Characteristics

The Rise of Mysterio

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Quentin Beck was an expert in designing special effects devices and stage illusions, as well as a master hypnotist and magician, and an amateur chemist. He also possessed a wealth of knowledge in hand-to-hand combat techniques that he learned as a stuntman. Unfortunately, all these things did little to help his career in the film industry. One day, a colleague joked that the easiest way to become famous was to take out a costumed hero. It was here that Mysterio was born.

Mysterio chose Spider-Man as his target. He viewed Spider-Man as a relatively inexperienced and weak hero, and felt it would be easy to take him down. Quentin joined forces with the Tinkerer and together the two developed a scheme to steal in secret military plans. They used their combined intellect to develop and alien disguise to hide their true intentions for these plans. The scheme was foiled by Spider-Man, but because of the villains' disguises their true identities remained anonymous.

Beck continued to study Spider-Man's behavior and his actions and when he felt he was ready he attacked as Mysterio. Armed with gas that could confuse Spidey's spider-sense, hallucinogenic gas, and chemicals that could easily dissolve his webbing, he saw the first battle to be an easy win. Unfortunately for Mysterio, Spider-Man never goes down without a fight. Such was the case, and Mysterio was defeated and arrested.

The Sinister Six

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After several failed attempts at the web-slinger's life, Mysterio accepted Dr. Octopus's invitation to join the Sinister Six, a group of malcontents each with their own grudge against Spider-Man. As part of this team of evil doer's, it was Mysterio's job to construct robotic replicas of the X-Men to subdue Spidey. But Spider-Man quickly realized that he wasn't fighting his old allies and used his spider-sense to find Beck's remote control room and defeated him yet again.

The Battle Against Spider-Man

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After the dispersion of the Sinister Six:, Mysterio continued to battle with Spider-Man to his own dismay. One such crusade included Mysterio's attempts at the retrieval of a lost fortune located in Aunt May's house. Ironically the money had been eaten by silver fish by the time it was discovered leaving Mysterio defeated yet again.

The End of Beck

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Eventually, Mysterio was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and critical lung cancer assumed to be a nasty side-effect of the chemical products he had used against Spider-Man for years. Because it had been predicted that Mysterio had (at most) 1 year to live, Ravencroft released him to carryout the rest of his life in freedom.

Mysterio made one final attempt to exact his revenge against Spider-Man. However, it had come to Mysterio's attention that Spider-Man was in fact a clone, and no longer the enemy he knew. Because he had no need for revenge against this new Spider-Man he decided that he would get a super hero worthy of his respect to end his miserable life. He decided it was Daredevil who would have the pleasure of ending the reign of Mysterio. Mysterio devised a plot to make Daredevil kill him in a fit of insanity. He hired Bullseye to kill DD's love interest Karen Page, he destroyed Foggy Nelson's relationship with Liz Osborn and he almost made Daredevil kill a baby. But still Daredevil's resolve was to great for Mysterio's psychological torture. Beck ended up committing suicide by shooting himself.

However, there was another Mysterio on the horizon, brewing like a storm in the mind of Daniel Berkhart, an old friend of beck's. Mysterio would rise again to torment those who destroyed his friend Beck, but this time he would have a new agenda.

Mysterio's Revenge

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Berkhart, as well as the technological genius cousin of the original Mysterio, Maguire Beck, was trained in arts of illusion by the original Mysterio himself (before Quintin committed suicide). Berkhart and Maguire started their life of crime as the successor of Jack O'Lantern; Mad Jack. The two were hired by J. Jonah Jameson to convince Spider-Man that Berkhart was the Ghost of Mysterio Returned, back when the first Mysterio was still alive (but faking his death). After Quintin shot himself, the Mysterio suit was left to Berkhart as his legacy. Berkhart decided to take on the role of Mysterio on a full-time basis with Maguire providing tech support.

Berkhart joined a reformed Sinister Six and because JJJ had abandoned Berkhart when he was defeated by Spider-Man during his stand-in for Quintin, Berkhart decided to use his new alias to exact his revenge against the cowardly newspaper editor.

Of course, with all this calamity occurring it was only natural that Spidey would attempt to diffuse the situation, hence crossing paths with the mighty Mysterio yet again.

Seeing Double at the Triple Rock

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Francis Klum, (a mutant with telepathic and teleportation abilities) Obtained an old Mysterio suit discarded by Mad Jack unto the Kingpin. And used it to exact his revenge against Spider-Man. Klum lay siege to Mid-Town High School (where peter worked as a teacher) and filled the hallways of the school with traps and illusions. As Spidey was attempting to evacuate the school Berkhart arrived and confronted Klum. The two Mysterios fought as spidey watched in amusement. It was a well matched battle, of course Klum had the advantage of actual super-human abilities, but this was countered with Berkhart's greater level of experience with Mysterio's gadgets.

Berkhart was just about to finish Klum off when Spidey stepped in and defeated Berkhart. Klum then activated the timer of a bomb he had planted in the school's basement and used it as a distraction to escape.

Powers

Beck and Berkhart:

The first two incarnations have had no actual superpowers, though they were both very accomplished illusionists, athletes, and hand-to-hand combatants. Their main threat came in the form of advanced technology mixed with great skill at illusion. Gadgets of theirs have included spring-heeled boots, hologram projectors, radar sensors, various halucenogenic gases (including a gas that could nullify spider-man's spider-sense), among other things.

Klum:

Francis Klum had all of the technologic weapons as the first two Mysterios, as well as mutant telepathic and teleportational powers.