Spider-Man: No Way Home looks set to take Peter Parker into the Multiverse, leading to a clash with five familiar villains from the franchise's past. Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Sandman return from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, while Lizard and Electro are back after appearing in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man films.
Sandman and Lizard appear to be the muscle, with Norman Osborn, Doc Ock, and Electro all taking center stage to expand on their respective personal beefs with the web-slinging superhero.
Recently, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and Jamie Foxx appeared at Brazil's CCXP to talk more about their respective roles. Below, you'll find intel on their new costumes, why they chose to return to the Spider-Man franchise, Green Goblin's sinister plan, and quite a bit more besides.
Be warned that you might find some light spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home...
5. Jamie Foxx No Longer Feels The Blues
There was a lot wrong with Electro's portrayal in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but the decision to paint Foxx's skin blue remains one of Sony's biggest missteps. The Oscar-winner won't be blue in this threequel, which is something that came as a great relief to the actor when the project landed on his desk.
Asked what prompted his return, Foxx responded: "Knowing Amy for years and knowing what she's done with this franchise, she was explaining to me that it's going to be hot...and I didn't have to be blue and things like that as far as my character's concerned."
"I'm happy we got a brand new start and a brand new look," he continued. "The blue, when we did it the first time, I didn't care. I was happy to [be there]. With this one, it feels more comfortable and today and modern. It's not trying so hard." Now, Electro looks far more comic accurate, and a long way from the over-the-top blue meanie we met way back in 2014.
4. Doctor Octopus' New Arms
Spider-Man: No Way Home's trailers have confirmed that Otto Octavius uses Peter Parker's Iron Spider suit to enhance his four extra arms, but those weren't the only new tentacles on the film's set.
"The main difference between [Spider-Man 2] and this one is that the tentacles are all CG now and will be superimposed on me at a later date," Molina confirmed. "In the original movie, they were mechanical and I had them attached to me with puppeteers working them. That's the big difference." He added: "It's a great story and a wonderful world to be in."
These advancements in technology likely mean Doctor Octopus will be unleashed in ways we've never seen on screen before. That bodes well for his battle with Tom Holland's webbed wonder, and could lead to Ock pulling out a lot of new tricks against that Spider-Man...and maybe a couple others.
3. What's Old Is New Again
Little is known about what Dafoe's Norman Osborn brings to Spider-Man: No Way Home or why he has two vastly different costumes. For the actor, he was just excited to put a fresh spin on this familiar villain. "When we went deeper into it, I liked the idea that I was returning to something that was the same, but different," Dafoe explains. "It's the return to something I did before with that kind of history, but there's a spin on it. That appealed to me."
He'd later share a few more details, teasing: "I don't know how much we want to fool with spoilers, but the look's a little different. Norman and the Goblin are further down the line and have a few more tricks up their sleeve. There have been upgrades on the costume."
Further down the line? That suggests the Green Goblin has either been in the MCU longer than expected or more time passes in this film than it appears. Either way, Norman clearly has time to ditch his mask and make a few deadly additions to his armour for his rematch with Spider-Man.
2. What Convinced Dafoe And Molina To Return?
For Foxx, not being blue was enough to give Electro another shot, but what about Dafoe and Molina? "It was really the pitch," the Green Goblin actor explains. "And, like Jamie, I know Amy's history. She walked me through it, and then Jon, the director, kind of pitched the whole idea before I read a script and it sounded like a lot of fun and a good solution."
Molina, on the other hand, had a few more reservations about playing Doc Ock again.
"When the idea was first suggested, my first thought was, 'Hang on. I'm 17 years older. I've got chins, I've got wrinkles, you know. I mean, what are they going to do?'" the 68-year-old confessed. "And then, of course, you suddenly realize, 'Wait a minute, they've got the technology. This isn't going to be a problem.'" He'd later add that he's drawn to Marvel villains like this one because "here we've got real storylines, we've got [backstory]. They're real people."
1. Green Goblin's Mission
While it's true we know very little about Green Goblin's plans for the web-slinger, Dafoe did at least make it clear that this Norman isn't out to simply kill Spider-Man (which was pretty much the extent of his mission in 2002's Spider-Man). Instead, it sounds like he has far loftier goals here.
"Green Goblin has a state to case this time," Dafoe teases. "A philosophy of life. It's not some kind of moustache-twirling power grab." That's intriguing, and lines up with some plot leaks.
Foxx added to that by addressing the difference between what Electro and the Goblin want in Spider-Man: No Way Home. "We've just been watching Willem, and it seems personal," the actor notes. "With Electro, it's 'the world did me wrong.' When he speaks, he has the power..."