One of the coolest touches in Sam Raimi’s 2004 Spider-Man 2 was how Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock used practical puppets to serve as his robotic tentacles. For Molina’s return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, he’s traded in the puppets for full CGI effects, which took some getting used to.
Speaking with EW, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland shared his experiences with working with Molina for No Way Home and how “It was really fun to watch him see how technology has advanced,” Holland said.
“When he was making [Spider-Man 2], the arms were puppets, and when we did it, they’re all imaginary and CG. It was quite cool to see him relive it, but also relearn it.”
A lot has already been said about the decline of practical effects in Hollywood. And while the quality of CGI has improved tremendously since 2004, knowing that Molina's Doc Ock arms were real added a certain cool factor for sure.
Beyond just the arms, Molina will also be digitally de-aged for Spider-Man: No Way Home. So it sounds like Molina has gotten quite acquainted with the major advancements in CGI technology for the upcoming Spider-Man sequel.
Molina's return as Doc Ock was one of the biggest surprises of the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer. Or at least it would have been had Molina not openly shared that he was returning in an interview for a different movie, months before the trailer premiered.
But it was practically an open secret anyway and could rank as one of Marvel’s worst-kept secrets to date. And while fans of practical effects may be disappointed to hear that Molina will not be working with puppet arms again, we’re happy to see him back in the role at all.
Still a mystery, however, is whether any of the other Spider-Man actors will appear in the movie, like Molina’s co-star Tobey Maguire. The Amazing Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield, maintains he does not know of any No Way Home appearance.
Funny enough, Molina isn’t the only Spider-Man 2 alumnus to return to Marvel. Director Sam Raimi is set to helm Doctor Strange 2 and has praised Molina’s return for the MCU.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.