January 15, 2019

Just Who are the Villains in Spider-Man: Far From Home? An Elementals Crash Course

With the first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home now out and about on the Internet, it’s time to ask: “Who is/are the villain/villains of the film?”

For months, Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio (real name: Quentin Beck) has been at the forefront of every headline concerning the sequel, but the initial teaser paints him as a good guy when, in the comics, he’s nothing but trouble for Peter Parker. Of course, they could pull a Baron Mordo and have him become a bad guy by the end a la Doctor Strange (2016). I’ve seen rumors that he’s like Syndrome in The Incredibles, pulling the Elementals’ strings in an effort to make himself look like a respectable hero.

For now, however, the main antagonists of Far From Home are actually the Elementals, a group of four beings that have control over all four basic elements: earth (Magnum), air (Zephyr), fire (Hellfire), and water (Hydron). In a way, they bring to mind Thomas Haden Church’s Flint Marko/Sandman in Spider-Man 3 (2007).

The onscreen debut of these characters was touted by those who attended CCXP in Brazil in the waning days of 2018, but who are these baddies and where do they come from? Well, dear reader, I’m here to provide a quick yet effective crash course on these lesser-known villains of the Marvel Universe.

Let the learnin’ begin!

Created by Tony Isabella and Val Mayerik, the Elementals first entered the world of comic books in 1974’s Supernatural Thrillers #8. Isabella is known for co-creating Misty Knight with Arvell Jones, while Mayerik is famous for his co-conception of Howard the Duck with Steve Gerber.

While contained within the pages of Supernatural Thrillers #8, the Elementals were not the main focus of the issue. That honor fell upon N’Kantu the Accursed (aka “The Living Mummy!”) who “stalks two worlds.” Nevertheless, the mummy still played a part in their origins as he was used by them to obtain a mystical object known as the Ruby Scarab, but more on that below.

Appearing on Earth thousands of years ago, the Elementals (who are even older than the deities of Asgard) ruled over humanity like gods. When their greed for power over this domain became too great and they attempted to take over Egypt, they were defeated by the Ruby Scarab, which had been created by a young warrior named Dan, and a wizard named Garrett.

Realizing that he was being played for a sap, N’Kantu teamed up with a thief known as “Asp” (real name: Richard Harper) and used the power of the Ruby Scarab to rob the Elementals of their abilities and banish them to another dimension. Despite being the youngest member of the group, Zephyr was the most cunning of all the Elementals. When the other three began to question her abilities (not to mention her loyalty), they captured her and tied her up, but she too struck an alliance with Asp, and fought against her own kin.

The trapped Elementals made the most of their new prison by transforming it to their liking, eventually dubbing the location “Palace of Gods.” Throughout the years, they’ve crossed paths with famous heroes like Thor and the OG Ms. Marvel, a pre-Captain Marvel Carol Danvers.

While the Far From Home trailer depicts the Elementals as raging rock and water golems that vaguely resemble people, the characters are actually humanoid in the comics. Indeed, they’re more in line with the benders of Avatar: The Last Airbender than they are with the hulking figures of the Titans in Disney’s Hercules (1997).

With that background info out of the way, let’s ponder how these four bad guys fit into the plot of Far From Home. Well, let’s look at the fact that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his friends are embarking on a summer Eurotrip. Since Europe is thousands of years older than the United States, it can hold a lot more ancient secrets, including the key to freeing angry eldritch/elemental beings from their long sleep. Perhaps the screenplay by Homecoming scribes Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers takes an Indiana Jones-esque approach with an archaeologist accidentally unleashing these entities upon the world, requiring Peter, Mysterio Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) to clean up the mess.

Given the fact that the Elementals are pretty obscure characters, they have a very good chance of seeing a massive rise in popularity, similar to that of the Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. Marvel Studios is really adept at turning lesser-known comic book creations into household names, so don’t be surprised if people start mentioning Zephyr and Hydron like they’ve always been fixtures of pop culture.

Spider-Man: Far From Home swings into theaters July 5.