Spider-Man: No Way Home Doc Ock, Venom teaser photos

Although the actor already deleted the posts, eagle-eyed fans were able to take a screenshot of the images. In both images, we see Hardy's Eddie Brock and Venom symbiote chomping on Spidey. Although these are not official images from the film itself, there is speculation coming from fans who have seen the images that they are teasing Venom's participation in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Hardy has been teasing fans, ever since the first Venom movie was released in 2018, of wanting to clash with Tom Holland's Spider-Man. In an interview with Comicbook.com, Hardy stated in plain terms: I think you can't do a Venom story without knowing Spider-Man is in the mix. He's somewhere. But we all know there's a big constellation of events, you know, that need to move and operate around. As grown ups, we have to go, 'Okay, we wait.' We wait for those planes to land and when they land, we'll see if we can get on one but until then we focus on the task at hand which is Venom 2. But it's always in the back of our minds, you know? 'When do I get to eat the Spider-Man? Venom: Let There Be Carnage was a noteworthy success, especially with regard to the pandemic box office performance. But the most talked about part of the movie is the end credits, with Eddie and Venom enjoying their getaway only moments before being shunted into the MCU just in time to catch J. Jonah Jameson revealing Spider-Man's identity to the public as teenager Peter Parker.

Although there has been no confirmation that Venom will be part of the Spider-Man: No Way Home version of the Sinister Six, it is logical to assume this will be the case. With Eddie Brock and Venom having an informal agreement to only hunt for criminals, the revelation that Spider-Man is a responsible for the carnage in London after Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) framed him would likely paint a target on Peter Parker's back.

That said, Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock and his Venom symbiote would feel out of place, given that the rest of the Sinister Six have prior personal connection with their versions of Spider-Man. Empire Magazine exclusive photos The second source is more direct (and thankfully not deleted after being revealed). Empire Magazine came out with special Spider-Man: No Way Home coverage. Along with the cast interviews and filming details from the set, two exclusive photos were included.

The first photo is fairly straightforward. We find Tom Holland's Spider-Man in his standard costume that was created at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, minus his mask. Holland looks disheveled and sweaty. Crouching in the familiar Spidey action pose, the scene appears to be a climactic fight on a metallic structure. However, there is no further information as to at what point this scene occurs in the movie.

The second Empire Magazine photo is more of a tease, as it shows what appears to be the continuation of the scene hinted at by the end of the recent Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer. In the climax of the trailer, we see Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) reprising his role from Spider-Man 2 (2004), greeting his nemesis with 'Hello, Peter'. Fan speculation arose that this was actually directed to Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man off-screen.

However, the new picture from the Empire Magazine article shows Holland's Spider-Man (in the Iron Spider suit) being chased by Molina's Doc Ock in the freeway shown from the trailer. It should be noted that the image seems to be unfinished, with the CGI of Doc Ock lacking in fine details. This would likely be a movie still that has not been fully rendered and polished in post-production. Empire Magazine interview hints In the interview, the usually number one spoiler source Tom Holland himself shares his thoughts about the Spider-Man: No Way Home production : When I was first pitched the idea, I was like, 'Wow, that would be awesome if we could pull it off... But there's just no way it's going to work. You're just not going to be able to get everyone to do what they need to do. It's just not going to happen.' But it did happen. And it's crazy. Although we do not get a whole lot of information revealed in Holland's statements, they do give a hint as to what they have in store. And the way the actor describes it, it is almost a confirmation that the much-rumored multiversal team-up between the three generations of Spider-Men (Holland along with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield) is happening.

Marvel Studios

top guy Kevin Feige weighed in on keeping Alfred Molina on board to return as Doc Ock. Apparently, the president and chief creative officer of the mega-successful Marvel Studios branch of Disney has had Molina as the only choice for bringing Doctor Octopus into the MCU:

I remember having discussions with Amy Pascal years ago. So we want to revisit villains we've seen before?' No, let's do Vulture, and Mysterio, and characters we haven't brought to the screen before. But I remember thinking, 'How would you even do Doc Ock again?', because Alfred Molina is perfect casting. If you ever brought him back, it would have to be him somehow.

Also in the same interview, Jon Watts had this to say about their lofty goals for the third MCU Spider-Man film:

We're definitely trying to be ambitious… It's 'Spider-Man: Endgame'.

Watts might be alluding to how big the production and impact of the story will be for the future of the Spider-Man franchise, as Avengers: Endgame had with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That is one way of looking at it, seeing as it leads in to the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, wherein plot threads from other

MCU Phase Four projects such as WandaVision and Loki

will converge.

However, some fans have speculated that this may be a hint that this will be the last Spider-Man film in the MCU. Could it mean the Spider-Man films will be returning to Sony Pictures exclusively once again? This theory is not far off, as Sony Pictures is developing its Spider-Verse with projects such as Venom, Morbius, and Black Cat. That would certainly be a big change and will disappoint many fans who have loved Holland's Peter Parker/Spider-Man interacting with the rest of the MCU proper. Spider-Men MIA and official synopsis Despite all the rumors and speculation, we have yet to receive official confirmation that Tobey Maguire's and Andrew Garfield's versions of Spider-Man will be making their appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home. No official photo or behind-the-scenes leaks have been confirmed to be legitimate and even the Empire Magazine coverage did not produce anything concrete.

The security and code of silence policy in the Marvel Studios lot has been particularly tight on the project. Will they be able to keep this up? For now, at least, we will have to settle with Marvel Studios releasing the official Spider-Man: No Way Home synopsis: With Spider-Man's identity now revealed, our friendly neighborhood web-slinger is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life as Peter Parker from the high stakes of being a superhero. When Peter asks for help from Doctor Strange, the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgU7P6o-GkM

Produced by Walt Disney and Sony Pictures, Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Zendaya (MJ), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Marisa Tomei (May Parker), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Toni Revolori (Flash Thompson), Angourie Rice (Betty Brant), Alfred Molina (Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus), Jamie Foxx (Max Dillon/Electro), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Stephen Strange), and Benedict Wong (Wong) with J.B. Smoove (Julius Dell).

Directed by Jon Watts Spider-Man: No Way Home webs into a theaters-only release on December 17, 2021.