Alfred Molina Explains Why He Returned As Doc Ock In Spider-Man: No Way Home After 17 Years

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Summary

Alfred Molina returned as Doc Ock in Spider-Man: No Way Home after 17 years.
Playing Doc Ock not only brought joy to the actor but also introduced him to a new generation of fans.
Molina's portrayal of Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2 made him one of the best Marvel villains.

Alfred Molina came back as Doc Ock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the star has revealed why and how he returned to the role. Molina first played one of the best villains in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy back in 2004's Spider-Man 2. The movie would become a classic, cementing Molina's Doc Ock as one of the most popular live-action Marvel villains. Despite the character's death, Molina returned as Otto Octavius 17 years later in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with a key role in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Molina reflected on returning as Doc Ock in Spider-Man: No Way Home after 17 years.
The actor commented on how surprised he was to get asked back for the role, talking about how he asked the crew behind Spider-Man: No Way Home if his age would not make the return difficult, to which he heard VFX would deal with that. Molina then opened up about the importance of his role in the Spider-Man movie franchise, saying, "Completely changed my life." Check out the full quote below:

"Coming back 17 years later to play the character again, no one was more surprised than me. When they asked me, I said, 'You realize I'm quite a bit older? I've got crow's feet, I've got a wattle, you know, a double chin, I've got bad knees.' And [director] Jon Watts and [producer] Amy Pascal said, 'No, no, it's your role. We want you back. We can fix all that, we'll de-age you. We've got the technology, we can change everything.
I was delighted, obviously. Apart from the fact that it's great fun to play, playing that part, in all honesty, completely changed my life. I mean, it did. It just took everything not just to a different level, but also to a whole other group of cinema fans. There's a fan group that loved all the movies like Chocolat and Enchanted April and Frida and all those movies, and now suddenly the children of those people are kind of digging Fred Molina 'cause he's playing Doc Ock."

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Why Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock Is One Of The Best Spider-Man Movie Villains Spider-Man 2 Is Among The Best Superhero Movies Of All Time Close Of all the returning villains in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Molina's Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin were easily the most popular ones. That is due to the actors' past turns as their Marvel villains, who have transcended just Spider-Man movies to become two of the best villains in live-action superhero films. Molina's first time as Doc Ock came in 2004 with Raimi's Spider-Man 2.

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The film is highly regarded by many as the best Spider-Man movie to this day, even with Spider-Man: No Way Home being a generational event decades in the making. A huge part of that is due to Molina's Doc Ock. The actor perfectly played the tragic nature of the character, going from a genius scientist to a mind-controlled villain to a bona fide hero in the end. Molina delivered in both emotional moments and action sequences, making Dock Ock one of Spider-Man's most exciting movie villains due to the character's many layers.
Spider-Man: No Way Home only came to remind past fans and show to a new generation that Molina's Doc Ock is the real deal. Molina's Doc Ock was once again an exciting foe when he was under the influence of his tentacles, and after Tom Holland's Spider-Man freed him, the character's charisma was able to shine through. Spider-Man: No Way Home included a lovely interaction between Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man and Molina's Doc Ock that was a callback to a line in Spider-Man 2, serving as the perfect farewell to this hero-villain relationship if Molina's time as Doc Ock has ended.

Spider-Man: No Way Home For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the trials and tribulations of being a superhero. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) when his identity becomes a problem for the ones he loves. Unfortunately, when the spell goes wrong, Spider-Man will now have to face off with villains such as Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) as Peter finally comes to terms that he can't run from being Spider-Man. Supported by his close friends and help from an unexpected place (or multiverse), Spider-Man will go toe-to-toe with some of the most legendary foes in his storied history.

Spider-Man 2 After defeating the Green Goblin, Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man struggles with self-doubt in both his superhero career and his personal life. But when Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus threatens Peter Parker's loved ones, the web-crawler must stay true to his heroic purpose and don the mask once again in this second installment of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
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Source: Vanity Fair

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