It looks like Spidey fans’ dreams are about to come true all at once in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The recent first look trailer confirmed that the doors to the Spider-Verse will be blown wide open, with a Sinister Six of villains from the Raimiverse and the Webbverse uniting to cause havoc. And though they didn’t feature in the trailer, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are widely believed to be returning to help Tom Holland out of this jam.
It was Alfred Molina’s cameo as Doctor Octopus in the trailer that really had fans excited, as Molina’s portrayal of Otto Octavius in Spider-Man 2 is one of the most celebrated supervillain performances in any comic book movie. Much of the texture brought to the character comes from his tragic backstory, with his beloved wife Rosie being killed when his fusion experiment goes haywire. Despite her importance to his origins, though, don’t expect Rosie to return in NWH.
Actress Donna Murphy has responded to a joking tweet from a fan that claimed she was confirmed to be back as the ill-fated Mrs. Octavius in a “totally not dead” role in the incoming threequel. Murphy—who’s also known as the voice of Mother Gothel in Disney’s Tangled—replied: “Really? Did I miss that call from my manager? Xo Rosie.”
Given that there’s only time for so many multiversal cameos in one movie, we weren’t really expecting more from Rosie in No Way Home. However, her absence does raise questions as to how the film will handle the two sides of Doc Ock—the grieving husband and the evil scientist, as egged on by the A.I. in his mechanical limbs. The trailer may have already revealed this, though. Fans spotted that his arms are glowing red in NWH, which signifies they are in control of him again. So there’s a decent chance the good side of Otto won’t get screen time in the movie.
Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into cinemas on Dec. 17.
