A lot of new footage for Spider-Man: Now Way Home recently dropped, which gives audiences a whole lot more to analyze ahead of the release date. The latest batch of television spots for the franchise showed slightly more moments than the second trailer, and there are some interesting things to pull out of the latest footage.
For example, there’s one specific new shot that, when paired with another, gives way to the idea that Tony Stark has a part to play in the upcoming Marvel movie. In fact, he could have a huge influence in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and I’m completely on board with this line of thinking after spotting some key details in the latest round of trailers.
Electro Has What Appears To Be An Arc Reactor On His Body
One of the new TV spots for Spider-Man: Now Way Home gave us about the best look we’ve gotten at Jamie Foxx’s Electro, and I have to say, it’s a phenomenal upgrade from his blue look in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It also looks like Electro's rocking a bit of extra technology that’s not his own, with what looks shockingly similar to Iron Man’s Arc Reactor on his body. I’m not saying it an arc reactor with 100% certainty because who can when dealing with Marvel’s deceptive preview tactics, but that piece of hardware definitely looks like a Tony Stark creation.
What’s interesting about the arc reactor is that it doesn’t look like the latest model Tony had when we saw him in Avengers: Endgame. Instead, this is more like the first arc reactor used in Iron Man, which could indicate some other time-related hijinks in yet another Marvel project. Is it possible this arc reactor was lifted from a specific place in time, or is it just something Electro was able to purchase on the black market or steal from a Stark laboratory? I’m inclined to think the latter, but only because villains are often prone to doing nefarious things like stealing quite often.
As for why Jamie Foxx’s Electro needs an arc reactor, that’s an interesting question. Perhaps this version of Electro’s powers work differently, and that’s why he didn’t turn into a blue guy with electricity coursing through his veins. To me, it looks like the electricity is all around him, so maybe this Electro receives his power through the arc reactor and harnesses it through a suit. I’ve also wondered if perhaps the arc reactor is the reason Electro isn’t blue this time around like he was in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The arc reactor managed to keep Tony from being killed by metal shards in his heart, so could that stasis field could be useful in preventing other medical maladies? Whatever the case, there’s something different about this Electro, and I can’t help but wonder if this piece of Stark tech is the key to that.
Doc Ock’s Robotic Tentacles May Also Have Stark Tech In Them
Doctor Otto Octavius is one of the most confusing parts of the latest batch of Spider-Man: No Way Home footage for a few reasons. First, it doesn’t seem as though he’ll be an unreasonable super villain the entire movie and could even collaborate with Peter and the teens at some point. In Spider-Man 2, this happened when the AI controlling Doc Ock’s mind was damaged, allowing the normally reasonable Octavius to resume control of his body and his emotions. Perhaps the same thing happened here, and it could have something to do with the red metal tinges that are new to Doc Ock’s tentacles.
It’s not just any color of red, it’s Iron Man red, which, again, brings us back to Tony Stark’s tech. Again, we can’t presume to know anything, but it’s possible that if Doc Ock’s tentacles eventually get Tony Stark’s tech within them, and that overrides any malicious program that could drive Otto Octavius to do all his evil acts. It’s also possible Doc Ock just decided to jazz up his tentacles with a new paint job, but when paired with the Electro arc reactor reveal, it definitely feels like something screwy is up.
Tony Stark’s Technology May Be His Major Influence In Spider-Man: No Way Home
One Spider-Man: No Way Home villain using Stark technology isn’t necessarily suspicious, but two? If that is what’s happening (and remember, we’re still talking in hypotheticals here), then one would have to think that Tony Stark’s tech will play a pretty big role in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Of course, we’ve only potentially seen two villains with it, but if I see Lizard flying around in a Mark V in an upcoming commercial, I’m going to really start putting my chips on this theory!
In truth, it’s not that hard to believe Tony Stark’s tech will play a meaningful role in Spider-Man: No Way Home. A bulk of the previous Spider-Man movie, Far From Home, dealt with Peter gaining control to a powerful piece of Stark tech: the E.D.I.T.H. glasses. Peter ultimately made a mistake in granting that power to Quentin Beck, who we all now know as the villain Mysterio. Villains have a vested interest in Stark’s technology, and with Peter presumably still in control of all that, but incapable of keeping it all under lock and key, it stands to reason some things could be stolen.
We also know, based on upcoming Marvel television projects, that one Disney+ series will dive into the idea of Stark's technology getting into the wrong hands. That adventure will happen via Don Cheadle’s Armor Wars series, which obviously is set to premiere sometime after the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The MCU is vast and interconnected, and with Tony Stark already such a big part of the current Spider-Man franchise, this seems like a golden opportunity to establish a story that will be continued by a War Machine-led adventure at a later date.
Does all of this mean we can expect to see Robert Downey Jr. appear as Tony Stark in Spider-Man: No Way Home? Of course not. I do think, though, that like with a lot of recent Spider-Man adventures, it’s silly to think he’ll have absolutely zero influence in the movie, which is where the tech could come in. It’s not a matter of if Stark will be referenced, it’s when, and I think this is the avenue in which it happens.
I am, admittedly, just one man who, like many others, hasn’t seen Spider-Man: No Way Home yet. Fortunately, we get closer to the premiere with each passing day, so continue to read and theorize on what’s happening in the movie as we all wait for Friday, December 17 together.
