It looks like Jake Gyllenhaal is joining Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he won’t be playing a hero as many would expect. Instead, he will suit up as a villain Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home, which will serve as a sequel to 2016’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Although it was rumored back in June that Gyllenhaal will be part of the movie, the news remained unconfirmed.
The 37-year-old actor decided to make the confirmation now by posting a short video on his Instagram profile in which he’s seen reading one of the older issues of The Amazing Spider-Man comic which features Mysterio on the front page. The Nightcrawler star captioned the video with: “I just realized I’m not playing Spider-Man.” Check it out below.
Jake Gyllenhaal almost played Spider-Man at one point in his career. Director Sam Raimi considered casting him as the wall-crawling superhero in the second movie of his Spider-Man trilogy since original star Tobey Maguire had issues with his health. However, Maguire ended up recovering before the film entered the production and Gyllenhaal moved on to other roles. It seems fitting now that he returns as one of Spider-Man’s arch rivals.
Although there were several incarnations of the character depicted in the comics, the most popular Mysterio remains Quentin Beck. Although he doesn’t possess any superhuman powers, Beck is highly skilled when it comes to special effects and illusions, while also being a hypnotist. The character made his comic debut in 1964 with The Amazing Spider-Man #13, while also being featured in other media like video games and animated movies and TV series.
Spider-Man: Far From Home wrapped up filming in October and is scheduled for release on July 5, 2019, in the United States.
