Marvel Entertainment dropped the trailer of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and along with it dropped the first looks of five villains starring in the film. And ever since, fans have been coming up with tenable theories as to whether our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man will finally be fighting off the long-awaited “Sinister Six”.
The Sinister Six first appeared in the Spiderman comics annual #1 1964, and the original editions included Vulture, Electro, Mysterio, Sandman and Kraven the Hunter, all led by Doctor Octopus himself.
While the trailer teased Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Alfred Molina’s Doctor Ock and Thomas Hayden Church’s Flint Marko aka Sandman from Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy in plain daylight with the classic green pumpkin bomb roll and octopus arm and the heavy sand storm, there were clues, however potentially faint, confirming the presence of Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Rhys Ifans Lizard from the Amazing Spider-Man films by Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield as well.
These shots have left the multiverse fans speculating as to who will be the sixth villain in the “Sinister Six”. The first two choices that come to mind are Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Vulture played by Michael Keaton and Scorpion played by Michael Mando. We last see the two villains get face-to-face in the Spider-Man: Homecoming end credits prison scene. With the Vulture knowing Spider-Man’s true identity and with Holland as a clear common enemy, it only makes sense that either of the two would team up with the original villains and give Peter a handful of a fight.
While Jared Leto’s Morbius does not look like a strong contender because of its standalone film to be released in 2023, it is totally imaginable to pick Tom Hardy’s Venom for a sixth to make the film as sinister as can be. But even though the world is willing to see Holland’s Spider-Man and Venom together and no matter how solidly it would represent the Sony universe of Spider-Man films, Topher Grace still lacks a villainous motive big enough for a cameo.
A less likely but still possible candidate to be joining this team of iconic rogues could be Craven, the Hunter. By being one of the original members of the Sinister Six and having defeated Peter Parker in the original comics before, it makes him an intriguing choice. However, Sony has announced an upcoming movie for the character, to be played by Aaran Taylor-Johnson, so it would be pointless to hold your breath for his early introduction in the Marvel universe.
Another theory anticipates an appearance from Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio. Quentin Beck was shown to have died in Spider-Man: Far From Home right after revealing Peter’s secret. However, it also seems like Marvel would rather let Mysterio continue its legacy by staying off the team than bringing him back into the game. And yet, a hefty hope is being placed in the fact that there could be a cameo by Bruce Campbell as Mysterio, showing up from a different universe because he is set to appear in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness anyway.
Paul Giamatti, who appears as Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, is also someone who fans are openly rooting for. The movie’s ending scene teases the arrival of the Sinister Six and it explains just how badly we need his preposterous silliness and muscle-suit armed massiveness to ease the sinister from the Sinister Six.
Lastly, Herman Schultz, known as the shocker is assumed to be the least likely option, considering he doesn’t bring anything to the game that Electro cannot.
With that, the speculations still leave the fans in a bubble of imagination, and only time will tell which theory of ours comes out to be the right one. No Way Home hits theatres on December 17, and the wait is going to be a long one.
