WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Sinister War #1, by Nick Spencer, Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, John Dell, Andy Owens, Brian Reber and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
Spider-Man has one of the most colorful casts of villains in superhero comics. Many of these super-criminals have tried their hand at reformation before inevitably returning to their old ways. Recently, however, Mysterio has come a long way to redeem himself, and it seems like he really has turned things around.
Mysterio makes that clear in Sinister War #1 at the premiere of Mary Jane's newest movie. Mysterio himself is the director, taking the guise of Cage McKnight to hide his true identity. While attending the premiere, Quentin Beck shows some signs of personal growth. For example, Beck encourages MJ to tell Peter that her director is really Mysterio.
Even though this reveal would prove problematic for Mysterio himself, he still shows great care for MJ and Peter's relationship, since MJ is now a good friend. When MJ is concerned about telling Peter that she's working for a supervillain, Mysterio stresses that he's a reformed supervillain, showing his commitment to his new life. This career shift began in 2019's Amazing Spider-Man #25 by Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley.
When Mary Jane decided to get back into acting, she immediately signed on for a film by a new writer/director, who turned out to be Mysterio in disguise. In 2019's Amazing Mary Jane #1, by Leah Williams and Carlos Gomez, MJ figured out Mysterio's identity. Yet, seeing how earnest Mysterio was to make this film, she gave him a chance.
Beck, in crafting a Mysterio biopic, wanted to show the world that he'd changed, which MJ understood. The two shared a passion for their new movie, developing a strong partnership and friendship. When the Savage Six attacked the set, Mysterio and MJ worked together to fight the villains off.
In this way, Mysterio showed how much he'd changed, protecting his new life from his old one. In Sinister War #1, Mysterio fights off the Savage Six once again when they attack his film premiere. This shocks Spider-Man, who isn't convinced of Mysterio's reformation.
Yet MJ stands up for Mysterio, reminding Peter of the criminal activities that his ex-girlfriend, the Black Cat, and his ex-roommate, Boomerang, have committed. It says a lot that MJ stands up for Mysterio, demonstrating their bond and just how much Beck has changed.
Mysterio even tries to tell Spider-Man why the Sinister Six and Savage Six are going to war, hinting at Mephisto's involvement in Kindred's plans. It seems that Mysterio is really trying to help Spider-Man, which is a change for a villain who's been trying to beat Peter Parker up since he was a teenager.
Naturally, things become complicated when Doctor Octopus tries to bring Mysterio onto the Sinister Six at Kindred's behest. Mysterio disappears with MJ, which makes his true motives unclear. Beck could be trying to protect MJ from the Sinister Six, or he could be taking her to Kindred, who tortured Mysterio and resurrected him to do his dirty work
But even here, Mysterio tells Peter that "The devil always gets his due," seemingly trying to jog Peter's memory about the events of "One More Day," when he sold his marriage to Mary Jane to Mephisto to save Aunt May.
But as Kindred's plans go into action, it's uncertain whether or not Mysterio will succumb to his fears and work for the villain. Mysterio's new friendship with MJ seems to be at odds with his fear of Kindred. In the coming issues of Sinister War, Mysterio may return to his villainous ways out of fear of Kindred.
At the same time, he could overcome this fear thanks to his friendship with MJ and help Spider-Man. Based on Mysterio's behavior in Sinister War #1, it seems likely that Beck will turn on Kindred, cementing his redemption arc. From here, perhaps Mysterio could actually tell Spider-Man about the reason behind all of Kindred's plans, which could change everything for the wall-crawler.