Recent covers released by Empire Magazine hint at the inclusion of Electro and the Sandman in Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures' upcoming film Spider-Man: No Way Home. Promotional materials for No Way Home have been scant despite the fact that it is by far the studios' most highly anticipated movie this year. Given the dearth of official information from the studios themselves, the rumor mill has been hard at work steadily drip-feeding fans leaks and obscure tidbits on the latest entry into the Spider-Man franchise.

Among the countless rumors swirling around the highly secretive production is the assertion that villains from previous Spider-Man franchises (i.e. the two separate continuities led by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, respectively) will reprise their roles in No Way Home. This rumor was partially confirmed with the film's first teaser trailer, which unveiled the return of Alfred Molina's acclaimed Spider-Man 2 villain, Doc Ock. Other candidates on this supposed shortlist of returning Spider-Man rogues include Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Electro (Jamie Foxx), and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) – and the latter two may have just been confirmed.

Related: No Way Home - Why Doctor Ock Looks The Same (Despite Electro's Change)

Empire Magazine is adding fuel to the rumor fire by teasing the return of Electro and Sandman for their pending December issue. The highly stylized image shows distinctive iconography associated with characters confirmed to appear in the film, such as Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) Eye of Agamoto pendant, Doc Ock's mechanical arms, and Green Goblin's pumpkin bombs. However, subtly tucked away at the bottom corners are a yellow lightning bolt over a green shape – colors associated with Electro's classic comic costume – as well as a grainy, sand-colored handing reaching out from a camouflage pattern distinctly reminiscent of Sandman's green and black shirt. Check out the image below:

The top right corner also contains what appears to be Mysterio's (Jake Gyllenhaal) iconic "fishbowl" helmet, though that connection may be more of a stretch. Regardless, the teases for Electro and Sandman are unequivocal. Ideally the next trailer or poster will officially confirm whether or not Foxx and Church will indeed be reprising their respective roles.

With Marvel Studios' Eternals releasing in a few short weeks, Sony will soon have the all-clear to begin their marketing campaign for Spider-Man: No Way Home in earnest. The film is all but guaranteed to be a success given the sheer amount of hype behind it, which may explain why the studios aren't expending too much energy into promoting it just yet. In any case, the tantalizing tease of Electro and Sandman's returns will hopefully be enough to keep fans going until the next trailer.

More: Spider-Man 3’S Electro Change Is Right (But Green Goblin Should Be The Same)

Source: Empire Magazine

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