Alfred Molina officially let the cat out of the bag yesterday by confirming he was reprising his role as Doctor Octopus from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s No Way Home. This means that we’ve got one villain from the Raimi timeline and another from the Marc Webb mythology in Jamie Foxx’s Electro, but we still don’t know how it’s all going to tie together.
There’s been no word on who the bad guy from the main MCU continuity is going to be, if such a role even exists, but we’re just glad that names are finally starting to be revealed after months of speculation linking almost anyone to have appeared in a previous web-slinging blockbuster with either a cameo appearance or supporting part.
Spider-Man 2 is still lauded as one of the greatest comic book movies ever made, and Molina’s performance as Otto Octavius is a major driving force behind that. The father figure/mentor turned evil is a trope we’ve seen done countless times in the genre, but the actor’s tragic sense of pathos made him one of the most memorable antagonists in its illustrious history.
The 67 year-old also revealed that his arc will pick up right from where we last saw him, meaning that Doc Ock’s death will be retconned after he was last seen sinking to the bottom of the Hudson River. Almost two decades have passed since then, so there’s more than likely going to be spot of de-aging technology involved to give Molina that 2004 sheen as well.
In keeping with the veil of secrecy surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home, this is the biggest update surrounding the project we’ve heard so far, and yet it doesn’t really shine much of a light on any specifics.
