How to you move forward after reaching an epic climax? When the story over a decade in the making is finally resolved, wrapped and tied in a bow, what comes next? This is the conundrum facing Spider-Man: Far from Home. After saving the universe, can Peter Parker stay the "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," and should he?
Far From Home (FFH) does an amazing job picking up the pieces left by Avengers: Endgame. This unpredictable genre defying flick incorporates the the best of the "John Hughes teen comedy" vibe from the previous MCU Spider-Man film, but also takes time to deal with the harsh reality Peter Parker faces as a "survivor" of Endgame. In some ways, this hurts the film as a stand-alone; new viewers who are not up to date on the MCU can be confused by some of the plot lines or spoiled for the previous films, but as a serial installment, FFH is exactly the film we needed to move forward into the next stage in the MCU. As I unpack the events of FFH, please be aware, there will be spoilers, both for the wider MCU and for this particular film. If you are not up to date with Endgame, please, go watch that film first, as it provides crucial context for this one, and I cannot analyze FFH without talking about the events of Endgame.
Just like the relationship between Tony Stark and Peter Parker provided the backbone for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tony's death in Endgame is the focus of Peter Parker's development in FFH. This follows two parallel tracks. First, with Iron Man's death and the disappearance of Captain America, there is a major void in leadership within the heroic community. While this void can (and almost certainly will) be filled by either Black Panther, Captain Marvel, or Dr. Strange in the future, right now, there are no "well known heroes" stepping forward to assume leadership of the Avengers. Spider-man, however, is a recognizable "face" (mask), especially in New York. There is an expectation that he will be the hero to step forward and fill the void left by Iron Man's death. However, the public does not know that Peter Parker, a high-school student of 16, is woefully unready to take up that mantle of leadership. This disparity between Peter's ability and expectation is compounded by the appearance of Nick Fury, demanding Spider-Man's help defeating another threat of "world ending" proportions. In the previous film, Peter made the mature decision to stay "in the neighborhood" to learn and grow instead of embracing his public role as an Avenger, now circumstances are pushing him into a role he knows he is unready for. Desperate to avoid the new pressure Peter feels he is unprepared to handle, he searches for someone, anyone to fill the heroic void besides him.
Enter Mysterio, a mature, supportive figure, an inter-dimensional refugee who brings news of the latest crisis to face earth; rampaging elementals: natural forces that embody the four elements (earth, fire, air, and water), and whose power threatens the planet (and potentially the multiverse). As he joins forces with Peter Parker to battle the elementals, he slowly fills the vacuum left by the death of Iron Man. His charismatic presence and apparent power convince both Peter and Nick Fury that he might be a good choice to fill the void left by Iron Man.
Peter's trust for Mysterio is further complicated by the second track in his development. Tony Stark's death not only deprived the world of its most visible hero, it also deprived Peter Parker of his mentor and surrogate father. Orphaned from a young age, driven to heroics by the (offscreen) loss of his uncle, Peter has once again lost a parental figure who always encouraged him to be a stronger, better hero. As Peter is wrestling with his grief, Mysterio appears, and he is everything that Tony Stark was to Peter, and more. He encourages Peter's love of science, reprimanding him, "Never be ashamed of being the smartest person in the room." He recognizes Peter's fear of his inadequacies, and encourages him to pursue a path that will make him happy instead of letting the expectations of the world (and Nick Fury) push him around. He perfectly fills the void left by Tony Stark, both as a hero and a mentor.
But (spoilers) things that seem too good to be true usually are. The reason Mysterio is able to so perfectly fill both the heroic void left by Iron Man and the emotional void left by Tony Stark is that he isn't actually either a hero or a mentor. He is a charismatic genius, an actor using smoke and mirrors technology to create a non-existent threat, who is manipulating both Peter and Fury in order to obtain powerful Stark Technology. Ultimately, he is a man who wants to control others, and the road to that goal lies in establishing himself as a superhero. Unfortunately, to create this new persona, he has to create a creditable disastrous threat, obliterating cities and endangering countless lives in the process.
