New Spider-Man: No Way Home rumors claim the movie includes Lizard and Rhino from the Amazing Spider-Man movies. When Marvel Studios and Sony rebooted Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they did everything they could to differentiate the movies from prior Spider-Man films. Those movies refused to use the same villains as past movies, giving Tom Holland's Spidey excellent fresh foes like Vulture (Micheal Keaton) and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). However, Spider-Man: No Way Home appears to be going in the complete opposite direction.

Instead of introducing more new Spider-Man villains to the MCU, Spider-Man 3 is expected to bring back a long list of familiar foes. Alfred Molina confirmed he's returning as Spider-Man 2's Doc Ock, and Jamie Foxx backed up reports that he's playing Electro again after The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Foxx even indicated he'd be a new version of Electro, and not blue, before deleting his social media posts. Since these announcements, there have been rumors that Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin and Thomas Hayden Church's Sandman from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy will appear too.

Related: Spider-Man 3 Theory: How Doctor Octopus Joins The MCU

If the latest Spider-Man: No Way Home rumor is correct, then more villains from the Amazing Spider-Man franchise are returning too. Collider reporter Jeff Sneider revealed on his podcast The Sneider Cut (via The Direct) that he's heard Lizard and Rhino will also appear. Rhys Ifans played Curt Connors, aka Lizard, in The Amazing Spider-Man, while Paul Giamatti played Aleksei Sytsevich, aka Rhino, in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Neither of them were seen on set during Spider-Man: No Way Home's production. Their involvement is currently not confirmed by Marvel or Sony either.

Most viewers appreciated Rhys Ifans' performance as Lizard, but Paul Giamatti's Rhino is one of Amazing Spider-Man 2's weakest links. Both villains were left alive at the end of their respective movie appearances, so they could easily be incorporated into Spider-Man 3's multiverse plot that way. If Marvel wants to make some changes to either characterization, it is possible the Lizard and Rhino in Spider-Man: No Way Home won't be the same versions of the characters fans saw before, but rather that the same actors are back.

If Lizard and Rhino from the Amazing Spider-Man movies appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home, this could be the latest way for Marvel and Sony to set up the Sinister Six. It can't be a coincidence that Lizard and Rhino's involvement brings the list of rumored villains to six. Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin is even rumored to be Spider-Man 3's main villain. These villains could team up in the movie or wait to form a proper supervillain team in the future. In either case, it will be fascinating to see if Spider-Man: No Way Home's strategy of bringing back former villains from outside the MCU pays off.

MORE: How Spider-Man's Returning Villains Avoid A Problem With The MCU's Trinity

Source: The Sneider Cut [via The Direct]

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