Life is full of bizarre coincidences, something Tom Holland has discovered firsthand thanks to the multiversal narrative of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The actor is a lifelong fan of the web-slinger, but never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d ever be sharing the screen with returning favorites from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb franchises.
Holland had only just turned eight years old when Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 introduced Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus to the masses, where he went on to give one of the best villainous performances in modern superhero cinema. Fast forward two decades, and he’s back to cause havoc for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Peter Parker.
In a new interview with Empire, Holland admits that he was equal parts awestruck and terrified as a youngster watching Molina bring Otto Octavius to life in Spider-Man 2.
“I was obsessed with Raimi’s movies. I remember seeing Alfred in his costume for the first time, and he had the glasses on, and he was wearing his belt, which is what the legs were attached to. And I remember, as I kid, being terrified of him.”
Such is the strange nature of the comic book blockbuster these days with multiverses flying around left, right and center, it would have been impossible for Holland to imagine as recently as a couple of years back that he’d ever have the chance to share the screen with Molina’s Doc Ock. He’s just one of many villains heavily rumored for Spider-Man: No Way Home, but so far he’s the only one anybody’s talking about for secrecy-related reasons.
