Spider-Man Villain’s MCU Return Gets Doubtful Update 5 Years Later

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Published May 25, 2026, 11:31 AM EDT

Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour.

One of the actors behind an iconic Spider-Man villain reveals whether he'll ever return to the MCU after his most recent appearance five years ago.

Having said that, he doubts it'll happen. Molina thinks that Doc Ock should be left "in a nice, prominent place in the rogue's gallery of villains."

"Now, if it comes up, I don’t know what the future holds. I think we might have to just leave Doc Ock in a nice, prominent place in the rogue’s gallery of villains, but honestly, if they came knocking on my door and said we’d love you to do it again, I would do it again, no doubt. I doubt if it’ll happen, though."

Looking back on his introduction to the superhero franchise, he had signed on for a three-movie option. "The contract said that should they choose to renew that option, they had the right to bring me back," Molina explained.

When he filmed Doc Ock's death scene in Spider-Man 2, he said to the producers, "Well, I guess my option is null and void." However, Marvel executive Avi Arad replied, "Well, no one really dies in this universe."

Molina didn't realize 17 years would go by before he'd get the opportunity to reprise the iconic villain for Spider-Man: No Way Home, the third installment in Tom Holland's series of films, which sees Doctor Strange cast a spell at Peter Parker's request, but it doesn't go according to plan.

Peter ends up coming face-to-face with a bunch of characters from other universes, like Spider-Man's Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Spider-Man 2's Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus, Spider-Man 3's Flint Marko/Sandman, The Amazing Spider-Man's Dr. Curt Connors/Lizard and The Amazing Spider-Man 2's Max Dillon/Electro, as well as Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's versions of Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

When Molina was asked to come back for Spider-Man: No Way Home, he told producer Amy Pascal, "I've got crow's feet. I've got a double chin. I'm not a youngster anymore." To ease his concerns, director Jon Watts said, "Don't worry, we can fix all of that with technology."

So Molina agreed to appear in the threequel, which became not only the highest-grossing Spider-Man film but also one of the highest-grossing movies ever, earning $1.92 billion at the box office.

"When I did Spider-Man 2 for Sam Raimi back in 2004, I remember at the time they had me on a three-movie option. The contract said that should they choose to renew that option, they had the right to bring me back. When I shot the scene where Octavius dies and sacrifices himself, I said to the producers, 'Well, I guess my option is null and void.' But Avi Arad, who was running Marvel at the time, said, 'Well, no one really dies in this universe.' So I thought, 'Oh, okay,' but I didn’t think it would be 17 years before I did it again. Then, when they asked me to come back, I remember saying to Amy Pascal, 'I’ve got crow’s feet. I’ve got a double chin. I’m not a youngster anymore,' and the director, Jon Watts, said, 'Don’t worry, we can fix all of that with technology.' So I jumped in, and No Way Home was great fun.

After playing Doc Ock in 2004's Spider-Man 2, Molina went on to star in films like The Da Vinci Code, Monsters University, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Frozen 2. On the small screen, he appeared on Law & Order: LA, DreamWorks Dragons and Feud: Bette and Joan (which earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations).

Then he joined the MCU to reprise Doc Ock in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. In the five years since that highly anticipated appearance, the actor's credits have included DC League of Super-Pets, Remarkably Bright Creatures, Three Pines and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

While Molina doesn't believe he'll get to play the octopus-inspired Spider-Man villain a third time, he wouldn't hesitate to return if the opportunity arises. For now, though, he's currently starring in the Duffer Brothers' just-released Netflix series The Boroughs.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released in theaters on Friday, July 31, 2026.