The character Spider-Man is widely regarded as one of the most influential superheroes in comic book history.
Very few fictional heroes have seen the love and success that Stan Lee's web-slinging creation has over his decades in the Marvel universe. When Marvel Studios and Sony reached an agreement that allowed Spider-Man to join the already stacked lineup of characters in 2016's Captain America: Civil War, fans around the world collectively lost their minds.
Fast-forward five years later in 2021, and the character is bigger than he's ever been. In the comic book movie world, nothing since Avengers: Endgame has garnered attention and hype like the upcoming film in the MCU's Spider-Man trilogy, Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Sony finally released the long-awaited trailer for the movie, which is set to debut in theaters this December, and did it ever pay off. The trailer officially brought back some of Spider-Man's greatest foes, such as Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, and Jamie Foxx's Electro.
With the trailer already amassing hundreds of millions of views worldwide, it is safe to say that the comic book world is more than ready for Christmas to roll around. However, one fan has already done some digging into the trailer and has pointed out something quite important when it comes to Doc Ock's appearance.
DOC OCK'S ARMS ARE GLOWING RED
Fans of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy know that when Doc Ock's mechanical arms give off a red light, that means they have complete control over him.
Twitter user @methnpizza noticed that when Doc Ock's arms emerged from beneath the concrete in the new teaser, they "are glowing red, which means they are in control."
This small detail is extremely important for a lot of fans that were worried about the character's arc being ruined by his arrival in No Way Home. However, in the post, it points out that because he is being controlled by his arms, "his arc isn't ruined:"
"Ock's arms are glowing red, which means they are in control, therefore his arc isn't ruined."
The following photos showcase a comparison between Ock's arms when he is in control of them, versus when they are in control of him:
In the above photo, Dr. Otto Octavius can be seen before the fusion reaction breaks his inhibitor chip, allowing his mechanical arms to take control of him. The orb of light in the middle of the face of the tentacles is clearly glowing white, signifying that he has complete reign over them.
In this image, as Doc Ock's arm shoots upward and toward the ground, the orb is glowing red, which shows that the arms are in control over his body and mind.
DOC OCK'S CHARACTER ARC IS STILL INTACT
In Spider-Man 2, Doc Ock became a villain once his inhibitor chip was broken on the back of his neck. In the same scene where that happened, he explained that because of the chip, he would use his higher brain functions so that the artificial intelligence would remain under his control.
When the layers are stripped off and Otto's character is truly dissected, he never wanted to be a villain. He was trying to achieve something that would be a breakthrough in science. It wasn't until the arms took over him, and he wasn't even aware of what was going on, that he truly became the Doc Ock that fans know as an antagonist.
It's a small, yet very important detail to see the red orb in the trailer. Many fans were questioning why Ock would come into the MCU as a villain if he had never gone through what he did in Spider-Man 2. It seems, however, that No Way Home will follow the continuity of what happened in Sam Raimi's 2004 blockbuster, which is certainly a relief for those that were troubled.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to release in theaters on December 17, 2021.
