Spider-Man: No Way Home Reveals Major Change to Tobey Maguire's Sandman

By Liam Crowley Updated:
Tobey Magurie, SPider-Man, Sandman

"The multiverse is real!"

Tom Holland's Instagram caption for Spider-Man: No Way Home's official poster confirmed the "so you're saying there's a multiverse?" question Peter Parker has been asking since 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home. While the blending of universes is a salivating proposition for fans, it's quite the opposite for the titular hero.

The first trailer confirmed the arrival of Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, while also heavily hinting at Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin. As if two titanic threats from another world weren't enough for Peter Parker, at least three more appear to be on their way.

Among those is Thomas Haden Church's Sandman, a character he originally portrayed in 2007's Spider-Man 3. Church has been rumored to be involved in No Way Home for nearly a year now, but the actor's appearance has yet to be confirmed. Aside from some subtle hints of sand particles in the first footage and teaser poster, Flint Marko's green-striped tee has been nowhere to be found.

Sandman Arrives in Spider-Man: No Way Home

The Sandman cometh.

The official trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home revealed the first full look at Thomas Haden Church's Sandman.

Sandman Spider-Man: No Way Home
Sony Pictures

Joined by Jamie Foxx's Electro and Rhys Ifan's Lizard, Church's Sandman towers over his sinister friends as they stand opposite Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

Sandman Spider-Man No Way Home
Sony Pictures

Sandman and company then lunge at Spidey, inches away from doing battle.

Height That Rivals Giant-Man

Flint Marko has gotten big!

The last time fans saw Sandman, he was blown away in the wind at the tail-end of Spider-Man 3. That flick saw Marko in a wide range of sizes, ranging from standard human form to a gigantic, three-story kaiju doing battle with Tobey Maguire and James Franco's New Goblin. For as big as he was in that film's climactic fight, he appears even bigger in this trailer.

Sandman Spider-Man 3
Sony Pictures

Beyond the growth spurt, this iteration of Sandman is much more defined. When he was at his largest in Spider-Man 3, Marko resembled a chunky collection of sand, rocks, and other materials found on a New York City construction site. Here, he appears much more humanoid, even though he's mostly a silhouetted face within a cloud of sand.

Aside from the appearance change, Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange makes a noteworthy generalization about the returning villains: "They all die fighting Spider-Man."

While that statement rings true for foes like Electro and Green Goblin, Sandman makes it out of his tussle with the web-slinger alive. Does this mean Flint Marko and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man had a fatal rematch in his universe? Could this be a Sandman not from the Raimi trilogy's universe?

Answers come on December 17, when Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters.

- In This Article: Spider-Man: No Way Home
Release Date
December 17, 2021
Platform
Theaters
- About The Author: Liam Crowley

MCU Writer, Editor, Podcaster