Ultimate Marvel Puts a Twist on Little-Known Spider-Man Villains From the ‘90s

Quentin Beck’s Mysterio could also be the Grasp of Illusions, however Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto’s Ultimate Spider-Man pulled off a trick proper in entrance of our eyes. April’s difficulty #16 revealed that the fishbowl-helmeted Mysterio — the most mysterious member of the Kingpin Wilson Fisk’s Sinister Six, which included Martin Li/Mr. Unfavorable, Walter Hardy/Black Cat, Sergei Kravinoff/Kraven the Hunter, and Mole Man — is definitely Gwen Stacy-Osborn, Oscorp CEO and the spouse of Harry Osborn (secretly the vigilante Inexperienced Goblin).

However Ultimate Mysterio is additionally Quentin Beck, as a result of there isn’t one Mysterio. There are 5. Gwen took the place of her late father, George Stacy, in the mystical collective known as Mysterio, a cabal that is aware of the reality about Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe: Earth-6160 has been altered by the Maker (a multiversal Reed Richards), who guidelines the world from the shadows along with his secret council of supervillains.

“The world is a lie. And solely by embracing these lies and turning into a grasp of them can we actually see,” Gwen mentioned when present process the Mysterio ritual. “Our craft is previous. Older than the lie. Our energy is ageless. The amulet handed from sire to spawn. One to put on it. 5 to share it. We’re… Mysterio.”

After Oscorp absorbed Stane/Stark Industries following the deaths of Norman Osborn, Obadiah Stane, and Howard Stark, Gwen discovered the actual historical past of the world. “The world is an phantasm fabricated by one man,” she informed the gathering of Mysterios. “One man telling a lie large enough to deceive all of humanity.” (Hickman’s Ultimate Invasion revealed that the Maker used time journey to remake the world, a divergent actuality that may have resembled Earth-616 earlier than the Maker’s interference in the 12 months 1963.)

The difficulty then revealed that Gwen-Mysterio faked Harry’s demise in Ultimate Spider-Man #14, and that she killed Kraven when he unmasked and hunted Spider-Man and the Inexperienced Goblin in the Savage Land. With the world believing him to be lifeless, Harry’s Inexperienced Goblin and Gwen’s Mysterio may take the struggle to the Maker.

It’s a twist rooted in the important universe. At a time when Harry Osborn had succumbed to the Goblin System (dying in 1993’s Spectacular Spider-Man #200), Peter Parker discovered that Norman Osborn survived being impaled by his personal Goblin glider (in 1973’s basic Wonderful Spider-Man #122) and that the unique Inexperienced Goblin masterminded the Clone Saga (in 1996’s Spider-Man #75). Marvel revealed a one-shot comedian, Spider-Man: The Osborn Journals, explaining the occasions main as much as the retcon and the way Norman pulled the strings whereas in hiding in Europe.

Norman was drawn to the Cabal of Scrier, a secret, centuries-old group who sought the acquisition of limitless wealth, energy, and management in the identify of the supernatural Scrier. He took over that shadowy cabal and later joined one other in the Gathering of 5.

1998’s Sensational Spider-Man #32 was the first difficulty in the five-part Gathering of 5 spanning problems with Wonderful Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man, Sensational Spider-Man and adjectiveless Spider-Man, named after the gathering of 5 folks and 5 historic artifacts to grant them energy by scientific and supernatural means.

Whereas the Ultimate Mysterios cross an amulet between their 5 members, the 5’s ritual was based mostly on 5 fragments that, when gathered, would grant 5 “presents.” Invoking the Rites of the 5 ritual was a danger, however as soon as he acquired all 5 fragments, Norman had his 5 prepared to be granted considered one of 5 “presents”: Energy. Data. Immortality. Insanity. Loss of life.

In 1998’s Wonderful Spider-Man #441, the 5 solid the spell and every obtained their “present”: Energy (Osborn), Data (Mattie Franklin), Immortality (Gregory Herd), Insanity (Morris Maxwell), and Loss of life (Madame Net). Besides the ceremony of the 5 had yet one more twist: the present of Energy was really Mattie’s (who grew to become Spider-Girl), and Osborn’s “present”
was one thing he had all alongside: Insanity. Like with Mysterio, every thing was not what it gave the impression to be.

Ultimate Spider-Man #16 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.