The Actors Who Almost Played Doctor Octopus In Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is regarded as one of the greatest superhero movies of all time, and one of the reasons for that is its villain, Doctor Octopus, played by Alfred Molina – but he wasn’t always the first option to play the role. Spider-Man is one of the most beloved characters from Marvel Comics, and as such, he has been adapted to other media for years, but his most notable adaptations are those on the big screen. After three movies were released directly to video or in theaters in Europe, Spider-Man made his Hollywood debut in 2002 in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man.
Spider-Man explored the origin story of the character, following high school student Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) as he’s bitten by a genetically engineered spider and gains superpowers. Spider-Man was a critical and commercial success, making way for two sequels, with the best one of the trilogy beingSpider-Man 2. Also directed by Sam Raimi, Spider-Man 2 is set two years after the first movie and follows Peter as he struggles to juggle his personal life and his superhero duties, all while going through an existential crisis that strips him of his powers and his mentor Doctor Otto Octavius turns into villain Doctor Octopus.
Related: 1 Raimi Doc Ock Idea Would've Killed Spider-Man 2 & No Way Home
Spider-Man 2 is widely regarded as one of the best superhero movies ever made and a blueprint for future superhero movies, and one of its many strengths was Alfred Molina’s performance as Doctor Octopus. His version of Doc Ock is a favorite among Spider-Man fans thanks to his complexity and more, so much so that there was a lot of excitement around his return in Spider-Man: No Way Home – but would Doc Ock have had the same impact and success had he been played by another actor?
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