Barely through the first month of 2019 and we are already treated with a trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home. Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker, who we last saw turning to ash at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Let’s address that elephant in the room first. Far From Home is most definitely takes place after Avengers: Endgame, and isn’t a prequel to Infinity War.
Far From Home involves Peter and his high school buddies going on a European vacation, which seems to be the reason why people think it is a prequel. Peter and Ned were seen on a school bus in Infinity War, and some assume they are going to the airport. But, Peter tells Iron Man that he was heading to a field trip to the New York Museum of Modern Art. Plus, Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal have separately stated Far From Home takes place after Endgame.
Being the first film released after Avengers: Endgame, that makes Spider-Man: Far From Home the first installment of the MCU’s Phase Four! There is mass speculation as to how and why Peter has come back to life. The answers will likely be provided when Endgame rolls around in a few months time. For now, let’s go through the trailer and see if we can find plot outline in Spider-Man’s next movie.
First off, it looks like Spider-Man is back to doing superhero work in Queens, supported by Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), who discovered Peter’s secret at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Spidey and Aunt May support the Salvation Army, and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) shows up to celebrate, flirting shamelessly with Aunt May. We don’t know what fate awaits Tony Stark post-Endgame (or in Endgame for that matter), but it looks like Happy is on hand to aid Spider-Man. Peter is off for his European trip with his decathlon team, including Ned (Jacob Batalon), Michelle “MJ” Jones (Zendaya), Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), Betty Brant (Angourie Rice), and teacher Mr. Harrington (Martin Starr). Mr. Delmar, the owner of Peter’s local bodega is back too, his business rebuilt, and his cat Merv in one piece.
Peter picks up his passport and we see some interesting information. Peter’s birth year is absent, likely to avoid causing even more confusion with the MCU’s timeline caused by Homecoming’s marketing. Peter’s birthday is August 20th, a nice little to the last issue of Amazing Fantasy, where Spider-Man made his fictional debut.
At home, Peter appears to have done a one-eighty from his behaviour in Homecoming, putting his friends first instead of being Spider-Man. He intends on leaving his Spider suit at home, but in the international trailer, Aunt May sneaks the suit into his luggage. We have a travel montage, Ned and Betty appearing to hit it off. The duo were a couple in the comic books, though I still am a bit iffy about Betty resembling Gwen Stacy. Meanwhile, Peter wants to spend some time with MJ. Yes, some folks are still annoyed that Michelle isn’t technically Mary Jane yet she also is, but I like the character regardless.
Of course, Peter’s vacation isn’t going to go as smoothly as he liked. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) show up, sedate Ned, and recruit Spider-Man for some superhero work. Fury’s appearance is similar to how he appears in Iron Man. As the trailer swings into action, we see Spider-Man sports his classic costume’s armpit webbing, allowing him to swoop and glide now. Throughout the trailer, we see a number of giant elemental monsters – one made of sand and earth, another made of water, and a third made of fire. Who are these monsters?
They are a group of badguys called the Elementals, extradimensional, elementally empowered chaps who once ruled a kingdom on Earth. The group consists of Magnum, Hydron, Hellfire, and Zephyr, who control the classic elements of earth, water, fire, and air. An alternate theory is that the characters could be alternate takes on the likes of Sandman, Molten Man, Hydro-Man, and a fourth villain. Perhaps the Vulture will appear as the air elemental, cause giant flying bird guy. Okay, I’m scrapping the bottom of the theory barrel.
Another exciting glimpse is Spider-Man’s new, all-black costume. No, it’s not that black suit. It appears to be a stealth suit of some kind, complete with night goggles that become Spidey’s signature eyes. However, the costume has fingerless gloves, so how are they meant to hide Peter’s fingerprints?
In the closing moments of the trailer, we finally get a look at our presumed villain: The Master of Illusions, Mysterio! Old fishbowl head makes his cinematic debut in spectacular style. Played by Jake Gyllenhaal, Mysterio materialises out of green mist, and engages Hydros in battle, appearing to be able to fly and use magic to combat him. As Flash describes him, Mysterio is like a mix of Iron Man and Thor, but also feels like Doctor Strange too.
But, Mysterio is a master of illusions, a former Hollywood special effects wizard. He uses practical effects and literal smoke and mirrors to commit his crimes. What if Mysterio isn’t actually a hero as presented in the trailer? What if the Elementals are part of a grand stunt for Mysterio to appear as a hero? Or has he actually been reworked into a magician and hero, but go on a path of vengeance when Spider-Man foils his plans?
Extra things of interest:
– When Spider-Man swings by Grand Central Station, there is a new statue atop the entrance honouring the emergency services lost during the Battle of New York.
– There appears to be major refurbishment work going in the former Avengers Tower which was sold off to an undisclosed buyer in Homecoming. Speculation is that it is either OsCorp or the Baxter Building that the Fantastic Four operate in. However, the deal between Disney and Fox hasn’t been completed yet, so it might be too early for the Fantastic Four references to begin.
– The suitcase Peter uses is marked with “B.F.P.” – a reference to Uncle Ben!
– A boat in Venice is labelled with “AMS 212”. Perhaps a nod to The Amazing Spider-Man #212, which was the issue that Hydro-Man made his debut. Perhaps the giant water monster actually is Hydro-Man?
What were your thoughts of the trailer? Are you looking forward to Spider-Man: Far From Home? Leave a comment below or on our Twitter and Facebook feeds.
