We’ve been talking about the big Spider-Man: No Way Home spoiler for the better part of the year, as we kept getting more and more evidence that backed up the early rumors. No Way Home wouldn’t just be the last third standalone Spider-Man story in the MCU. It would be the first live-action Spider-Man multiverse story, featuring three Peter Parkers: Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield. The leaks have gotten so big that you can’t escape them anymore. You may be watching a Garfield interview late at night, not expecting any No Way Home secrets to drop. Yet it happens nonetheless.
Yet Tom Holland managed to avoid the elephant in the room rather brilliantly so far, by staying away from the rumors. With two months to go until the No Way Home premiere, the actor has started the press tour. And Holland is finally addressing the film’s big spoiler.
Tom Holland on working with Alfred Molina
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Holland said that No Way Home felt like the end of a trilogy, although he did leave the door open for a possible continuation. But the real fun part was Holland talking about one of the big No Way Home twists, which Sony and Marvel showed in the first trailer.
Alfred Molina is back to play Doc Ock, the villain we last saw in Raimi’s Spider-Man. Molina confirmed his involvement in No Way Home months ago. He revealed that he plays the same character from the Raimi-verse in an interview this summer. Also, Molina explained that Doc Ock would be pulled into the MCU from the reality where he died. That was a firm multiverse confirmation that implied the Maguire-Garfield rumors were real. Sony and Marvel only revealed the multiverse aspect of the story in the first trailer.
Molina spilling the big secret is probably why Sony and Marvel showed Doc Ock in the first trailer while only teasing four other Sinister Six villains. At least, we assume that’s the case. Molina’s Doc Ock being in the trailer also allows Holland to talk about the character.
Holland told EW that Molina is “one of my favorite people I’ve ever worked with.” That’s actually a fascinating comment we’ll return to in a minute.
The Spidey actor also detailed what it felt like working with Molina in No Way Home. “It was really fun to watch him see how technology has advanced,” Holland adds. “When he was making these films, the arms were puppets, and when we did it, they’re all imaginary and CG. It was quite cool to see him relive it, but also relearn it.”
We expect Holland to battle Doc Ock, but the real rematch that fans want is between Maguire’s Spider-Man and the villain. On that note, Holland said that the fight scenes are “a lot more visceral,” with “a lot more hand-to-hand combat.”
Tom Holland on working with other Spider-Man actors
Since Holland said that Molina is one of his favorite people to have worked with, it’s interesting to see what he’ll say about Maguire and Garfield. He did not mention the two actors in the EW interview, and the magazine never asked those difficult questions.
While we wait to see how Sony and Marvel will introduce Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Man variants, let’s revisit an older Holland interview where the actor had to pretend he never met the actors. Here’s what Holland said to Variety back in early February about former Spider-Man actors:
I never met Kirsten Dunst. I met Andrew once [at the] BAFTAs. He was lovely, he’s a really nice bloke, and we had a good chat. It was quite soon after Spider-Man Homecoming had come out… He was really positive and nice. I bumped into Tobey a few times at different parties in LA. He was also really nice. They seem to be lovely, really nice people, and I hope they enjoy our movies… I hope they enjoy my Spider-Mans.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
opens on December 17th, with a second trailer to drop in the coming weeks.
