Cast This: Doctor Octopus

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Now that Disney and Sony Pictures have come to an agreement over their shared use of Spider-Man, we're set to receive a third Spidey film which will follow the events SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING and SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME. Over the course of those movies, Spider-Man has faced off against the likes of Vulture (Michael Keaton) and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), along with some lesser villains, but the position is currently open for the upcoming third film. As we've previously tackled Green Goblin and Kraven the Hunter on Cast This, we'll turn our sights to Doctor Octopus, one of Spider-Man's oldest villains who first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #3 all the way back in 1963.

The multi-limbed villain has appeared in live-action on the big-screen once before, when he was very memorably brought to life by Alfred Molina in Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN 2. In that film, Dr. Otto Octavius was a sympathetic character who was working on a fusion power experiment founded by Oscorp, but a tragic accident left him mentally damaged as well as fused to a body harness with four robotic tentacle arms powered by artificial intelligence. So far, Spider-Man's villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have avoided re-using foes we've already seen, but it will only be a matter of time before a few previously-seen characters are brought back to the big-screen, especially if Sony wants that Sinister Six movie at some point in the future.

It's always fun to cast a villain, particularly one who is perhaps more sympathetic than the average baddie, so let's dive into just who should play Doctor Octopus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As usual, I'll toss out a few suggestions to get you started. Richard Jenkins (THE SHAPE OF WATER) has been giving audiences fantastic performances for decades and has always been a very welcome addition to any film, so I've no doubt that he would absolutely own the role of Doctor Octopus. John Goodman (The Righteous Gemstones) typically comes across as a very likeable dude, but he can turn on the sinister vibes like few others; Plus, just picture John Goodman with four crazy tentacle arms flinging Tom Holland through the air and tell me you don't want to see that. For my final suggestion, we'll take Doctor Octopus to a somewhat quieter but no less nefarious place with the great Jeffrey Wright (Westworld).

Remember, you're free to suggest anyone in the comments, so let your inner casting director run wild!

Previously on Cast This, you were asked to fill the role of Two-Face, one of Batman's most dastardly foes who may or may not be appearing in Matt Reeves' THE BATMAN. As usual, you came through with plenty of great suggestions, including Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), James McAvoy (IT: CHAPTER TWO), and Oscar Isaac (STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER).