The Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer dropped on Monday and so did everyone’s respective jaws. The rumor mill had been spinning off its hinges when it came to the third Tom Holland Spider-Man movie, with its possible multiverse-spanning storyline (see: Disney Plus’ Loki series for how that mess started). Now, we finally have a few answers regarding which Marvel Cinematic Universe characters will be attacking the web-slinger.
Villains Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Electro, The Lizard and Sandman are all either pictured or heavily hinted to be making an appearance. Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) was the only solid announcement, pre-trailer. Previous Spidey actors Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Charlie Cox from the Daredevil series on Netflix, are still rumored returnees.
Here’s the list of villains returning (or heavily implied to be returning) to the MCU for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Doctor Octopus
Marvel Studios
Aka Doc Ock. Yes, Alfred Molina is confirmed to be back as Otto Octavius, who first appeared in 2004’s Spider-Man 2. He was killed after sacrificing himself to destroy his malfunctioning nuclear experiment. Lived a villain, died a hero, as some would say. This version, who appears clearly at the end of the trailer, looks like he’s still on a questionable path.
Green Goblin
Marvel/Sony
While Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, who first appeared in 2002’s Spider-Man, doesn’t appear on screen in the trailer, it’s pretty clear he’ll be in the movie. Dafoe’s maniacal Green Goblin laugh can be heard, along with glimpses of his recognizable Pumpkin Bombs. The Green Goblin died at the end of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, but later appeared across his trilogy in ghost or memory form. Looks like he’s back, back again.
Electro
Sony Pictures
How do we know Jamie Foxx’s Electro is back? Two words: Yellow lightning. The trailer shows The Amazing Spider-Man 2 villain’s signature bolts exploding police cars. Spidey, in his black-and-gold suit, is shown dodging them in another shot. Andrew Garfield’s Spidey defeats Electro by overloading his body with energy at the end of the 2014 flick. Foxx all but confirmed his return, until deleting his premature social media posts regarding the new movie.
Sandman
Sony Pictures
This one’s a little more tenuous. In the trailer, one of Electro’s lightning storms is filled with plumes of sand and dirt. Sandman? Thomas Hayden Church’s villain survived 2007’s Spider-Man 3, after Peter forgave the escaped criminal. Maybe he’s actually on Peter’s side here, protecting him from Electro’s bolts.
The Lizard
Sony Pictures
Finally, The Lizard. Rhys Ifans’ villain appeared in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man. At about 2 and a half minutes into the trailer, a dark figure can be seen looming over Peter. The outline of that figure fits The Lizard’s. The mad scientist, who tried to turn all humans into lizard hybrids, was sent to jail after Peter returned him to his human form.
Spider-Man: No Way Home again stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker, with Zendaya, Marisa Tomei and Jacob Batalon at his side. Director Jon Watts is behind the cameras again. No Way Home hits theaters Dec. 17.
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