He may be considered by some to be a second-rate villain of the Spidey world, but a guy who had a major turn with the Sinister Six has to get some small consideration, right? I’ve always thought that Mysterio could be a lot of fun as a playable character. Heck, to be honest, I’d be happy even if he’s only implemented for now as a watered-down version of what’s in this post and made into a villain.

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Bio

Quentin Beck began as a promising stuntman and special effects artist in Hollywood. When he began to feel disappointed in the level of attention his work received, however, he began to look elsewhere for ways to make a name for himself. Eventually, his expertise in the fields of psychiatry, chemistry, and electronics led him to become the Magnificent Mysterio. As Mysterio, Beck put his illusionary talents to use in deflecting attention from criminal schemes, which inevitably brought him face to face with Spider-Man himself. This set off a chain of events, during which Beck nearly managed to implicate the wall-crawler as a felon several times, by posing as Spider-Man and duplicating his abilities through technological means. Mysterio and Spider-Man have been at odds ever since, with Mysterio even going so far as to join Doctor Octopus in the Sinister Six on several occasions, nearly succeeding in Ock’s ultimate campaign to blanket the Earth in satellites, ostensibly to leave a parting gift of protection against global warming. Mysterio’s sense of self-preservation (and the nasty thought of his well-earned paycheck burning) kicked in at the last instant, however, leading him to side with Spider-Man and reveal the truth of Ock’s plan to hold the world hostage, as well as his hidden location.

This build is only a rough draft, and will remain a work in progress – feel free to leave any feedback that you feel would improve the character of Mysterio.

NEW MECHANIC: HALLUCINATION

(Thanks to @TheBestSpiderMan for the input that gave me the basis for this idea, and got the wheels turning)

I really wanted to emphasize Mysterio's unique nature among the villains of Spider-Man's universe, as well as the unique role he should hold among the summoners of Marvel Heroes. Mysterio doesn't necessarily have the luxury that Loki, Rocket, or even Squirrel Girl can take for granted. While each of these heroes has the option to fall back on their own arsenal of weaponry or spells, Mysterio is more likely to disappear into a cloud of smoke when confronted directly, striking from there if need be. As a result, he need to take steps to ensure that his illusions can rival those of Loki himself.

In the comics, this is accomplished with the help of a customized hallucinogenic gas, created through Mysterio's own creative and inventive capacity. He may not be on the level of Parker or Octavius in terms of intellect, but he remains a scientific force to be reckoned with nonetheless. Because of this, I feel that the character of Mysterio should be implemented with his own mechanic in place. Ladies and gents...I give you the 'Hallucination' tag.

Step 1: The concept surrounding Hallucination is rather simple in thought - I've updated the power trees below to include certain powers that have been labeled as 'Misdirection' abilities. These are the abilities that Mysterio uses to disappear, manipulate enemies' thoughts, or simply to partially mask his movements. Each of these abilities, representing a situation where Mysterio would employ his signature mix, has a moderately high chance to send enemies into a state of hallucination for a period of time. Hallucinating enemies take 10% more damage from Mysterio's duplicates and constructs, representing the idea that a hallucinating opponent is going to more firmly believe that it's all real.

Step 2: Each of these powers has also been updated to reflect an amount that each power contributes toward Mysterio's 'Hallucinogen'. This is Mysterio's secondary resource bar. As the bar increases to certain thresholds (I'd say 3-4 'pips' in total), all of Mysterio's summon abilities gain an increase per 'pip' to summon duration and health when cast.

Step 3: Finally, it all ties together in Mysterio's 'Hallucination' powers (see Special Effects). Mysterio now has two powers in the Special Effects tree that have been labeled with the 'Hallucination' tag. This build will likely expand on those powers later, and possibly even add more powers in place of existing ones, that add to the Hallucination repertoire. The first of these powers, 'All In the Eyes', allows Mysterio to capture the essence of a target, whether hero or villain. By studying this target, Mysterio is also able to customize his suit to gain a technological variant of his target's passive traits. Once the Hallucinogen meter is full, it provides Mysterio with a 5-second window in which summon powers cost drastically less spirit, and enables the use of the ability 'Sincerest Form of Flattery'. Casting this ability drains the Hallucinogen meter, requiring it to be refilled using Misdirection abilities again.

New Mechanic Recap

Hallucination

• Misdirection powers have a 30-40% chance to cause enemies to hallucinate.
• Hallucinating enemies take 10% additional damage from summoned allies
• Use of Misdirection powers also fills the secondary resource, or 'Hallucinogen', meter
• Upon reaching 100%, the Hallucinogen meter immediately triggers a 5-second buff that reduces spirit costs of Summon powers by 80%
• A full Hallucinogen meter also enables the use of Hallucination powers such as 'Sincerest Form of Flattery'. The only Hallucination power that does not require a full Hallucinogen meter is 'All in the Eyes'
• The Hallucinogen meter should have approximately 3-4 segments total, and should allow at least 10 seconds to pass, after a Misdirection power is used, before beginning to decay at a rate of 0.3 per second

Power Trees

• Triple Threat
• Special Effects
• Props

Statistics

Durability: 3
Strength: 2
Fighting: 2
Speed: 3
Energy Projection: 6
Intelligence: 5

Uniques

(Pending)

Character Overview

This build for Mysterio was designed with a focus on misdirection and subtlety, to emphasize the idea that Mysterio would try to avoid directly fighting an opponent, instead choosing to wear them down while they try to sort through the illusions and determine what is real. Admittedly, this character will have limited appeal to a segment of the player base, because it has been designed specifically for one purpose, and one purpose only. This is no Rocket Raccoon or Loki – although he keeps himself in top physical shape, Mysterio is not often one to get down and dirty himself, and will gladly allow his enemies to expend their energy on his constructs and illusions instead. While Mysterio may be able to hold his own against the common thugs and their elite chaperones, he will need to use every trick in his book to escape and outwit more powerful foes.

Mysterio’s core powers will focus on summoning two different types of allies – constructs and duplicates. Duplicates are hard-light allies that will attack enemies from a distance, while constructs are robotic minions that will barrel down on opponents and stay face-to-face with them. Since no good showman is quite complete without his own flavor, however, Mysterio also has a couple of unique summons that, while usable less often, will provide a much-needed boost in a pinch.

The majority of Mysterio’s other powers will focus on strengthening his illusions, and providing a quick getaway for Mysterio when things get rough. Many of these powers allow Mysterio to disappear from view, and to quickly reposition himself, while several simultaneously make his illusions more convincing to enemies – also making them more harmful as a result. Mysterio’s design calls for him to be played as a pure summoner – something that really hasn’t been present thus far, with both Rocket and Loki having potent offensive abilities of their own. Mysterio’s offensive abilities, if anything, should be more of an afterthought, with more attention being devoted to the summons and to the abilities that enhance them. Mysterio is a showman and a survivalist above all else. His powers should put on a great show, no matter who the audience is.