The Spider-Man: No Way Home Theory That Has Fans Looking Twice At Doc Ock

On November 16, Marvel released a roughly three-minute-long trailer for "Spider-Man: No Way Home," teasing the introduction of classic "Spider-Man" villains from alternate universes into the ongoing film series starring Tom Holland. Given that it provides the most extensive look thus far at the latest for one of Marvel's tentpole superheroes, fans are naturally scrutinizing various minutiae from throughout this latest trailer. For example, some fans have theorized that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's past incarnations of the character were digitally removed from a shot of Holland's Spider-Man jumping toward a trio of villains.

One character sparking significant fan discussion is Doctor Octopus, or Doc Ock, portrayed by Alfred Molina, just as he was in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 2." Notably, the trailer includes a scene in which Doc Ock says "you're not Peter Parker," presumably to Tom Holland's character, seeming to imply that he understands Peter Parker to be the "Spider-Man 2" version portrayed by Tobey Maguire. Should that be the case, however, Doc Ock would likely not be villainous, thanks a face turn at the end of "Spider-Man 2," bringing a scene in the "No Way Home" trailer where he attacks Holland's Spider-Man into question. One fan, of course, has an answer to this conundrum, squaring away Doc Ock's antagonism and his presumed alliance with Peter Parker and friends.

In a Reddit discussion thread for the new "Spider-Man: No Way Home" trailer, amidst a number of other details, user Benjb1996 pointed out that during the fight against Doc Ock, Peter Parker's Spider-Man suit shifts some of its mass from his head to his chest in order to defend against an incoming attack, which is possible thanks to nanobot technology. They theorized that the missing part of his suit was commandeered by Doc Ock in order to supplement his namesake set of mechanical octopus arms.

User hruebsj3i6nunwp29 then replied, "Maybe the nano tech infects Doc Ocks arms during the fight. We can see it starting at the front of the arm and moving up. I'm guessing the nano tech repairs the damaged inhibitor chip and allows Dr Octavius to regain control." Doc Ock, then, is theoretically attacking Peter not of his own free will but under the influence of his mechanical arms, demonstrated to possess a mind of their own unless held back by an inhibitor chip in "Spider-Man 2." Peter may have repurposed some of his suit's nanobots — hence the missing portion of his suit — to help repair that inhibitor chip and make Doc Ock lucid again.

Fans will find out whether or not this theory holds true when "Spider-Man: No Way Home" hits theaters on December 17.