Spider-Man: No Way Home certainly appears to be the most ambitious solo superhero outing in history based on everything that has been revealed so far. With all the rumors of a live-action Spider-Verse team-up, a long-awaited Daredevil cameo, and the return of multiple historic Spider-Man villains, the insane scale of the sequel is undeniable.
After months of clamoring for an official look at No Way Home, Sony and Marvel Studios have finally released the film's highly-anticipated trailer which has confirmed many of the rumors surrounding the multiverse romp.
While fans were only shown glimpses of a few select villains, the teaser was packed with hints towards the MCU's entire Sinister Six line-up. The iconic team of Spider-Man villains will reportedly assemble from across the multiverse to take on Tom Holland's Peter Parker.
MEET THE MCU'S SINISTER SIX
Doc Ock
Alfred Molina's Doc Ock was the first of No Way Home's expansive cast of villains to officially join the film several months back. Since then, the Spider-Man 2 actor has shared plenty of details on his Marvel return which offers some clarity to his involvement.
Somehow, Otto Octavius' story will continue following his supposed death in the river during the climax of Spider-Man 2 as de-aging technology is used to have Molina resemble his younger self.
Out of all the villains teased within the No Way Home trailer, Doc Ock is given the most prominent placement as he arrives at a bridge opposite Tom Holland's Spider-Man to simply say: “Hello Peter.”
It's important to note that Molina's spotlight in the trailer doesn't necessarily indicate he will serve as the primary antagonist of the film. The insane popularity of Spider-Man 2 makes Molina's antagonist the perfect choice to garner a shock reaction from viewers, something that may not have happened in the same way with Jamie Foxx's Electro.
Electro
Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx made his Marvel debut as Electro in Andrew Garfield's controversial sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The shocking villain has been confirmed to return in No Way Home for some time now and the film's teaser trailer offered fans a brief look at Electro's return.
While Foxx himself didn't appear on screen in the trailer, Spider-Man fans were teased with a glimpse of his updated design which switches out his blue color scheme for a more comic accurate yellow.
Green Goblin
Marvel Studios has yet to officially confirm Willem Dafoe's heavily rumored return as the Green Goblin, but No Way Home's trailer certainly teased his involvement with the use of one of his iconic Pumpkin Bombs.
As the Pumpkin Bomb detonates, the Goblin's distinctly psychotic laugh can be heard in the background, further teasing his long-awaited return after meeting his demise during Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man (2002). Unlike many of the other returning villains, the final moments of Dafoe's Green Goblin were clearly shown on screen, making any simplistic revival seemingly impossible.
Despite this, reports from reliable insiders have suggested that the classic Green Goblin will serve as the main villain of No Way Home, meaning he will probably lead the MCU's Sinister Six.
If Tobey Maguire does return to his Spider-Man role for the wall-crawler's latest adventure, it will certainly be interesting to see him take on his first foe once again in the ultimate superhero rematch.
Lizard
While the first three members of the Sinister Six were hinted at in a more obvious sense, the return of Rhys Ifans' Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man was subtly teased in a brief darkened shot.
So i played around with the footage, I truly think that in this scene, the Lizard is trying to attack #PeterParker. Let me know what you think#Spiderman #tomholland #SpiderManNoWayHome #NoWayHome #nowayhometrailer #Spidermannowayhometrailer @3CFilm pic.twitter.com/tKvk6HPy3l
Thanks to some digital trickery from Twitter user Everything CBM, a redesigned Lizard can be seen attacking Tom Holland's Peter Parker from behind, only to be blocked by a magical barrier.
As the Lizard was the first main villain Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man faced, it makes logical sense to involve him in some capacity. Collider previously reported Lizard would be among the returning villains but was unable to confirm if Ifans had been seen on set, potentially meaning he may only appear as in his reptilian form.
Sandman
Thomas Hayden Church's Sandman will reportedly reappear in No Way Home following his divisive role in the last attempt at a third Spider-Man film. Unlike most of the other villains returning to take on the web-slinger once again, Flint Marko was able to reach peace with Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker just before his death.
While it's hard to tell with any certainty, Sandman looks to appear within the No Way Home trailer during one shot of Electro's battle with Spider-Man. However, the giant figure interestingly looks to be protecting Holland's hero from the shocking attacks.
While Sandman would presumably occupy one of the six slots of the MCU's Sinister Six, it would make for an intriguing character arc if he were to join Spider-Man's fight against the rest of the team during the climactic battle.
Rhino
Unfortunately, No Way Home's trailer didn't offer any particular hints towards Rhino's return after his brief and anticlimactic debut in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
However, Paul Giamatti's Rhino was among the list of villains previously reported by Collider to be reappearing in Tom Holland's latest adventure. Based on this, it appears the mech-suited Russian mobster seems to be the final member of the MCU's Sinister Six.
Popular insider Daniel Richtman has recently teased that the sixth member of the team won't appear until later in the film, which seemingly hints towards a smaller role for Rhino once again in No Way Home.
With the return of Jamie Foxx's Electro, Marvel and Sony have strived for greater comic accuracy with the villain in switching out his blue color scheme for a yellow design. If this is something the studios are seeking across the board, perhaps Giamatti will don a more traditional villainous attire for his second appearance in the role.
By selecting Lizard, Electro, and Rhino to return from The Amazing Spider-Man films, while Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Sandman join along from Maguire's Spider-Man franchise, the studio has struck an even balance from the two series.
WHY WILL THE SINISTER SIX ASSEMBLE?
Based on the No Way Home trailer's cryptic hints, the historic Spider-Man villains will seemingly begin to appear in the main MCU timeline after something goes awry with Doctor Strange's spell to undo Peter Parker's identity reveal.
It's unclear exactly how the Sorcerer Supreme could inadvertently end up breaking down the walls between realities and causing so much trouble across space and time, but perhaps that may be a problem for his own 2022 sequel to tackle.
Previous rumors have indicated Doctor Strange may use his magical abilities to trap the newly-appeared villains with a prison of his own making. Perhaps after meeting within this confinement, the group will reach an agreement to go after Spider-Man together once they discover he's the only thing they all have in common.
Since these villains appear to be miraculously appearing from across universes, it's possible the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Men will be explained similarly. Or alternatively, after realizing the threat these villains pose, Strange may use his own abilities to conjure them into the MCU timeline to offer their assistance.
As many of these actors are already in their sixties at this point, with digital trickery being used to de-age them back to their young selves, it's extremely unlikely any have any kind of MCU future. Fans should prepare themselves to see each of these villains either sent back to their own realities or killed off one by one during the web-slinging action.
Should Sony and Marvel seek to use any of these villains again down the line, they will probably be recast with new actors in the main MCU timeline. However, Loki has set the precedent that Variants can either look almost identical or have different appearances altogether, so Marvel could equally reuse one of the younger actors like Jamie Foxx as the main MCU timeline's Electro.
Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on December 17, 2021.
