No Way Home Can Complete Doctor Octopus' Spider-Man 2 Arc

Doctor Octopus' return in Spider-Man: No Way Home can complete his Spider-Man 2 redemption. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is bringing back multiple villains from the previous Spider-Man movies to battle Tom Holland's Peter Parker in his third solo film. Fans were treated to their first official look at Alfred Molina's Doc Ock return in the movie's first trailer, but Spider-Man: No Way Home's second trailer provided more teases of his involvement. This included showing Tony Stark's nanotechnology on his mechanical arms and learning that he's not fighting Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man. But questions remain about how exactly he'll be portrayed.

As excited as fans are to see Alfred Molina as Otto Octavious again following Spider-Man 2, there has been a debate about what this means for his overall story. The actor already revealed that Spider-Man: No Way Home continues Doc Ock's story directly after Spider-Man 2. Marvel and Sony are even de-aging Molina so he looks nearly identical as he did almost two decades ago. The possibility of Marvel Studios altering Sam Raimi's story, and Doctor Octopus' arc specifically, is not something most fans want to see happen. It seemed clear back in 2004 that Doc Ock died in Spider-Man 2, so his return through the multiverse already risks changing how fans interpret his story. However, Spider-Man: No Way Home appears to be on course to complete his redemptive story.

Doctor Octopus is the main villain of Spider-Man 2, but Sam Raimi gave him a redemptive conclusion to his story. Otto was able to regain control over his mechanical arms despite a faulty inhibitor chip and took it upon himself to destroy his fusion reactor by submerging it in water. His final words were even, "I'm not going to die a monster." It's a clear redemption for Otto as he destroys the machine he built and prevents Spider-Man from likely dying doing the same. Spider-Man: No Way Home's marketing has mostly focused on him being a villain when he meets the MCU's Peter Parker, but the movie is also subtly teasing that might not last. Instead, Doctor Octopus could complete his redemption by working with Spider-Man and Doctor Strange to return the other villains to their original universes, meaning he would accept his likely death for the greater good of others (and the entire multiverse).

Doc Ock gets an Iron Man upgrade in Spider-Man No Way Home

Otto Octavious isn't a madman or fueled by anger like many other comic book movie villains. He only became a villain in Spider-Man 2 because the mechanical arms corrupted him, and he immediately realized the error of his way when he regained control. Once he's captured by Spider-Man and Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home, he could quickly understand the magnitude of the situation and agree to help. There is even a shot in Spider-Man: No Way Home's second trailer where some of Electro's yellow lightning strikes right where Doc Ock is and sends him falling. This could be a quick tease that Doc Ock takes part in fighting Electro and the other multiverse villains.

If Doctor Octopus helps Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it will give him a chance to complete his redemption. This could conclude with Doc Ock willingly going back to his original universe or even dying in the main MCU timeline at the hand of one of the other villains. Either scenario would be a surprising direction for his story to go, and a satisfying way for Spider-Man: No Way Home to finish his overall film arc.

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