If even half the rumours about Spider-Man: No Way Home are correct, then it's going to be the craziest, most star-studded superhero movie since Avengers: Endgame.
With this shaping up to be an adventure that takes Peter Parker on a trip through the Multiverse, everyone from Tobey Maguire to Rhys Ifans and Kirsten Dunst are expected to appear. However, only a handful of these rumoured cast members have actually commented on their potential returns, and it's those actors we're putting the spotlight on today.
Some have outright denied their involvement in the threequel, while others have shared enough spoilers to give poor Kevin Feige a hernia. Here, we take a look at what the likes of Andrew Garfield, Paul Giamatti, Jamie Foxx, and more have said, and try to figure out if they're telling the truth!
Spider-Man: No Way Home is going to be nuts, but do you trust what these familiar faces from the wall-crawler's past have to say? Click on the "Next" button below to find out...
8. Emma Stone
Emma Stone's time as Gwen Stacy came to an end in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 when she died at the hands of the Green Goblin (or Peter Parker, depending on how you look at it). Despite that, she was expected to be part of the third movie, and has also been rumoured for a role in this threequel.
Talking to MTV News, Stone denied that she's involved with No Way Home. "I have heard those rumors. I don't know if I'm supposed to say anything, but I'm not [involved]." Mouthing the words "I'm not," she added, "I don't know what you're supposed to respond as an alumnus."
Stone spent much of No Way Home's production pregnant with her first child, so the chances of her being part of this movie were always slim. Spider-Gwen is supposed to be a teenager, so that wouldn't make a huge amount of sense, and it would be pretty random for Garfield's Spidey to be reunited with her here. As a result, we're willing to bet she isn't part of this project.
7. Paul Giamatti
With No Way Home's three Spider-Men supposedly set to square off with an interdimensional Sinister Six consisting of Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Electro (Jamie Foxx), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), The Lizard (Rhys Ifans), and Rhino (Paul Giamatti), it's fair to say that the heroes will have their hands full here.
We're not sure that would be described as a dream team, of course, especially as Giamatti's over-the-top, mostly mechanical Rhino failed to strike much of a chord with fans. It might come as a relief, then, that the actor was quick to deny these rumours in an interview with ComicBook.com.
"I hadn't followed any of [these rumors]. Somebody else just asked me about this, so I hadn't been following. I'm okay with that. I'm certainly okay to just leave it all where it is. It's fine with me." This could be misdirection, but it's hard to say for sure. If anyone can redeem this villain, it's Marvel Studios, but at least we know our next actor is definitely coming back...
6. Jamie Foxx
The trades reported that Jamie Foxx would return in Spider-Man: No Way Home as Electro, and we were all left baffled. While there was certainly nothing wrong with revisiting this villain, was it really a smart move to enlist an actor (who, in fairness, is usually great) who fans hated as Max Dillon? Of course, once those Multiverse plans started becoming clear, it all made sense.
What's easy to forget is that Foxx was the one who caused that speculation to begin with. Shortly after the news broke, he took to Instagram to say, "Tell Spidey let’s run it back!... super excited to part of the new marvel Spider-Man new installment... can't wait for y’all to check the new one. And I won’t be blue in this one!! But a thousand percent badass!"
In the now-deleted post, he also shared a piece of artwork with the three big screen versions of Spidey facing off with the villain, and with that, we finally had an idea of what to expect from the threequel. Foxx has since played coy, but will definitely be back as this non-blue version of Electro.
5. Andrew Garfield
With Andrew Garfield doing the rounds to promote a new project, it was inevitable he'd be asked about rumours that a return as Spider-Man was on the cards. However, he was very quick to deny it.
"There isn't anything to ruin, bro! [Laughs] I had to quickly cut you off. There's nothing to ruin," Garfield exclaimed. "It's so crazy. Dude, it's f***ing hilarious to me. I do have this Twitter account and I see how often Spider-Man is trending and it's people freaking out about a thing. I wish I could be able to speak to everyone and just say, 'I recommend that you chill.'"
Adding that he hadn't received a call, Garfield would later acknowledge that his return was "a really cool idea" and concluded by saying, "never say never." This did nothing to convince us that he won't be back, though the British actor definitely deserves credit for trying to throw us off the scent! The Amazing Spider-Man movies weren't the best, but we're excited to see more of him.
4. Willem Dafoe
One of the most exciting rumoured returns in No Way Home is Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. As goofy as that costume may have looked (even in 2002), the actor was perfect in the role, and all he really needs is a new suit...and maybe some VFX to help him look a tad more formidable!
Despite the excitement surrounding this possible return, Dafoe was quick to temper expectations during a recent interview with The Wrap. After sharing a firm "no comment," he added: "I got lots of stuff happening now. And, you know, I always feel like when a film comes out, that’s when it’s time to talk about it." Had he left it at "no comment," fair enough, but we're now more convinced than ever he's been given the opportunity to suit up as this villain again.
Given what a disappointment "Green Goblin II" was in Spider-Man 3, it always felt like there was unfinished business with this iteration of Norman, and him setting out on a mission to kill every possible version of the web-slinger he can find...well, that just makes a whole lot of sense, don't you think?
3. Alfred Molina
Somewhere along the line, Alfred Molina didn't get the memo about Marvel Studios' intense level of secrecy. In what basically became a "tell-all" interview with Variety, the actor revealed that No Way Home director Jon Watts had told him that "In this universe, no one really dies."
That was far from it, though, as he'd go on to confirm that Doctor Octopus' story picks up almost immediately after his apparent demise in Spider-Man 2, adding that visual effects were used to make him look younger. This all lined up with rumours that the "Sinister Six" will be plucked from their respective realities at the time of their deaths, but still leaves us with a lot of questions.
The trades broke the news that Molina would return as Doc Ock long before this interview, of course, but the actor might have been better off issuing the same "no comment" that Dafoe did!
2. Dane DeHaan
It would be an understatement to say that pretty much everyone hated Dane DeHaan's take on the Green Goblin in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. From the awful design to his toe-curling performance, nothing worked, and a return isn't something anyone - including DeHaan - is hoping for.
Talking to ComicBook.com, the actor was quick to debunk reports he's set to reprise the role in No Way Home, stating: "There’s no truth to those rumours. I don’t even know how that would be pulled off. And I have no idea what they’re doing with the Spider-Man movies now, but I don’t really understand a world in which that would be possible."
Again, he might just be toying with us, but despite rumours to the contrary, we really don't know what role this Goblin would really play in the proceedings. A cameo is possible seeing as he had such a huge impact on Peter Parker's life, but this is one return we're 100% not on board with.
1. Tobey Maguire
This is a bit of a weird one. Tobey Maguire doesn't do a lot of acting work these days, so journalists have been unable to track him down to get any sort of comments on his rumoured return as Spider-Man.
However, one fan spotted Maguire out and about and took a photo with him. He later claimed that Maguire simply smiled and winked when he asked about No Way Home, saying he couldn't talk about it. We're inclined to believe the guy as it happens, especially when the actor has been spotted going for a costume fitting and his Spanish voice-dub fill-in has confirmed he's part of this movie.
Nothing is set in stone, but this movie won't be the same without him. As a result, we're definitely keen to see what the future holds in store for the oldest of the three web-slinger and the actor who, for many of you, will be the original big screen Peter Parker thanks to Sam Raimi's trilogy.