“In this universe, no one really dies”: Alfred Molina on Doc Ock’s Return in Spider-Man: No Way Home

It’s true! It’s damn true! Alfred Molina, who played Otto Octavius, a.k.a Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2, will be back in the upcoming sequel Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The actor spoke of his experience making the film with Variety during an interview for Promising Young Woman.

---

Alfred Molina confirms that his Doc Ock is the Spider-Man 2 version

During his interview with Variety, the 67-year-old was candid about his role in the upcoming installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Spider-Man films. He said:

“When shooting it, we were all under orders not to talk about it because it was supposed to be some great big secret. But, you know, it’s all over the internet. I actually described myself as the worst kept secret in Hollywood!”

Like most big-budget pictures, especially in the MCU, everything is meant to be quiet, and Alfred Molina was very much silent on his role in the film until now. On his time shooting the film, he said:

“It was wonderful. It was very interesting going back after 17 years to play the same role, given that in the intervening years, I now have two chins, a wattle, crow’s feet, and a slightly dodgy lower back.”

As some fans may remember, Doc Ock sacrificed himself to save New York from a Nuclear Reaction and destroy his experiment. It seems that may not be the case.

Alfred Molina said that Director Jon Watts told him ‘that moment’ wherein Doc Ock met his end in the river is where this film starts.

But Alfred Molina was more concerned about his look in the film. That’s when Watts told him that they de-aged Robert Downey Jr. and Sam Jackson for Captain America: Civil War and Captain Marvel.

Alfred Molina’s concern included Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” as an example of digital de-aging’s limitations. The London native said:

“They made Robert De Niro’s face younger, but when he was fighting, he looked like an older guy. He looked like an old guy! That’s what that’s what worried me about doing it again. I don’t have the same physicality that I had 17 years ago. That’s just a fact.”

Alfred Molina eventually relented, realizing that his role was not as physical as he once thought, as the tentacles did all the work:

“My basic physical move as Doc Ock, as the actor, is just to make menacing noises. I just do that a lot, and the arms are doing all the killing and smashing and breaking. I’m just going to glare with a kind of mean look on my face.”

No Way Home is currently scheduled to be released on December 17th, 2021. The film will (allegedly) feature the returns of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man as Marvel explores the Multiverse.