This turn is shattering for Peter Parker. His trusted mentor is gone, and the man he trusted to fill that void is actually a fraud intent on furthering his own power while recklessly endangering others. He is unable to trust his own judgement, which in turn handicaps his power as a hero. All the while, he is also juggling the regular pressures of high-school; a best friend who is besotted with his new girl friend and doesn't have time to help his friend, a girl with whom he is ridiculously infatuated, but circumstances keep getting in the way, a good looking, slightly too insightful rival who will stop at nothing to win the affections of the girl they both like. These circumstances seem trivial when placed against the world ending power Peter is forced to face as Spider-Man, but they are also immensely important to him as he struggles to balance his heroic and normal life.
What makes FFH such a good film is that it is able to balance all of these elements; the quirky pressures of high-school life, Peter's emotional need for a mentor, and the immense heroic void left by the death of Iron Man into a compelling and interesting story. The relationship between Peter and Mysterio is very well done, which makes the "sudden" betrayal all the more heart wrenching. The emotional impact of watching Peter Parker hit rock bottom, not in a "pick yourself up by your bootstraps and do your best" kind of way, but as in, "I actually have nothing. I have no idea what to do next, I don't know who I can trust or who I can turn to, and I am don't even know where I am," rock bottom, is devastating. The resolution is also incredibly well done. I don't want to spoil it, even having given away so much so far, but with nothing left, Peter reaches out to an unexpected mentor, and the payoff is beautiful for both characters. Peter is able rebuild himself, literally starting from scratch to construct the Spider-Man he wants to be; not the hero the world wants, or the Iron-Spider created by Tony Stark, but Peter Parker's Spider-Man, a hero who exists to protect people, either in the neighborhood or far from home.
While action is plentiful (and presented with all the power and excellence we have come to expect from Marvel), it is the character growth that really drives the film forward. Like Endgame before it, FFH is a story about the consequences of previous actions; Peter is no longer just "the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," because as Nick Fury so aptly points out, "You're an Avenger. You've been to space!" The world has changed, and the characters are all forced to develop as a consequence of the previous events in the universe. Actions have consequences, and if FFH is any indication, it seems like the next wave in the Marvel universe will involve unpacking those consequences and dealing with the real emotions and new challenges that arrive after a catastrophe.
This idea of past actions and consequences in fully embodied in the character of Mysterio. Jake Gyllenhaal gives an amazing performance as the charismatic trickster. The first half of the film he perfectly inhabits the role of sympathetic mentor, encouraging Peter and giving sage advice. But beneath the perfect facade lies a con man; a genius who invented technology that Tony Stark later claimed credit form, a leader who assembled a team of specialists in order to give life to a fictional new catastrophe and hero, a megalomaniac who sees the rise of superheroes, not as a menace or a shield to humanity, but as an opportunity to gain power and fame. Mysterio is not necessarily evil; he is simply amoral. The ethics of society mean nothing to him as he pursues any available path to reach his goal. He doesn't hate Peter Parker, on the contrary, he seems legitimately sad that Peter finds out his secret, but that does not stop him from attempting to murder the young hero and his classmates who unfortunately "know too much," to be left alive. Tony Stark's previous actions (big shock) create the new villain, and his absence creates new opportunities for the conscienceless Mysterio to exploit, further building the theme of actions and consequences.
*Random tangent for a moment, but is anyone else tired of Tony Stark's bullshit? Yes, he was a great protector for earth, except for the fact that he was also responsible for creating like a third of the threats faced by the heroes of the MCU. Yes, every Iron Man villain is Tony Stark's responsibility, as was Ultron, and Civil War was basically his fault, and so far, both of Spider-Man's villains have been the result of Tony Stark's well-intentioned, but ultimately terrible life choices. Yeah, I get it's sad he's dead and all, but honestly, the world might be better off for it in the long run.
OK, back to the film. There are a lot of other directions I could go with this review, but honestly, my blog tends to be a fractured and incoherent as it is, so instead of trying to integrate all my thoughts and analysis, I'll just end a bit early. FFH is an excellent successor to Avengers Endgame, refocusing the story after the sweeping battle and exploring the devastating consequences of catastrophe and loss. The character development for Peter Parker is incredibly well done, using his relationship with Tony Stark as a catalyst to explore themes of self doubt and establishing personal identity. Mysterio provides an excellent foil for Spider-Man as his constructed identity is designed to "give people what they want," but actually lacks all substance. in the end, it is Peter Parker's decision to build his own destiny that provides the emotional center for the story and drives that story forward into the new era of the MCU.
