A very reliable source has confirmed that Doctor Octopus is coming back for the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home. That source? Doc Ock himself, Alfred Molina.
Speaking to Variety, the actor admitted reports that he’ll reprise the role he originated in Sam Raimi’s 2004 Spider-Man 2 are accurate, he’s already shot it, and that the film will, somehow, pick his story up from the moment the character died. “In this universe, no one really dies,” Molina said director Jon Watts said to him.
Molina also admitted that while he was first told his involvement was to be kept quiet, once he saw it online, he figured it would be OK to talk about it. “When we were shooting it, we were all under orders not to talk about it, because it was supposed to be some great big secret,” Molina said. “But, you know, it’s all over the internet. I actually described myself as the worst kept secret in Hollywood!”
The actor added that it was “fantastic” going back to the role so many years later, but his biggest worry was how much older, and maybe heavier, he’d become in that time. Especially since his story would, reportedly, pick up at “that moment” where the character drowns below his energetic creation.
“[Watts] just looked at me, and said, ‘Did you see what we did to Bob Downey Jr. and Sam Jackson?’” Molina said. Watts, of course, was referring to Downey’s de-ageing in Captain America: Civil War and Jackson’s in Captain Marvel.
There’s more in the Variety article too, including a bit about what makes a great Doc Ock performance, but the biggest takeaway here is just like Han Solo said in The Force Awakens: “It’s true. All of it.” If Molina is in No Way Home, perhaps all the other actors who have been rumoured to be are as well, and maybe even some more. Maybe they’ll come out and confirm it, as Molina has, or maybe we’ll have to wait until December to see. Either way, Spider-Man: No Way Home is going to be very interesting indeed.
Molina can currently be seen in the Oscar-nominated Promising Young Woman.