Jake Gyllenhaal on Spider-Man: Far From Home’s game-changing conclusion

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

MAJOR SPOILERS for SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME. Be warned! Spider-Man's latest adventure has become his most profitable film to date as it's quickly closing in on $1 billion worldwide. Most impressive. After the events of AVENGERS: ENDGAME, the latest Marvel epic finds Peter Parker (Tom Holland) heading out on a European vacation with his classmates for some much needed rest, only to find his trip interrupted when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) recruits him to fight against elemental creatures attacking across the continent. Thankfully, Spidey isn't the only one dealing with this new threat as Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), a superhero from another dimension, is able to lend a hand.

As those who have seen the film know, Mysterio wasn't exactly the hero he painted himself to be, nor was he from a different dimension. Instead, he was a disgruntled Stark Industries employee who used advanced projector drones in order to simulate the Elemental attacks and masquerade as a hero. Mysterio doesn't survive the events of SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME, but even after death, he does pull one more devastating trick on Spider-Man. A mid-credits scene finds footage being broadcast in which Mysterio not only blames Spider-Man for the drone attacks and his death, but reveals Spider-Man's secret identity to the world. Ruh oh. While speaking with THR, Jake Gyllenhaal discussed his love for cliffhanger moments and the impact which it could have on the franchise moving forward.

Well, I just love great endings that refer back to other great endings. The first movie [Homecoming] was great like that, too. I also love the end of Prisoners. I love those kind of cliffhanger moments. So often, we’re used to the same structure, particularly in very large movies, and it takes a lot of courage to leave on those kinds of cliffhangers. The way I look at it is twofold: Mysterio exists as someone to teach Peter Parker a lesson. In my opinion, there’s no use for just a straight-up bad guy unless there’s a lesson to be learned. And the lesson, particularly for Peter, is what is growing up for real. The truth of it is, if I go back to earlier work that I did, the thing that I love about adolescence — and was terrible about adolescence — is that as you grow up, the world becomes totally unclear.

One of the things that I loved about doing Donnie Darko, when I was Tom’s age, was that it portrayed adolescence in a way that I had not experienced through most high school movies. The courage that the filmmakers had in Far From Home to say, “We’re gonna bring in a villain that’s going to turn Peter’s world upside down and force him to be who he actually is to the whole world. Nothing’s a secret anymore,” that was amazing. As an audience member, not as the person who played Mysterio, I believe in Peter Parker, and I believe in Spider-Man, his power and how strong he is. What Mysterio reveals will end up helping Peter, somewhere. He’ll learn from it, and those are the best characters. The characters who teach our heroes a lesson don’t always have to be like Obi-Wan.

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME is now playing in theaters, so be sure to check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray and let us know what you thought of the film.