The final chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Infinity Saga" was not Avengers: Endgame but actually Spider-Man: Far From Home, which serves as an epilogue to the first few phases of the MCU. Far From Home introduced the character of Mysterio while throwing a few twists and surprises into Spidey's life, and the future of the MCU.
Today we'll look at a few graphic novels from Marvel that will allow fans of Spider-Man Far From Home to explore the history between Spider-Man and Mysterio, expand upon smaller moments or easter eggs from the film, and look into the future of where the next installment of the MCU's Spider-Man franchise may be heading.
10 SPIDER-MAN VS. MYSTERIO
It may have taken 10 film appearances from Spider-Man before we got to see Mysterio on the big screen, but don't be fooled, the fishbowl- wearing master of illusions is one of Spidey's oldest villains. Mysterio first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #13 and has continued to plague the wall-crawler, and the Marvel Universe, for decades.
Spider-Man vs. Mysterio collects not only the first appearance of Mysterio but also a number of iconic matchups between the two enemies. This collection spans the decades and features legendary battles from storylines like "The Madness of Mysterio" and "The Man's Name Appears To Be...Mysterio!"
9 SPIDER-MAN: NOIR
Spider-Man's MCU film appearances have come with a number of new costumes for the wall-crawler, form his original homemade Homecoming costume to Tony Stark's Iron Spider outfit first seen in action in Avengers: Infinity War. Far From Home debuted two new costumes, the first of which was Peter's new Stealth Suit.
While the Stealth Suit first appeared during the Big Time storyline and was able to render Spidey invisible, the film's version of the costume takes its inspiration from Spider-Man: Noir, which features an alternate reality Marvel Universe set in the Great Depression era of the 30s. Spider-Man Noir also appeared in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, voiced by Nicolas Cage.
8 SPIDER-MEN
One of the key plot points of the film, which was used heavily in the promotion of the film, is the existence of the Marvel Multiverse, and Mysterio's origin as the survivor of another Earth. While that turned out to be false, we've seen Mysterio mess around with alternate realities before in Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli's Spider-Men.
The mini-series brought together the mainstream Marvel U's Spider-Man/Peter Parker with the Ultimate Universe's Spider-Man/Miles Morales (last seen on screen in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) after Mysterio managed to bridge the two universes. Learn more about Mysterio from two universes, while also enjoying the first meeting between the two Spider-Men.
7 SECRET INVASION
The post-credit scene from Spider-Man: Far From Home featured a surprising twist when it was revealed that Nick Fury and Maria Hill were actually Skrulls, Talos and his wife Soren from Captain Marvel. While it was also revealed that they were working with the real Nick Fury, who seemed to be working on a space station, it also invites a possible dark direction for the MCU.
Secret Invasion features the Skrulls in a full-on invasion of the planet using Super-Skrulls powered with the abilities of Marvel's heroes. To accomplish this the Skrulls infiltrated important organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, and even the secretive Marvel Illuminati. Talos and Soren may be on the side of the angels (for now) but are the rest of the Skrulls?
6 ONE MORE DAY
Far From Home may have had a fairly happy ending initially, but everything changed with the dramatic mid-credits scene. The scene revealed that, in his dying moments, Mysterio not only framed Spidey for attacking London with the drones but also revealed his secret identity as Peter Parker to the world.
Spidey's identity has been revealed before in the comic version of Civil War, and this reveal can go a couple of ways on the big screen. Spider-Man: One More Day collects the storyline that examines the consequences of Peter's decision to publicly unmask, and the deal with the devil he will take to undo his biggest mistake by making another one.
5 IDENTITY CRISIS
Instead of the depressing and controversial one More Day option, Far From Home may have planted a few seeds for an adaptation of the "Identity Crisis" storyline. Following Spider-Man being framed for murder, Peter Parker is forced to take on the identities of four other costumed heroes - Hornet, Ricochet, Prodigy, and Dusk - to continue fighting crime and to clear his name as Spider-Man.
One of Far From Home's greatest course corrections was giving Peter Parker the opportunity to create his own Spider-Man costume using the tech from his previous costumes. The same costume construction tools could easily be used to create these new identities on the big screen while Peter deals with the consequences of Mysterio's final scene.
4 KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT
It may seem odd for future Spider-Man films in the MCU to adapt the last stand of a character we have yet to see, but if done properly the film could easily introduce and jump into the best storyline to feature one of Spidey's oldest foes, Kraven the Hunter.
Kraven's Last Stand takes place during one of Kraven's most diabolical schemes with the web-crawler, which sees the Russian hunter tranquilize Spider-Man and bury him alive. Pretty heavy, but one of the most fan-requested storylines to see adapted on to the big screen.
3 SINISTER SIX
We already know Sony has had plans to bring Spidey's ultimate team of villains to the big screen since the Amazing Spider-Man franchise, though those plans failed along with Garfield's take on the character. However, the MCU Spider-Man has been planting the seeds for the arrival of the Sinister Six.
Spider-Man: Sinister Six collects the first few appearances of the Sinister Six. While the villains included in the initial comic line-up don't completely match up with the MCU villains already introduced, the original comic appearances of the Six showcase why the MCU should explore Spidey's rogues a bit more in future installments.
2 BIRTH OF VENOM
When Sony released their own adaptation of Venom without any connection to the MCU's version of Spider-Man running around with the Avengers, fans felt it would be unlikely the two cinematic franchises would ever meet on the big screen. However, recent rumors and comments suggest there just might be a chance that the current film versions of Spider-Man and Venom will face off in the future.
Spider-Man: Birth of Venom may not be the best source material to explore for Sony's Venom adaptation, but it still features the first encounter between Spider-Man and Eddie Brock's Venom, which would launch the alien anti-hero to popularity and could be used in some form if the MCU's Spider-Man and Sony's Venom ever do meet on the big screen.
1 DAREDEVIL: GUARDIAN DEVIL
While the events of Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada's "Guardian Devil" storyline from the Marvel Knights Daredevil series don't have much to do with Spider-Man: Far From Home, it may give readers another look at the character of Mysterio that they might not be expecting.
While we don't want to reveal too much of the actual graphic novel, Daredevil finds himself up against Spidey's long-time foe. The storyline features a number of iconic moments in Daredevil's life, while also broadening Mysterio's presence in the larger Marvel Universe. Guardian Devil also features a shocking connection to the aforementioned Kraven's Last Hunt that just might blow your mind.
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