The Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer has arrived.
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios sent the internet into a frenzy with the debut footage, despite the teaser getting leaked a day early. From Tom Holland's Peter Parker standing trial to Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange casting dangerous spells, Spider-Man: No Way Home's trailer validated theories while raising new questions.
Aside from what was shown on the surface, No Way Home's trailer follows a Marvel Studios tradition of sneaking major plot elements into blink-and-you'll-miss-it frames. While Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus was the only antagonist to show face, two more snuck into a brief shot..
JAMIE FOXX'S ELECTRO IN SPIDER-MAN 3
Max Dillon is back.
The first teaser trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home reveals a major villain while teasing another antagonist, but the footage hints at many more bad guys than just Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin.
In a brief frame, Tom Holland's Spider-Man is shown battling bolts of lightning. While his face is not shown in the trailer, the source of this lightning is none other than Jamie Foxx's Electro.
Spider-Man, who is wearing his new Black and Gold suit while under attack, is notably protected from this charged attack by a heap of sand, pointing to Thomas Harden Church's return as Sandman from 2007's Spider-Man 3.
ELECTRO RETURNS TO COMIC ROOTS
While a live-action Spider-Verse has been a fan desire for years, rumors of it becoming a reality all began with Jamie Foxx.
In October 2020, Foxx was reported to be joining the cast of the then-untitled Marvel Studios Spider-Man threequel, reprising his role as Electro from 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Shortly after, Foxx himself took to Instagram to confirm the casting, emphasizing his excitement to tango with Peter Parker again, and interestingly noted that he "won't be blue in this one." Foxx would delete the post within hours of uploading it.
This quote hinted at Foxx's Max Dillon following a more traditional rendition of Electro in No Way Home, along with makeovers for multiple of the film's antagonists. In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Electro's translucent blue skin adapts straight from the 2010s Ultimate Spider-Man comic run, a significant deviation from the conventional green and gold suit showcased in most Electro-centric comics.
Based on this trailer footage, Foxx wasn't lying.
Electro doesn't show face, but his lightning is notably gold. The Amazing Spider-Man 2's Electro had blue lightning, a reflection of his blue skin. Considering the color change for Spider-Man: No Way Home, it's safe to assume the bolts belong to an Electro that looks much more like the actor that portrays him.
A FRIENDLY SANDMAN?
Thomas Haden Church is on the laundry list of villains from Spidey's theatrical past rumored to resurface in No Way Home. Lightning attacks make Electro's off-screen appearance much more obvious, but sand doesn't just rise like that on its own.
Running with the assumption that this is in fact Sandman, why is he protecting Peter?
When fans last saw Flint Marko, he was not much of a bad guy. Sure, he did some terrible things, but just like Michael Keaton's Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, all his acts came with his family in mind. While other antagonists like Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus need to be snatched out of their worlds during the height of their evilness, as Otto Octavius comes around by Spider-Man 2's end, Sandman is arguably a decent dude at his core throughout all of Spider-Man 3.
For that reason, it would make sense for his instincts to be to protect someone in danger. This doesn't exactly align with the sinister mission statement of Spider-Man's rogues gallery, which makes Green Goblin and company's response to Sandman's potential Spidey sympathy all the more intriguing.
Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into theaters December 17, 2021.
MCU Writer, Editor, Podcaster
