Is Doc Ock in Spider-Man No Way Home?

The power of the sun, in the palm of my hand….

Probably one of the most epic lines in the entire Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy said none other by Alfred Molina's version of Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2.

Spider-Man 2 has a whopping 93% on rotten tomatoes making it the highest-rated Spider-Man film to date. One of the reasons for this is no doubt, the quality of the villain Doctor Otto Octavius. The man who, after an unstabilized fusion reaction, had 4 metal tentacles bind to his central nervous system, allowing him to control them with his mind as if they were extra limbs.

However, due to the high levels of artificial intelligence within the limbs, the use of his tentacles backfire in the explosion and they begin taking control of him turning him into an irrational and unempathetic genius. The film closes with Doc Ock taking charge of his tentacles once more and drowning his self-made fusion reactor and him with it, all on the basis that he "will not die a monster".

But now that Doc Ock is confirmed to be in the next installment of the Spider-Man franchise 17 years later, where will the film pick up? Well according to Molina, exactly where it ended!

In an interview with Variety, he had several concerns playing the role again, the first of which was his age difference from his first appearance. Molina who is 68, outwardly stated that he knew his body wouldn't be capable of doing the same stunts and movements that he did in the first one, let alone the obvious difference in his physical appearance.

However, Marvel Studios were able to put him at ease explaining that they would use the same quality of visual effects that they used on both Robert Downey Jr in Captain America: Civil War when he plays himself in 1991 as well as Samuel L Jackson's earlier version of Nick Fury in Captain Marvel.

Another concern that Molina had about portraying the 8 limbed villain once more was how the storyline would work when he so clearly died at the end of Spider-Man 2. But the director simply told him that "In this universe, no one really dies".

As if the news of the original Doc Ock being in the new Spider-Man isn't exciting enough. There has also been confirmation of another villain from an entirely different universe joining the ensemble.

Jamie Foxx confirmed as Elektro in Spiderman: No Way Home

That's right, Jamie Foxx who was in The Amazing Spider-Man Universe, played the nerdy Max Dillon, an electrical engineer, who after falling into a tank of genetically modified electric eels, turned into the jolt striking Electro.

It has now been confirmed that he will reprise the role of Electro in the latest Spider-Man film. Despite there being no actual confirmations that the individual Spider-Men characters from each universe will be joining their villains, fans are still craving to see Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in the new Spider-Man: No Way Home film.

The fact that Molina has confirmed he is playing Doctor Octopus from his original universe basically confirms the wider premise of the upcoming Spider-Man film to be a live-action multiverse plot. Especially since Marvel Studios Director Kevin Feige has explained that it will be linked to the Doctor Strange sequel - Doctor Strange 2 - Multiverse of Madness.

However, this isn't the only theory that fans are getting excited about!

Will we see a Sinister Six in Spider-Man: No Way Home?

Since the announcement of Doctor Octopus and Electro playing roles in Spider-Man: Far From Home, as well as recent announcements of the actor Aaron Taylor Johnson playing Kraven the hunter. It's impossible to think of these villains without realizing they also happen to be 3 of the original Sinister Six Members.

The only ones missing are Sandman, who could still be taken from the Sam Raimi universe, Mysterio who we saw in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The fact that we see Michael Keaton's version of The Vulture show up in the Morbius trailer certainly makes it seem like Vulture could appear as one of the original members. It's also not unreasonable to think that Rhino couldn't take part, or better yet, the background rumors of Willem Dafoe returning as the arch-nemesis The Green Goblin.

Either way, it'll be thrilling to see the resurgence of Spider-Man, as well as any other villains or Spider-Men that do or don't show up.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 17, 2021, as part of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and we couldn't be more excited!

Related:Spider-Man: No Way Home: Alleged Plot Leak Reveals Shocking Death of Major Character