Alfred Molina Talks Return As Doc Ock For 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', Including Digital De-Aging

Spider-Man: No Way Home hasn't been very good at keeping the exciting secrets of the webslinging sequel. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are rumored to be returning as their respective versions of Spider-Man alongside the Marvel Cinematic Universe webhead Tom Holland. But along with the multiple Spider-Men, there have been reports of Jamie Foxx and Alfred Molina are reprising their villainous roles as Electro and Doc Ock, and one of them has finally confirmed their return.

Alfred Molina confirmed, probably much to the chagrin of Kevin Feige, that he will indeed be back as Dr. Otto Octavius in Spider-Man: Far From Home. The actor said, "When we were 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!" Butterfingers!

Variety got the confirmation from Alfred Molina in a recent interview. Though he was excited to return to the role, he acknowledged the one major concern that he had about returning to a role that he played nearly 20 years ago. Molina said:

"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."

Molina expressed this concern to director Jon Watts, who helmed the previous Spider-Man movies set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Watts reminded Molina about the digital de-aging that was done with the likes of Robert Downey Jr. in Captain America: Civil War and Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel, but that didn't entirely wash away the actor's concerns. Molina mentioned The Irishman de-aging on Robert De Niro and one aspect that didn't quite work:

"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 worried me about doing it again. I don't have the same physicality that I had 17 years ago."

But again, technology came to the rescue, because Molina said he quickly realized, "It's the tentacles that do all the work... the arms are doing all the killing and smashing and breaking."

That means we'll be getting the full blown villainous version of Doc Ock from Spider-Man 2. In fact, Molina has revealed exactly when Spider-Man: Far From Home catches back up with Doc Ock. Whatever happens in the sequel, Alfred Molina will be seen in the climactic moment of Spider-Man 2 when his unstable experimental fusion reactor threatens to destroy New York City and Peter Parker convinces him to override the mechanical arms that have driven him mad and stop the machine. Perhaps this moment will be interrupted, never giving Doc Ock his moment of redemption and keeping him as a villain.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is slated to hit theaters on December 17, 2021.