Seven villains rumoured to be in Spider-Man: No Way Home

12 October 2021

Since the announcement of Spider-Man: No Way Home earlier this year (2021), Marvel fans have been rather excited to see Tom Holland’s titular character take on another challenging situation. However, the trailer for the movie sent fans absolutely wild as there is so much to unpack, including the potential villains...

Picture Credits (l-r): Marvel Studios

No Way Home is set to follow Peter Parker (Holland) after the events of his previous film, Spider-Man: Far From Home, which saw Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) reveal the identity of the webbed wonder.

Parker goes to new acquaintance, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), to ask him if he can make it so Mysterio never revealed his name or face; however, the plan goes awry and leads way to absolute chaos.

While we know that Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) will return for sure, the rest remain uncertain; so, here are seven villains who could show up in Spider-Man: No Way Home!

Green Goblin

It seems more or less certain that we will see the return of Spider-Man (2002) villain Green Goblin, played by Willem Dafoe, due to the recognisable Pumpkin Bomb seen in the No Way Home trailer.

Dafoe was in every film in the Sam Rami trilogy, primarily in the first movie, and was adamant on taking Peter Parker (then played by Tobey Maguire) out. Not only was the villain’s bomb seen rolling through the trailer, but so was Dafoe’s iconic laugh.

Just because we’re sure Dafoe will be making a return, doesn’t mean we know it all. If it is the very same villain from the Rami trilogy, then we can look forward to the green suit and glider seen in the 2002 movie; however, if it is a variant of Green Goblin, we can get excited to see a new version of an old villain.

Sandman

Thomas Haden Church, who played Flint Marko/Sandman in 2007’s Spider-Man 3, is also rumoured to return for the upcoming Spider-Man feature. While Spider-Man 3 had too many villains, Church’s Sandman is still considered to be a high point for that movie.

While there has been no mention from Marvel, or any leaks for that matter, that tease or hint Church’s return, that could be all the more reason to speculate his involvement; the trailer for No Way Home seems to hint at the character’s return as sand can be seen in the midst of an Electro attack, but that could be just throwing fans for a loop.

If Flint Marko does return, which he could given that he lived through Spider-Man 3, we wonder which version of this character we could see.

The Lizard

Another speculated character is The Lizard, a villain grown from the scientist Doctor Curt Connors. Connors was seen in both Rami’s films and in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), in which Andrew Garfield played the famous web-slinger.

It is rumoured that Connors, specifically the version from Garfield’s run, will return as he survived at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man; however, whether a character has lived or died seems to have no baring on their return. Doc Ock died in Spider-Man 2, but he is alive and breathing in the No Way Home trailer.

Rhys Ifans has been rumoured to be reprising his role as Doctor Connors, which may be likely given the roar heard in a small part of the trailer (in which we can also see something move in the shadows), but only time will tell if the overgrown reptile will return, and which iteration will grace the screen - if any.

Rhino

Rhino is a character seen only briefly on the big screen; he was seen at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) and was played by Paul Giamatti. The character was shown as a man in a metal Rhino suit, however, if he is indeed in No Way Home, it’s likely the character will get a redesign.

Fans weren’t too happy with the Rhino they saw in 2014, so if he is to return, we may see the version of the character in which he is fused to the suit rather than sat in it, or a completely different version altogether.

Rhino didn’t get a chance to shine in the films, as his scene was mere minutes long at best. So, his appearance in the upcoming movie could simply be a homage, or Marvel showing that the character can be done well.

Hobgoblin

While it is highly likely that the Pumpkin Bomb shown in No Way Home’s trailer belongs to Green Goblin, Marvel could be throwing fans off the scent, and the weapon could in fact belong to Hobgoblin, a version of Peter’s best friend, Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon).

Ned has known Peter’s super hero persona for some time; but if Peter gets his wish, then no one will know his secret, including Ned. The potential inclusion of Hobgoblin in No Way Home could suggest that, in another timeline or even this one, erasing Ned’s memory of Spider-Man’s identity could change the past and turn the lovable character into a villain.

Mysterio

Mysterio, played by Jake Gyllenhaal in Spider-Man: Far From Home, has been rumoured to return for quite a while now. Seeing as though replays of his reveal of Spider-Man’s identity are seen in No Way Home’s trailer, fans believe that is a sign of Quintin Beck’s return.

Mysterio utilised illusions as his main weapon in the 2019 film, so it is possible that his death at the end of the movie was an act, too; this has led fans to speculate Gyllenhaal’s return as the same character if he survived. However, whether he lived or died, it is still possible for him to show up.

If he lived, then we may be seeing a rather angry Mysterio in No Way Home, but if he died, we could still see him return as the same character from a different universe.

Kraven the Hunter

Another villain rumoured to appear in No Way Home, is Kraven the Hunter. The character has recently been given his own solo movie by Sony, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron, in the villainous role.

Many fans thought Kraven would be the main villain of Holland’s third Spidey film, but since Kraven the Hunter will be a Sony property, that doesn’t look likely. However, Kraven could still appear in the upcoming Marvel movie as a way to tease the character ahead of the 2023 release of Kraven’s film.

This is perhaps the least likely of all the villains to end up in No Way Home but, let’s be honest, stranger things have happened...

Watch the trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home below: