spider-Man, so he took it. His love of Peter that motivated him to rejoin the fight; in the end, it cost him his life. Although the world mourns Iron Man, Peter Parker is grieving someone he personally knew and loved. Everywhere he goes, Peter is met with tributes to the armored Avenger, only feeling the pain and grief anew.
Web-Slinging in Europe While Ghosting Nick Fury
Everyone deserves a vacation, even superheroes. In “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” Spider-Man is seen in the trailer telling a few officers that he’s going on vacation, a necessity after everything that has transpired. I mean, he did turn to dust. However, his holiday from being the web-slinging hero is short-lived.
Before running off to Venice, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) informs Peter that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has been trying to get ahold of him. Unfortunately for Nick Fury, Peter is quick to ignore his calls and even sends him to voicemail. Incredulous at Peter’s irreverence, Happy hysterically tells Peter, “You do not ghost Nick Fury!” Not going to lie, ghosting Nick Fury sounds terrifying as hell.
Although Spider-Man is eluding the one-eyed agent, he’s on Nick Fury’s list of heroes to call when a new threat arrives. Snubbing Nick Fury doesn’t last long, seeing as he cannot be ignored. He can find anyone. The displeasure and irritation in Nick Fury’s voice is apparent when he tells Peter that he was “difficult” to contact. The lesson is clear: Don’t send Nick Fury to voicemail.
Mr. Beck and a Dimensional Tear
After finally tracking down Spider-Man, Nick Fury introduces him to Mr. Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is from Earth, just a different version of Earth. He adds that the snap tore a hole in their dimension and brought him to their universe.
But can they trust Mr. Beck? If you’ve read the comics, you know his character is actually a supervillain. Quentin Beck, better known as Mysterio, first appears in “The Amazing Spider-Man #13” and is a special effects and illusion expert, who also happens to be a master hypnotist and magician. He is also an amateur chemist and roboticist. So, is he really from another dimension, or is he just a good liar? Will “Spider-Man: Far From Home” label him a hero, or will they show his true colors as a villain?
Either way, it seems like Spider-Man is uninterested in helping out and asks if there’s somebody else, like Thor or Captain Marvel, who can help instead. However, one is on a different planet and the other unavailable, which means Peter must put on his big-boy pants and do his part as an Avenger. Like I said, his break from hero duties didn’t last very long.
Who Are the Elementals?
The dimensional tear brought not only Mr. Beck, but also the Elementals to Earth. Apparently, Nick Fury and Maria Hill have been dealing with them, which is probably the main reason they call Spider-Man.
Introduced in “Supernatural Thrillers” in 1974, the Elementals are four powerful, dangerous beings who originated from another plane of reality and first came to Earth over 3,000 years ago, setting themselves up as the Egyptian gods. They can manipulate other energies, notably forming force fields or opening dimensional portals.
They were virtually immortal, and their origins are unknown. However, they were ultimately banished to another dimension by a young warrior named Dan and a wizard named Garrett with the ruby scarab, which destroyed the Elementals’ powers. While banished to this other dimension, they waited and watched for thousands of years, plotting their return. The new tear in the dimension was an open invitation for them.
The “Spider-Man: Far From Home” trailer shows a very different version of the Elementals than in the comics. The film presents a version that is loosely adapted from other classic Spider-Man villains, who are literally derived from different elements, causing problems all over Europe. It’s curious to see if perhaps a new character from the Marvel Universe will pop in to assist in case things turn sour with Mr. Beck.
MJ and Peter
If you’re a fan of Spider-Man, then you’re aware that his superhero career has always gotten in the way of his love life in the comics. It appears that it might happen in the MCU as well, with Peter and M.J. (Zendaya) getting close since “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Peter is eager to get to know M.J. better, but will have to quickly learn how to balance his personal life and his job as the web-slinging superhero. It worked for Tony — maybe it can work for Peter too?
Let’s also bring up the fact that M.J. has figured out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. He tries to play it off like he did when Tony called him out, but he stammers because he was caught by surprise. Does she really have it figured out, or is she playing with him? How did she put two and two together?
Big Shoes to Fill
In the beginning of the “Spider-Man: Far From Home” trailer, Spider-Man is asked if he’s the next Iron Man. Although Peter has the iron Spider-Man suit given to him by Tony, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the next Iron Man.
But Peter Parker soon realizes that the world needs Iron Man. It’s a smart way of bringing up Uncle Ben’s classic saying, “With great power comes great responsibility,” which up until now hasn’t been mentioned much in the MCU. This version of Spider-Man was inspired by Iron Man, and Peter knows what he needs to do because he realizes that Tony Stark’s death has left a hole that needs to be filled. It seems like “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is setting up Peter Parker to take on the mantle of Iron Man, and it looks like he might do so. He has some big shoes to fill, and I’m sure he will have the full support of the Avengers.
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” swings into theaters July 2.
