Well, it took its sweet time in getting here, but the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer has finally (officially) arrived—and it proved to be well worth the wait. The first-look trailer broke the internet with its multiple exciting moments, from Doctor Strange in sweatpants to that tease at Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin. But the best moment has to be the big reveal of Alfred Molina’s return of Doctor Octopus.
At the end of the trailer, some familiar mechanical limbs emerge from the smoke, soon followed by a de-aged Molina as Otto Octavius, a role he last played 17 years ago in 2004’s Spider-Man 2. “Hello Peter,” he says, in a scene that’s become an instant meme, reminiscent of the “Hey, everyone” introduction of Tom Holland’s Spidey in the Captain America: Civil War trailer.
But amid the excitement that he’s back, fans are wondering if the trailer is actually deceiving us about the context of this awesome Doc Ock moment. As it’s presented in the promo, Octavius is speaking to Holland’s Peter, who changes into his Iron Spider suit on top of a cab. Is this just two unrelated clips spliced together, though, in order to hide the fact that Molina’s villain is really addressing a more familiar foe—AKA Tobey Maguire’s webhead?
There are certainly various clues to back this theory up. Octavius is surrounded by smoke while the atmosphere is completely clear around Holland’s Peter. He also says his greeting with a very knowing wink, which would make sense if he was addressing an old enemy, not someone he’s never met before. As far as we can tell, however, there are no secret background appearances for either Maguire or Andrew Garfield in this trailer, so Sony is keeping the two legacy Spidey’s under wraps for now. Maybe the second trailer will finally unveil the Spider-Men trio team-up we’re all desperate to see.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is coming to theaters this Dec. 17.
