Quentin Beck

## Personality

It's a rare combination of someone possessing a bombastic ego and possessing the actual talent to back it up yet Quentin Beck is such an individual. Loud, showy and bombastic, Beck functions like a dazzling light in the room, capturing the attention of everyone present. Whether on the stage or behind the scenes, Quentin's dramatic nature is a powerful force of charisma. However, it is not mere shallow presentation. Behind the showsmanship is genuine heart and passion in each one of his projects and performances. Whenever he is not in the middle of one of his moments of theatrics, he comes off as civil, friendly and even sophisticated. A keen intellect is often presented with a charm and wit that captures attention and enraptures many, like a magician captivating the audience.

However, motivating all of his showsmanship is a desperate desire for affirmation and attention. Personal tragedies led him to develop a need for personal affection, though it did not fully blossom onto his adult years, where it would be brewed together with resentment and ennui. While his skills were genuinely lauded and appreciated, they were never fully utilized in part because of a lack of practicality when it came to affordability and left out of the spotlight for his peers who may not have been as ambitious, but were a bit more grounded. This lack of self-actualization led to bitterness on his end where he fails to consider the lives or feelings of others, more in need to feed his starving ego.

## Powers & Abilities

***VXF Artist*-** Considered an experienced jack-of-all-trades, Quentin Beck is a very skilled mechanical engineer (specializing in animatronics and light-based technology such as holograms), chemistry, and many other aspects that go into practical special effects He even extends to costume design and make-up artistry, allowing him to make costumes though he specialized more in monsters than humans.

***Trained Actor/Stuntsman-*** Beck is also a very capable actor, having taken electives on psychology to better understand how to augment his stage presence. He is able to combine this with his illusions to perform sleight-of-hand on his audience. Beck is also a qualified stuntmen and keeps up his exercise and training to maintain his physical acumen. He even learned basic martial arts as part of his training.

## Tools & Equipment

**- *Gas Gauntlets*:** Specialized gauntlets designed to produce a green-tinted gas around the area. The gas' primary function is to disorient and mesmorize the targets. Possessing hallucinogenic properties along with putting the targets in a susceptible state. The gas also temporarily affects reasoning skills and targets are often described as "caught in the moment." He combines this with hypnosis to trick and manipulate his opponents, such as distracting visions.

**- *Mysterio Helm*:** Made out of a one-way seeing glass, the helmet protects Mysterio from the effects of his gasses as well as hiding his identity from onlookers and law enforcement. Additionally, it is equipped with internal lighting to help see in the night (making his helmet glow) while also providing fresh air for him (done through special valves that also filter the gas.) He also wears things such as headsets to communicate with others and hiding it on the helmet.

**- *Mysterio Armor:*** The armor is designed at to be flexible enough to let Mysterio move as a stuntman yet bulky enough to help protect him from certain blows. Somewhat bullet resistant though Mysterio doesn't risk it. Also fire-resistant and shock-resistant.

- Miscellenous equipment: radio gear, animatronic servants, holograph projectors, etc.

## History

### Rising Star & Fall

Quentin Beck was born as the only son of Elmore and Henrietta Beck over in Riverside, California. Elmore Beck worked a manufacturing job in the era while his wife Henrietta was a homemaker and taking care of their son, Quentin. Elmore Beck, while a hardworking man, was described as gruff, unimaginative and rather insecure. Additionally, he possessed a subconscious resentment toward his older brother, Vincent Beck, who was a frequent guest of the household along with his daughter, Maguire. Quentin was always close to his mother and preferred his uncle over his father, partially because of the man's gruff nature. However, the family troubles began when Henrietta Beck died in a tragic accident on the way out for groceries. Elmore Beck sank into listlessness and depression, often speaking to his dead wife as if she was still there. Additionally, his despondent state led to greater neglect on the part of Elmore, whenever he began insulting his son, though as Maguire would put it, Elmore was a loser who projected his own inadequacies on his son. Vincent meanwhile maintained close relations with his nephew, including providing him with his first video camera., Quentin made his own home-movies and learned how to create stop-motion special effects. However, Vincent's work would force him to move away and eventually Elmore Beck smashed the camer, thinking his son was just wasting his time. Refusing to let this dissuade him, Quentin Beck threw himself into his studies, usually with the help of his childhood friend, Betsy Schneider. This did not stop him, even when his father would get a better job and the two would end up moving to New York City.

