Marvel finally wrestles control of an iconic Spider-Man villain from Sony for unexpected return in the last place you’d expect

As much as a fixture of the MCU as Tom Holland has become (well, except for his going AWOL the last three years), Sony’s death-grasp on the rights to Spider-Man‘s rogues gallery has prevented the Spider-Verse from fully integrating with the Marvel Studios multiverse. Maybe, just maybe, that’s starting to change, however, as the House of Ideas has confirmed a fan-favorite Spidey villain is about to make their long-awaited MCU comeback.

What’s interesting about said comeback is that it won’t occur in the upcoming Spider-Man 4 — which is taking its sweet time in getting here, but Tom promises us it is on its way — or even in Disney Plus’ Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man animated series, coming in January 2025. Instead, the returning reprobate will be back with us before the year is out, for a new Marvel project that looks to be the best Christmas present fans could ask for.

Mysterio is back at Marvel’s beck and call for a surprise MCU return

That’s right, the returning Spidey villain in question is Mysterio — so, yes, we must continue to pray for poor Michael Keaton’s Vulture, last seen trapped in the Morbius universe. Quentin Beck, as introduced in Spider-Man: Far From Home, will show his fishbowl-covered face in the franchise again this December in the third and final season of What If…?

Mysterio’s return was confirmed via a new trailer for the final run of the animated anthology show, which kicks off this Dec. 22. Beck is far from the only treat teased in this promo, which also unveils the awesome sight of Storm wielding Mjolnir!

Of all the webslinger’s supervillains who could’ve appeared in What If…?, it only makes sense that it’s Mysterio, seeing as the character is actually responsible for introducing the concept of the multiverse into the MCU in the first place. Memorably, in Far From Home, Quentin Beck claims to be a hero from another universe, although this ultimately turns out to be part of an elaborate ruse to trick Peter Parker.

Even so, Beck displays a surprisingly accurate knowledge of the multiverse — he designates the MCU’s home universe as Earth-616, for instance — for a con-man, so maybe this multidimensional Mysterio appearance in What If…? will finally shed some light on that.

There’s no word yet on if Jake Gyllenhaal could reprise his role in the series, although this could go either way. What If…? has previously featured A-list actors you wouldn’t expect to make their grand returns to the MCU in this way — see Cate Blanchett as Hela in season 2 — but then again some major players have always alluded it. Not least Spidey himself, as the show replaces Holland with voice actor/owner of the world’s wettest name Hudson Thames.

Beck was assumed to reappear in No Way Home before that came to nothing, leading to rumors that Sony had barred Marvel from using the character further so that he could instead factor into the studio’s Sinister Six team-up plans. With Sony’s Spider-Man Universe potentially letting out one last roar with this month’s Kraven the Hunter, however, it seems no such restriction exists. The demise of the SSU is truly the gift that keeps on giving.