Andrew Garfield's Electro Calls Spider-Man His 'Friend' In New No Way Home Promo

Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to highlight the return of several Spider-Man villains from across the Multiverse, and one of them is Jamie Foxx's Electro. Foxx first made his Marvel debut in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, going up against Andrew Garfield's friendly neighborhood hero. Unfortunately, the villain dies at the end of the sequel, but he has been confirmed to make his triumphant comeback in the MCU. 

The upcoming MCU project will conclude Tom Holland's first web-slinging trilogy by raising the stakes for his personal life, while also paying tribute to previous Spider-Man movies. Electro's return was confirmed by the film's second trailer, and after that, the Marvel villain became a consistent presence in marketing. 

No Way Home's promotional footage suggests that this Electro is a more powerful version than the one that was introduced in Marc Webb's Spider-Man franchise. This is mainly due to the character's upgraded design and yellow lightning, instead of the original blue. 

In addition, it is unclear if Electro's motivation is still the same, but newly-revealed dialogue hints that this version is somehow similar to Garfield's nemesis. 

Electro Speaks in New No Way Home Promo

Twitter user @sebbazz uncovered a brand new Spider-Man: No Way Home TV spot, showcasing fresh footage of the MCU threequel. 

The 15-second footage features new dialogue from Jamie Foxx's Electro, referring to Spider-Man as his "old friend:"

"My old friend, Spider-Man."

The line is a direct callback to Electro's arc in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where Foxx's Max Dillon is obsessed with being the "best friend" of Andrew Garfield's web-slinger. 

During Electro's truce with Dane Deehan's Harry Osborn, the Marvel villain admitted that "it didn't work out" with his friend, thus pushing him to seek revenge against the wall-crawler.

Electro: "You want to be my friend?

"Harry: "I thought we were already friends."

Electro: "I had a friend once. It didn't work out."

Harry: "Yeah, me too."

Electro: "Then let's go catch a spider."

Electro's 'Friendly' Strategy (Explained)

This latest No Way Home footage suggests that Electro's "friendly" obsession with Spider-Man is still present.

The villain's dialogue hints that he could be speaking to Andrew Garfield's wall-crawler. Calling him an "old friend" could be his way of mocking his Spider-Man before attacking him with his lightning. It is also possible that Electro is speaking to Tom Holland's MCU hero, especially considering that he is unaware of the man behind the mask.

It remains to be seen if this Electro is from The Amazing Spider-Man universe, but evidence suggests that the villain is not from the same continuity of the Andrew Garfield-led movies. Still, some elements hint that the character has a similar backstory and motivation to the previous version, such as this "friendly" mockery. 

There's a chance that this Electro is indeed friends with his universe's Spider-Man, but something happened that ultimately led to his downfall. If this is the case, then it would give a whole new meaning to this newly-revealed dialogue. 

By confirming that Electro is a Variant, this allows No Way Home to tweak certain aspects of the character's backstory to fit the threequel's narrative. 

Electro is already a powerful addition to No Way Home's villainous lineup, but it looks like the character's return has more emotional weight based on this new bit of dialogue.  

Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to premiere in theaters on December 17, 2021.