X
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

All 5 villains featured in the new Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer

Hello Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Electro, Sandman and The Lizard!

Jennifer Bisset Former Senior Editor / Culture
Jennifer Bisset was a senior editor for CNET. She covered film and TV news and reviews. The movie that inspired her to want a career in film is Lost in Translation. She won Best New Journalist in 2019 at the Australian IT Journalism Awards.
Expertise Film and TV Credentials
  • Best New Journalist 2019 Australian IT Journalism Awards
Jennifer Bisset
3 min read
nhw-still-126

Three of the bad guys in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Marvel/Sony

It's official. Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Sandman, Electro and The Lizard are in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The first teaser trailer for the latest Tom Holland Spidey flick gave us a little taste of the rogues' gallery of villains. On Tuesday, the full trailer jack-hammered their presence home.

We got good looks at all of the aforementioned baddies, but no looks at Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield, the previous Spider-Men many believe will be returning thanks to a multiverse-spanning storyline.

Aside from their involvement, the big question: Is No Way Home teeing up a Sinister Six movie?

Sony announced a Sinister Six team-up of Spidey's greatest villains in 2013, months before the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Thanks to the disappointing box office return of the Garfield sequel, plans for the spinoff were put on ice.

Maybe until now. Maybe, possibly, there's a sixth villain who wasn't teased in both of the trailers. Let's look at the confirmed villains and the ones to speculate about below.

Marvel Studios

1. Doctor Octopus

Aka Doc Ock. Yes, Alfred Molina is confirmed to be back as Otto Octavius, who first appeared in 2004's Spider-Man 2. He was killed after sacrificing himself to destroy his malfunctioning nuclear experiment. Lived a villain, died a hero, as some would say. This version, who appears clearly in both trailers, realizes he's dealing with a different Peter Parker. "You're not Peter Parker." The pair's lighter interactions throughout the trailer hint that they'll be friendlier than straight up villain vs. hero foes.

Marvel/Sony

2. Green Goblin

While Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, who first appeared in 2002's Spider-Man, doesn't appear on screen without his helmet off in the trailers, we know he's in the movie. "Peter, you're struggling to have everything you want," he says in that voice verging on a cackle. The Green Goblin died at the end of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, but later appeared across his trilogy in ghost or memory form. Looks like he's back, back again. And some believe there may be more than one Green Goblin on the loose.

Sony Pictures

3. Electro

Jamie Foxx's Electro has joined the party, this time looking slightly more golden as opposed to his blue form in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Andrew Garfield's Spidey defeats Electro by overloading his body with energy at the end of the 2014 flick. Foxx all but confirmed his return, until deleting his premature social media posts regarding the new movie.

Sony Pictures

4. Sandman

We don't actually see Thomas Hayden Church's non-CGI'd face in either of the trailers. Church's villain Sandman survived 2007's Spider-Man 3, after Peter forgave the escaped criminal. Is Church definitely back or just his CGI form? It's hard to tell, but apparently an exclusive feature on the movie confirms his presence (well, it confirms Rhys Ifans' The Lizard at the very least).

Sony Pictures

5. The Lizard

Finally, The Lizard. Rhys Ifans' villain appeared in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man. The mad scientist, who tried to turn all humans into lizard hybrids, was sent to jail after Peter returned him to his human form. If you're looking for potential spoilers, there's speculation his movements in the trailer signal he's fighting someone other than Holland's Spider-Man.

Sony Pictures

(6?) Rhino/Vulture/Shocker/Scorpion

Paul Giamatti might be returning to play Rhino in the MCU, but the actor hasn't exactly been forthcoming with confirmation. He first appeared as the Rhino, aka Aleksei Sytsevich, in 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opposite Andrew Garfield. The plan was to have Giamatti return for an increased role in The Amazing Spider-Man 3, but the mixed reception to the Garfield sequel saw the latter canned. Other candidates who could round out the band: Vulture (Michael Keaton), Shocker (Bokeem Woodbine) and Scorpion (Michael Mando), who're all still alive. If one of them returned, that would round out the Sinister Six.

Spider-Man: No Way Home again stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker, with Zendaya, Marisa Tomei and Jacob Batalon at his side. Director Jon Watts is behind the cameras again. No Way Home hits theaters Dec. 17.

New Movies Coming in 2023 From Marvel, Netflix, DC and More

See all photos