A top-tier Spider-Man foe with a flair for complex illusions, Mysterio is one of the most recognizable villains in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. With his iconic fishbowl head, green suit, and purple cape, Mysterio is well-known for fooling Spider-Man and other Marvel villains through elaborate, visual tricks.
While he is best known as one of the oldest villains in Spider-Man’s long history, Mysterio has been causing problems for the heroes of the Marvel universe for nearly sixty years. An original member of the Sinister Six, Mysterio has taken part in numerous iconic storylines, creating large-scale threats for heroes like Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Wolverine.
10 Mysterio First Appeared In Amazing Spider-Man #13
First appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #13, Mysterio made his debut as a mysterious figure who claimed to be a crimefighter. In the comic, after Spider-Man is spotted robbing various establishments across New York City, Mysterio appears before Jonah Jameson, promising to bring Spider-Man to justice.
Easily defeating Spider-Man with mysterious “magic” abilities, Mysterio is heralded as a hero and later appears at the Daily Bugle for a public photo opportunity. Hoping to prove his innocence, Spider-Man tracks Mysterio back to his hideout, where it’s revealed that Mysterio’s abilities were just special effects. Amid an ensuing battle, Spider-Man secretly records Mysterio’s confession that he used special effects to make it seem like Spider-Man had become a criminal.
9 Mysterio Joined The Sinister Six In Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1
A founding member of the team, Mysterio joined the Sinister Six alongside the other five original members – Doc Ock, Kraven The Hunter, Vulture, Sandman, and Electro – in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1.
Through a deep character study, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 tells an iconic story focusing on Peter Parker’s core motivations. Faced with either stopping the Sinister Six or choosing an easier path, Peter questions whether being Spider-Man is the best thing for him. Many fans consider Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 to be among the best issues of Amazing Spider-Man by Lee and Ditko.
8 Mysterio Returned In Amazing Spider-Man #66
Looking to get revenge on Spider-Man, Mysterio broke out of prison in Amazing Spider-Man #66. In the comic, as Peter has to deal with a whirlwind of both personal and superhero problems involving Gwen Stacy, Kingpin, and Harry Osborne, Mysterio appears on television and issues a rematch challenge to Spider-Man. Arriving at Mysterio’s designated location for the fight, a trap is suddenly sprung on Spider-Man, as he finds himself inside a miniature amusement park with a skyscraper-sized Mysterio looking down on him.
7 Mysterio Punished Wolverine In Old Man Logan
Spider-Man isn’t the only Marvel hero that Mysterio has gone up against. Though he only appeared in a flashback, Mysterio played a significant role in one of Marvel’s darkest comics, Old Man Logan, a series set in a future where an older Wolverine is no longer willing to use his mutant abilities.
Towards the end of the storyline, it’s revealed that Mysterio played a critical role in Logan going down this path. Years before the events of the main storyline, Mysterio tricked Wolverine into brutally killing every member of the X-Men. Drowning in guilt, Logan became a broken man.
6 Mysterio Worked With Aliens In Spectacular Spider-Man #51
Suddenly abducted by aliens, Spider-Man found himself captured by Mysterio on a spaceship in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #51. Demanding to know the location of a hidden fortune, Mysterio and his alien assistants torture Spider-Man with the help of a device called the “Pyscho-Dome.”
Waking up sometime later inside a holding a cell, Peter spots an ant crawling across the floor, causing him to wonder how an earth-bound insect made its way onto a spaceship. Escaping his cell, Peter attacks one of the aliens only to realize that they aren’t aliens but actually men in complex disguises. Spider-Man soon realizes that he’s not on a spaceship; he’s on a movie set.
5 Mysterio Finds His Passion Again In Symbiote Spider-Man
A five-issue mini-series by legendary comic writer Peter David and artist Greg Land, Symbiote Spider-Man features a story set within Spider-Man’s “Black Suit Saga” period when Spider-Man wore the black symbiote suit before the reveal of Venom. The story begins with Spider-Man easily defeating Mysterio, who’s later revealed to be questioning his abilities as a capable supervillain.
Looking to reaffirm his status as one of Spider-Man’s most dangerous villains, Mysterio hatches a plan to rob Sun Trust Bank. Eventually engaging in a hand-to-hand fight with Spider-Man, Mysterio grows intrigued by the seemingly augmented abilities of Spider-Man’s black suit. Feeling the passion for villainy again, Mysterio vows to unravel the mystery of the black suit.
4 Mystery Sent JJJ To Hell In Webspinners
A Spider-Man anthology series from 1999, Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man is a series that includes stories from a handful of different comic creators. The first three issues of the series take a deep dive into the lore of Mysterio and reveal new details about his origin story. On top of the new origin details, the comic features some of Mysterio’s most complex trickery, as he manages to fool Jonah Jameson into thinking he’s gone to Hell. Surrounding Jameson with demons who bare an uncanny resemblance to Spider-Man, this comic took Mysterio’s sinister nature to a new level.
3 Mysterio Baffled Spider-Man In Amazing Spider-Man #141
A fan-favorite Spider-Man story, Amazing Spider-Man #141 features Peter Parker dealing with a rough patch, having just recently crashed his Spider-Mobile into a river. Struggling to stay focused, Spider-Man is suddenly attacked by Mysterio, who is surprisingly assisted by a handful of other Spider-Man villains.
Spider-Man eventually realizes that the entire thing is an illusion just before Mysterio suddenly disappears in his trademark fashion. Further researching the status of Mysterio in the newspaper, Peter is thrown for a loop when he realizes that Mysterio reportedly died in prison over a year ago.
2 Mysterio Took On Daredevil In Guardian Devil
As shown with Old Man Logan, Mysterio has faced his fair share of different Marvel heroes. In fact, one of Mysterio’s greatest stories occurred when he took on Daredevil in the eight-issue story arc, “Guardian Devil.”
In the comic, as Daredevil is suddenly tasked with protecting a small child, Mysterio takes things to the next level and causes the death of Karen Page, a death that has remained permanent and is one of the worst things to ever happen to Daredevil. Though a vast majority of Mysterio’s near-sixty-year history was spent fighting Spider-Man, this evil act against Daredevil is undoubtedly the most impactful thing the character has ever done.
1 Mysterio Came Back From The Dead In Mysterioso
As Mysterio proves, few characters stay dead in the Marvel universe. After dying during the “Guardian Devil” story, Mysterio made his dramatic return in Amazing Spider-Man #618.
Confused by the inexplicable return of Mysterio, Spider-Man joins forces with CSI agent Carlie Cooper and dives into a thorough investigation as to how the evil illusionist came back. In many ways, “Mysterioso” does a great job filling in the holes between Mysterio’s somewhat playful Silver Age days and the serious, sinister character established in “Guardian Devil.”