Marvel has come out with many new films and TV shows recently, and fans who have become overwhelmed with all the new content decided to take a step back and rewatch some old favourites. In doing so, they noticed some minor details that could unintentionally be linked back to the new films. While rewatching Spider-Man 2, Reddit user u/Skyflakes101 noticed some oddities that immediately sparked an idea that links the film back to Spider-Man: No Way Home.
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Old Favourite Inspires Theory
The Reddit user explains how, near the end of Spider-Man 2, we see Doc Ock ready to “crush Tobey peter’s neck” with no remorse. However, thanks to Peter’s speech about doing the right thing, Doc Ock has “a change of heart” and sacrifices himself. They note how odd they always found this because, at that point, Octavius’s mind was still “being controlled by the arms” (and several fans agree), but after watching Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Spider-Man 2 scene began to make a bit more sense.
U/Skyflakes101 explains that Octavius recalls the moment he vanished from his timeline: Spider-Man was trying to prevent him from using his fusion reactor, and he “had him by the throat”.
If we assume that everyone from Spider-Man: No Way Home was returned to their timeline at the exact point that Doctor Strange’s unstable spell took them from it, then this much better explains Doc Ock’s sudden change of heart in Spider-Man 2. He has already received the cure from Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and has returned to himself:
“You can also kind of see when this happens if you watch the movie closely. When Otto had Tobey’s Peter by the throat, you can see when his face expression just suddenly changed. Perhaps this was the moment he left to Tom’s universe and came back.”
Many fans agreed with this Spider-Man: No Way Home theory immediately and pointed out that this could have also been the case for Green Goblin’s “Oh” before he died in the first Spider-Man. Others disagreed.
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Other Suggest that Spider-Man Villains are from Alternate Timelines of Their Films
U/nikonger strongly disagrees with this theory. They state that this Spider-Man: No Way Home theory doesn’t work “because Ock still has to fight for control. He literally says, “GIVE ME CONTROL!” As he fights that arms/AI inhibitor chip. If this Doc was the same one that was fixed in [No Way Home], then he should already have control of his arms. This is how we know that this is not the same Doc Ock [from] NWH and most likely everyone who was teleported to the [Spider-Man: No Way Home[ universe are from alternate timelines of their respective movies.”
Others agreed with them because the theory “undercut Tobey Maquire Peter Parker’s heroism in Spider-Man 2 by giving “the win” to everyone in [Spider-Man: No Way Home].”
U/no1darker notes that Doc Ock’s change wasn’t as sudden as people believe. “Peter broke through with something powerful his Aunt told him, and it appealed to Otto’s humanity that was being suppressed by the tentacles. When Otto is reminded of the person he is without them, he finally has the resolve to fight back instead of being the one controlled.
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