Spider-Man No Way Home was one of the most exciting films of MCU’s Phase 4 lineup with tons of returning heroes and villains. However, it looks like there were plans to bring back a certain villain who knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man.
Storyboard artist for Spider-Man No Way Home, Phil Langone, revealed an early storyboard on Instagram that showed an enraged Spidey taking on Mysterio. It’s not entirely clear how this would have worked since Jake Gyllenhaal’s character appeared to die in the previous Spider-Man movie. They could have said he faked his death with another illusion, but then that would clearly mean Peter Parker didn’t kill him, so maybe that’s why he didn’t show up.
This scene takes place following the death of Aunt May which we still saw in the final version of No Way Home. The biggest difference is that Peter loses it immediately after losing May and pummels Mysterio as we’ve never seen him so to anyone before. However, in the movie, the web-slinger mostly holds his emotions in check until he’s face-to-face with Green Goblin.
Another major difference is that J. Jonah Jameson is on the scene in this storyboard when Spider-Man goes “berserk” and the slimy podcast host captures everything on video. This could have added an interesting layer to the growing public disdain for the hero. Of course, the movie likely would still have ended the same with Doctor Strange erasing everyone’s memory of Peter.
Spider-Man No Way Home is available to stream right now with a subscription to Starz.