Avengers: Endgame was pretty rough on all of us, right?

It’s a film full of twists, turns, death, and destruction. Very much an end of an era movie, you might say. Even though Kevin Feige and co have made it clear that the latest Spider-Man film is the true end of ‘Phase 3’.

Watching it at midnight, I now know precisely what he means. This feels like an extended epilogue, centred specifically around Peter Parker and his circle of friends.

Now, before we continue there will be mild spoilers for Endgame, Arkham Asylum, and Far From Home. So, be forewarned.

This film exists because of the fallout of the ‘Snap’. It’s at the film’s very core and sees its entire cast trying to live their lives in a world after Thanos. It shows the lasting impact the Mad Titan had on everyone.

Peter is a big part of the reason Tony chooses to fight back, of course, and we slowly begin to see why as the film plays out.

But it’s also a great film in its own right and not least because we finally get to see the big screen debut of Mysterio, one of Spidey’s most infamous, manipulative, and powerful enemies. Trust me, it’s been worth the wait.

Sure, Gyllenhaal is great and really captures the essence of Quentin Black well. But one scene in particular sees Spidey and Mysterio face off against each other and it feels like an extended shout out to – of all things – Batman Arkham Asylum.

It’s a scene that, in my opinion, is one of the best they’ve ever done in the MCU.

Let’s just Mysterio is a very powerful illusionist who can alter reality and Marvel Studios have had a lot of fun putting together a confrontation between the two nemesis’ in a scene reminiscent of Scarecrow’s nightmares from Arkham Asylum.

In Arkham’s epic tussles, Batman has been affected by Crane’s nerve gas and starts seeing his reality distort and fall apart before his eyes. It hits Wayne and Batman hard as he relives his parent’s death, fights reanimated skeletons, and dodges Scarecrow’s oversized claws.

Far From Home ventures down a different track, of course, as MCU Peter has had a very different journey from Andrew Garfield and Toby Maguire. And he certainly isn’t the Caped Crusader. But you’ll definitely catch a nod or two when watching the film.

For me, it shows that Mysterio is the right foe for Spidey and comes at the right time as we make the transition toward the future of the MCU. And it’s more glorious than I could have ever imagined.

If nothing else, Far From Home itself is worth seeing for that confrontation alone – even though this is also a really fun, refreshing roadtrip to cleanse the superhero palette. It certainly proves that even after 22 films, Feige and co can keep surprising us.

And if this is a sign of what the future holds, then damn, I can’t wait for Phase 4.