Spider-Man: Far From Home is the best live action Spider-Man movie and Mysterio is the best live action Spider-Man villain. The movie is fun and well paced but does make some sacrifices to serve the larger universe, the largest being the inclusion of Tony Stark’s memory, his impact on both Peter and the world as a whole and the inclusion of the Skrulls(more on that later). Tony Stark does NOT appear at all(well, he does for like 2 seconds but it’s archived footage, so I don’t count that as an appearance lol), although Peter does gain access to E.D.I.T.H.(Even Dead I’m The Hero, which allows Peter access to all of Stark’s technology and protocols) although I do still believe A.I. Tony is coming. As a fan of Tony and Peter’s relationship in Civil War, Homecoming, Infinity War and Endgame, I throughly enjoyed this plot line but if you are not a fan of their relationship, you probably aren’t a fan of this movie. The supporting cast continued to shine in this movie. Zendaya is the best MJ we’ve had, Peter and MJ’s relationship feels organic and very convincingly teenagery, the scene of the Holland and Zendaya swinging through New York is infinitely better than any previous incarnations of that scene and once again Ned steals most of the scenes he is in. The first half of the movie is certainly slower than the later half but does a good job of closing the Infinity Saga before laying the groundwork for Phase Four. The second half of this movie picks up quickly and ends with two bombshells in the form of the mid and post credit scenes. Let’s highlight some things I loved, liked and disliked.

What I Loved

• Mysterio – Mysterio is FANTASTIC and is the highlight of the movie but like they always do in the MCU, Mysterio is a one and done villain. This really sucks because Jake Gyllenhaal KILLED this role and Mysterio is one of the best villains the MCU has given us(there is one Mysterio scene that is arguably the best scene in the MCU). Fortunately this time, we at least have real consequences from his death, as Mysterio manages to both frames Peter for the attack in London, his death and reveals Peter’s identity to the world. Gyllenhaal nailed this role and gives off an amazing chaotic energy that is almost palpable, especially in the bar scene and his death. Connect Beck and the rest of his crew back to Tony was a nice touch that allowed Tony to influence the movie but not overshadow Spider-Man.
• The Mid Credit Scene –  this scene picks up directly where the movie left off, with Peter and MJ swinging through New York. Once they land, a breaking news report on Mysterio’s death is shown in Times Square. Submitted anonymously to the “controversial” news site, The Daily Bugle.net, the video shows Mysterio’s last moments where it appears Peter attacked Mysterio and initiated the drone attack on London followed by a few surprising twists. JK Simmons is once again playing J. Jonah Jameson, and informs the world that Spider-Man brutally murdered “the greatest superhero of all time” and drops the bombshell of Spider-Man’s real identity.  It is unclear how much of a role Jameson will have in future installments, if Peter will admit to being Spider-Man, how he will fight Mysterio’s allegations against him or if the city of New York will rally around their young hero or believe Jameson but this scene sets the stage for new and thrilling Spider-Man stories in the Phase Four(Sinister Six maybe?).
• The Post Credit Scene – focuses on Nick Fury and Maria Hill…or rather Talos and Soren as it is revealed that they were posing as Fury and Hill the entire movie. Fury appears to be vacationing on a beach but Talos reaches out to Fury to update him on the recent events on Earth, the camera pulls back to reveal Fury is on a large space ship surrounded by Skrulls. Fury informs everyone that it is time to get to work and the scene ends but the possibilities this post credit open up are endless. 
  • The Skrulls appear to be on the rebound since the end of Captain Marvel, which makes sense as it has been 38(I think my math is correct) years since the Skrulls left Earth. We are unsure if they settled a planet or if this large ship they are on is now their home base.
  • I think this is the MCU’s introduction of S.W.O.R.D(Sentient World Observation and Response Department). While we do not get the name, it would make sense that since Fury’s “death” in Winter Soldier and after the events of Infinity War and Endgame that Fury would have been working on a new way to protect Earth from extraterrestrial threats.
  • The inclusion of Talos and Soren as Fury and Hill lays the groundwork for an eventual Secret Invasion storyline. I personally do not think Talos and his faction of Skrulls will be involved in a future Skrull invasion of Earth but my biggest complaint with Far From Home is how off Fury and Hill feel because they are Skrulls impersonating characters. Whenever Secret Invasion eventually occurs, I think there will be similar clues like we see in Far From Home.
• Peter and his classmates – I love, LOVE Peter and his classmates. They truly ground the movie and give it heart. I need all of these kids to get everything they want and desire from life.
• Happy and Peter – they both shared deep, intimate bonds with Tony and have clearly formed a bond over their loss and grief. The scene on the Stark plane was really, really good.

What I Liked

• Happy and Aunt May – they tease their relationship all movie which makes for some good comedic relief and towards the end of the movie, Peter has a sit down with them to ask them about their relationship and May and Happy’s differing answering are really funny.
• Peter Builds his own Suit – once Peter figures out Mysterio betrayed him, Peter gives chase but is eventually trapped in an illusion by Mysterio and hit by a train. He ends up in the Netherlands, alone and suitless and calls Happy to give him a ride. The two share a heartfelt conversation about Tony, his sacrifices for the world but more specifically Peter and about Peter accepting the responsibility of becoming a hero. I know some people will still trash this because “Peter is using someone else’s technology, blah, blah, blah” but it makes sense in the context of the MCU and Peter’s arc within this universe and regardless of who’s tech he is using, he is now  building his own suits and gear(that gets battle damaged, so shoutout to everyone who said we’d never see that in the MCU lol).

What I Disliked

• Nick Fury and Maria Hill as Skrulls – I get that this is laying groundwork for Secret Invasion at some point but you could tell that Nick Fury and Maria Hill were…off all movie. Kudos to Samuel L. Jackson and Colby Smulders for their performances and you can definitely tell that something is different simply from the way they act and some dialogue(Talos!Fury reaction to Peter using Captain Marvel’s name and a throw away line that is easy to miss about “Kree sleeper cells”). After having Fury in Captain Marvel(a role of Samuel L’s that I LOVE), Talos!Fury is just really off putting, and while I get this sets up future plot lines, I would have preferred to have real Fury in this movie.
• Oscorp or Norman Osborn didn’t show up – this is super petty because there’s absolutely no reason that Osborn or his company should have been introduced in this movie but I really thought it was going to happen lol.

Far From Home is definitely my favorite live action Spider-Man movie and second favorite Spider-Man movie, behind only Into the Spider-Verse. I can understand anyone who stills places Spider-Man 2 over Far From Home as SM2 has a tighter story than FFH but there are so many moments from this movie from that feel as if the pages of the comics have actually come to life and that alone let’s forgive the few shortcomings this movie has. Mysterio is a top two or three villain in the MCU and hands down the best live action Spider-Man villain. Far From Home is another fantastic addition to the MCU and does a great job as the epilogue for the Infinity Saga and a bridge to what’s to come in Phase Four. Let me know what you think in the comments below or find me on Twitter, @jakebakersays.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post, you can find more of my thoughts on twitter, @historyofthemcu. Additionally, @bloodybaroness and myself host The History of the MCU Podcast, a weekly podcast that reviews and analyzes not only the Infinity Saga but the new Marvel Studios Disney+ shows beginning with WandaVision. We would love if you gave us a listen and are currently available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music.