- "Now all your friends have to die. It's easy to fool people when they're already fooling themselves. But for what it's worth, Peter, I really am sorry."
- ―Mysterio to Spider-Man[src]
The Ambush in Berlin was the ambush set up by Quentin Beck at an abandoned building used into tricking Spider-Man to tell who else knew about his actual agenda.
Background[]
- "I am trying to fool seven billion people here, including Nick Fury, who happens to be the most paranoid and most dangerous person on the planet. And if he catches on before I killed him, then he'll put a bullet in my head. And nobody wants a bullet in their head. Right?"
- ―Mysterio to William Ginter Riva[src]
While on a date in Prague, Michelle Jones had shown Peter Parker a small black camera she found earlier that night during Spider-Man and Mysterio's battle against the fire Elemental. Upon closer inspection, the pair realized that it was an elaborate hologram projector, and that Parker had been tricked by Quentin Beck. Informing his chaperones that he would be "visiting family" in Berlin, Parker donned his stealth Spider-Man Suit and traveled to Berlin to warn Nick Fury of Beck's true nature.
Concurrently, as Beck rehearsed the battle sequence for his planned Elemental attack on London, he noticed the missing projector when his illusion suit had a time render error on his arm. While his associate William Ginter Riva dismissed it as a non-issue, the angered Beck demanded a proper investigation into the lost projector. Through security camera footage, Beck realized that Jones and Parker, and possibly more people, knew about his deceptions. Though he blamed Riva for the necessity of the next action, Beck decided to kill Parker by intercepting him in Berlin so that he does not tell any one else.[1]
Ambush[]
Spider-Man meeting 'Nick Fury' and 'Maria Hill'
- "Wow, Peter. Wow. I thought we were close. Fury always had to die, but not you."
"Stop hiding, Beck!" - ―Mysterio and Spider-Man[src]
Arriving in Berlin, Spider-Man asked some locals in vain for directions before he was met by Nick Fury, who offered him a ride. Reaching Fury's office space at Europol Headquarters, Parker presented the evidence of Mysterio's deception with the projector, but sensed a disturbance around him. To both, his and Fury's shock, the walls and Maria Hill faded away to reveal Mysterio's intricate illusion in an unfinished building. Fury was shot by a drone, and following a self-righteous monologue of how he and his friend didn't have to die, Beck had Parker trapped in a warped illusion. Mysterio constructed a relentless hell around Spider-Man that brought to life all of Parker's greatest fears.
Spider-Man plunged into a nightmare illusion
Among the illusions included to mentally wear down Parker were Michelle Jones being thrown to her death from the top of the Eiffel Tower; seeing monuments to the Avengers toppled over as Mysterio's stood tall, proclaiming himself as the truest hero for the people now; then being attacked by multiple copies of himself, which then tore off his Stark Suit to reveal his homemade suit as Mysterio referred to him as a scared boy playing hero; and finally being attacked by a zombified Tony Stark whilst Mysterio played on Parker's guilt of losing his father figure from not doing enough to save him.
Spider-Man confronted by an Iron Man illusion
While Parker recognized that these were all illusions, Beck could fool the five senses so completely that Parker had no way to fight back against them. From the hollowed eye sockets of "Iron Man's Corpse" came spiders, whose many eyes morphed into a brigade of Mysterio duplicates. Soon Parker found himself in the orb-like helmet of one Mysterio, experiencing what it was like being buried alive in a snow globe of New York City. But suddenly, Beck's gloating came to an abrupt halt and the illusion gave way upon Nick Fury having shot Beck in the back, accompanied by various Europol agents. An injured Fury informed Parker that Beck's men are likely to target anyone else who knew the truth, and demanded Parker admit who he told. Confused and convinced that he was now safe, Parker told Fury that Michelle Jones and Ned Leeds both knew the truth about Beck, and possibility Leeds' girlfriend Betty Brant might have also learned the truth. To this information, "Fury" then chuckled and stated that while Parker was intellectually smart, but emotionally gullible.
Spider-Man survives from colliding with a train
Shocked by his misguided revelation, Parker realized that his "rescuer" was yet another illusion, as Beck dropped the Fury hologram. He then generated a claustrophobic nightmare space around Spider-Man and resumed the illusion program to push Parker. As Parker attempted to retreat, Beck apologized for events coming to what they were at present, having wanted things to turn out better, and dropped the illusion entirely, revealing that he had led Parker onto the track of a bullet train on its way the Netherlands. The train collided with a stunned and confused Parker, running over Spider-Man and seemingly killing him as it sped into the nearby tunnel. Beck, assuming Parker to be dead, then commanded E.D.I.T.H. to then reroute Parker's class trip once again so the students would fly to London for their final tour stop, where he planned to kill Jones, Leeds, and Brant in his final Elemental attack to ensure his machinations were hidden and his claim to fame was his.[1]
Aftermath[]
Happy Hogan picks up a weary Peter Parker
- "Your friends are in trouble. You're all alone. Your tech is missing. What are you gonna do about it?"
"I'mma kick his ass." - ―Happy Hogan and Spider-Man[src]
Thanks to his enhanced durability, Peter Parker had survived the impact of the train, and climbed into a car via his wall-crawling ability. Much to his own confusion, he came back to consciousness the following morning in a police station in Broek op Langedijk, Netherlands, alongside a kindly group of football fans. After breaking the holding cell lock to reclaim his suit, Parker instead left the precinct after seeing the inattentive security guard wearing his mask while talking on the phone. Parker made his way into town, and with the help of a friendly stranger's phone, called Happy Hogan to pick him up in the Stark Industries Private Jet.
Peter Parker creates a new Spider-Man Suit
However, given his recent deceptions by Mysterio, he demanded Hogan prove he is himself. Thinking, Hogan then revealed that he knew about the pay per view bill from their hotel stay in Berlin back in 2016 as they were readying to fight Steve Rogers' team, something Parker never told anyone, thus confirming himself to the weary Parker.
In the air, Hogan provided first aid as he gave Parker a pep talk to motivate him to fight Beck, who plotted to eliminate Michelle Jones, Ned Leeds, and Betty Brant for their knowledge of his destructive chicanery. Formulating a plan, Parker and Hogan flew to London to stop Beck and save the city, Parker's friends included. Along the way, Parker designed a new suit for himself, adding features needed to expose and withstand the drone fleet.[1]
Behind the Scenes[]
- The VFX team working on Spider-Man: Far From Home referred to this event as the Illusion Battle.[2]