Spider-Man 2 has long been hailed as the wall-crawler's best movie, with Peter Parker's battle against Doctor Octopus atop that train still one of the best fights we've ever seen in a comic book adaptation.
Alfred Molina brought Doc Ock to life, though the villain's story ended when he drowned in the Hudson River saving New York City. This was at a time when superhero movies had a habit of killing their bad guys (no one considered a prison, it seems), but the actor was given a second chance in last December's Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The MCU's Peter Parker cured Otto Octavius' broken mind, freeing him of the influence of those A.I. tentacles. That allowed him the chance to be a hero before he was returned to his Earth alongside Tobey Maguire's Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man. Is that really where this Doc Ock Variant's story ends, though?
During a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Molina was asked if he's officially retired or is open to another go-around as the iconic comic book villain. To that, he simply responded, "I can neither confirm nor deny."
Well, that's an interesting answer.
It's also one that comes after the actor recently said, "I can neither confirm nor deny. That's the official line. I got into a bit of trouble over the last iteration because I happened to let the cat out of the bag quite innocently."
We have to give Molina credit for sticking to the company line, but can't help but wonder why, if there's nothing more for him as this character on the horizon, he wouldn't just say that's it for him. If it's true we'll see the three Spider-Men reunite in Avengers: Secret Wars, then chances are Otto could make a brief cameo appearance if nothing else.
Would you like to see more of Molina's Doctor Octopus in the MCU?
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