Surprising Marvel Cinematic Universe Character Returns in Spider-Man: Far From Home

One of the joys of the nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that, after 23 movies and multiple TV series, the interconnected nature of the concept allows virtually any character from any medium to show up, delighting and surprising fans. Not only does this allow for major team-ups to take place without having to educate the audience on who a new character might be, but minor characters can also appear after years of their absence, solidifying their importance in the MCU. Now that Spider-Man: Far From Home is in theaters, fans have witnessed the return of a minor character that hasn’t been seen since 2008’s Iron Man.

WARNING: Major spoilers for Spider-Man: Far From Home

Comic book fans who know Mysterio might not be surprised to learn that Quentin Beck wasn’t the hero he was being made out to be in Far From Home, with the plot revealing that he wasn’t really an interdimensional traveler, but was instead a disgruntled Stark Industries employee who used his prowess with tech to create a number of deceptive illusions that allowed him to appear as a hero. The complicated nature of such a ruse required him to enlist other Stark employees, including William Ginter Riva.

While you might not recognize the character by name, you might remember them by their role, as he was the victim of Obadiah Stone’s anger when Stark Industries couldn’t replicate the arc reactor Tony had built in a cave. Specifically, Stone shouts at Riva, “Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps!”

In his defense, Riva merely states, “I’m not Tony Stark.”

The role was originally played by Peter Billingsley, who returned to reprise his role for Far From Home. Not only did Riva return to the MCU, but he had an even larger role, as he was featured in multiple scenes, which includes being a key component in releasing Spider-Man’s identity to the world.

The marketing campaign for the film let fans know that Tony Stark’s influence would be felt strongly in this film, yet we didn’t entirely know the specific ways in which nearly the entire narrative would be a result of Tony Stark’s impact on the MCU. Beck himself was driven to concoct his master plan after Tony stole his holographic technology, seen in Captain America: Civil War, only for Stark to name the tech “B.A.R.F.,” which stands for “Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing.”

Spider-Man: Far From Home is in theaters now.

Were you expecting to ever see this character again? Let us know in the comments below!