Marvel Studios is set to give its wall-crawling flagship character a proper reboot in July’s ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming,’ and Tom Holland looks poised to deliver the best big-screen interpretation of Peter Parker yet. And that’s no offense intended to Andrew Garfield, whose turn as the webbed wonder was great but suffered from a questionable sequel. (Tobey Maguire, however, just never seemed like the kind of guy who could crack wise in the face of death.)
Speaking of the original big-screen Spidey, one villain we haven’t seen since the Sam Raimi trilogy is one of the biggest threats in the hero’s rogue gallery: Dr. Otto Octavius, AKA Dr. Octopus. While Alfred Molina’s portrayal of Otto in ‘Spider-Man 2’ was certainly memorable, it also left something wanting. Establishing a personal relationship with Peter before his villainous turn seemed a bit unnecessary, though not as unnecessary as shoe-horning Sandman in as Uncle Ben’s real killer in ‘Spider-Man 3.’ And just how menacing can a guy be after you’ve seen him extolling his appreciation of love poems to a college student?
So one thing, if nothing else, is clear: The next time Doc Ock shows up, he needs to be truly sinister. And these five guys could pull that off.
5. Jeff Goldblum
If you’ve seen David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake of ‘The Fly,’ you already know Goldblum is no stranger to playing a mad scientist who turns himself into a monster. Couple that with the neuroses exhibited in roles like ‘Independence Day’s’ David Levinson and ‘Jurassic Park’s’ Dr. Ian Malcolm (and who can forget that creepy laugh?) and we have a winner. Bonus points for being able to rock a pair of glasses.