Quentin Beck spent his adolescence studying and volunteering across in various theaters. He would be granted a scholarship to go to MIT and while studying there for special effects, he would also take differing classes to expand his repartoire. Indulging in the freedom of adulthood, his university life was filled with various experiences that helped shaped him to be a prodigy in the special effects department while also being a capable actor and stuntman. He would even be able to take various oddjobs on film sets to fund for housing while at MIT. Graduating with honors, he would use his degree and connections to break into the film industry. While he was very capable, he would grow to become bored with his successes from behind the scenes. While a talented actor, he lacked the charisma to pull off ay strong roles. His looks were described as homely and additionally, he had a knack of causing trouble with some of the other members of the crew. For the most part though, he seemed stuck in a rut. This became moreso after the fallout between him and his close friend, Brick Johnson, who would go on to become a popular actor.

### Becoming Mysterio

Additionally, this dissatisfaction was compounded by how he was being overshadowed by folks like Spielberg and Lucas. While his creations and works were capable of matching if not exceeding them, they were often experimental and required more money than what could be suited. Around this time, Quentin Beck would meet up with a veteran engineer, Phineas Mason. During this time, Quentin needed to approach the issue with funds. Eventually, in his aggression, he began considering turning to more illicit means. After all, he had been hearing about this Spider-Man causing a stir, especially with supposedly taking down the Crime Master. Quentin wondered perhaps if he could be able to capitalize on that. After all, the mob was bound  to have plenty of money and connections he could exploit for his ambitions. And so, with help from Phineas, he made himself a daring new costume and would come to try and confront this Spider-Man as the master of illusions... Mysterio.

## Trivia

* Beck mentions one of his biggest heroes being Ray Harryhausen and thus, the one that convinced him to go into special effects ultimately.

* Quentin Beck's first film he worked on was the film *Splash*, having a small but prominent role in the background, given he was still in university at the time. He claimed it what cemented him getting into special effects and into the industry.

* He took the name Mysterio from *Il Mysterio,* the final film by the legendary special effects artist Ray Bradhaus. Beck's idol, he met him shortly before he would go into forming the Mysterio identity. He worked with Bradhaus on the film though he is tight-lipped on the events that happened.

* While Mysterio was his official foray into supervillainy, he had committed crimes beforehand. Namely in assisting Phineas in schemes to steal technical information of various pieces of specialzied electrical equipment and beyond using them for his own work, to sell the secrets to the highest bidder. Phineas developed the hallucingenic gas, created the costumes and even crafted the "alien craft" to fool the businessowners and anyone nearby to trick them. While they made off with some of the equipment, the scheme was foiled in part because of Spider-Man, who captured most of the hoodlums. Mysterio noted this incident as wantig to confront Spider-Man directly.

* Quentin began realizing he was not straight during an embarassing incident in which, due to a shortage of funds, he would end up donating at a sperm bank for some quick money (the idea itself the result of a dare.) He would note having a difficult time though managed to provide a sample; he only managed to when he thought of Brick Johnson, a close friend who had come out as homosexual. He never spoke of this incident to anyone except for his cousin, Maguire. He does not mind speaking about the incident (minus the trouble) though he confesses skepticism on anyone using his material for conception.

* His friendship with Brick Johnson was a fallout that each party blamed on the other. According to Quentin, this happened because Brick "backstabbed" him by refusing to get him an acting role. However, according to Brick, this was more the result of Quentin's resentment damaging their friendship. Quentin resented Brick's capability of landing acting roles and Brick noted Quentin's increasing inability to get along with others as a result of his ennui and frustrations, taking it out. Despite this, Brick Johnson maintains Quentin to be the greatest special effects artist of his time though Beck tends to become uncharacteristically quiet when Johnson is mentioned.

* Another one of Mysterio's idols was the director James Whale. While initially it was for his work on the Frankenstein films, he would later note that the man's ability to be open about sexuality in such an unwecloming time was admirable.

* Mysterio learned how to be a stuntman in part to try and boost his chances of becoming a successful actor as well as boost his prestige. The martial arts training was also because of this, but also to deal with potential assaults.

* Quentin Beck's introduction into the crime world came from his cousin Maguire of all people. After she and her father moved, Vincent would end up dying a few years later and Maguire would end up moving to England, due to the presence of her mother's side of the family. The misshandling of Vincent's funeral affairs led to financial troubles that led to her going a life of crime in London and while somewhat reformed as an adult, still carries a chip on her shoulder. She wholly empathizies with her cousin's issues.

* Despite this, Beck maintains a strong fondness for his childhood friend, Betsy, and longs to see her once more.