Will Doc Ock Show Up in AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY? A MCU Rumor Has Fans Spiraling
Could Alfred Molina return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe one more time as Doc Ock? A new rumor making the rounds online has fans wondering if the classic Spider-Man 2 villain might pop up in Avengers: Doomsday.
The latest wave of speculation kicked off after Marvel scooper MyTimeToShineHello reacted to a recent interview Molina did with Variety. The insider posted the question, “Is he in Avengers Doomsday?” and that was all it took for Marvel fans to start connecting dots all over the internet.
The timing is interesting because Molina had just been talking about his history with Marvel and how his return in Spider-Man: No Way Home actually came from a deal that technically never expired.
According to Molina, Marvel originally signed him to a three-picture contract when he first played Otto Octavius in Spider-Man 2 back in 2004.
Since Doc Ock seemingly died at the end of the film, Molina assumed the agreement was finished. But former Marvel executive Avi Arad had a different perspective on comic book movie logic.
As Molina recalled, Arad told him, “Well, no one really dies in this universe.” Turns out he was right. Years later, Marvel brought Molina back for No Way Home, where audiences got to see Tobey Maguire’s iconic villain return alongside multiversal Spider-Men and villains.
Molina admitted he was hesitant at first because he worried he had visibly aged since 2004. “I’ve got crow’s feet. I’ve got a double chin. I’m not a youngster anymore,” he explained.
Thankfully for him, modern visual effects came to the rescue. Director Jon Watts assured the actor the technology would smooth things over enough for audiences to buy into the return.
Now fans are wondering if Marvel could do it again in Avengers: Doomsday. One theory floating around online suggests the film could feature sequences set on Tobey Maguire’s universe involving Deadpool and Wolverine.
If that actually happens, Doc Ock suddenly becomes a very easy character to bring back into the mix. He’s one of the most beloved Spider-Man movie villains, and Marvel knows audiences went crazy seeing Molina return in No Way Home.
Molina also sounds more than happy to step back into the mechanical tentacles if Marvel asks. “If they came knocking on my door and said we’d love you to do it again, I would do it again, no doubt,” he said.
At the same time, he isn’t acting like a comeback is guaranteed, adding, “I doubt if it’ll happen, though.”
Still, the fact that Molina reportedly has one movie remaining on that original Marvel contract is the kind of detail that’s going to keep this rumor alive for a while.
Right now, Avengers: Doomsday is still in production with Joe Russo and Anthony Russo directing, and Marvel has done a pretty impressive job keeping major surprises under wraps lately.
But with the moving diving headfirst into multiverse insanity, bringing back Doc Ock for another round feels exactly like the kind of crowd-pleasing move the studio would pull, and seeing Molina trade lines with Deadpool and Wolverine sounds pretty awesome.