Alfred Molina has had a long and varied career—currently, he’s on Netflix in The Boroughs (as a retiree battling aliens) and Remarkably Bright Creatures (voicing a giant Pacific octopus). On the big screen, he made his debut with a small but memorable role in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. But for many fans, their first association with Molina is his Spider-Man villain, Otto “Doc Ock” Octavius, whom he played in 2004’s Spider-Man 2 and brought back for 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. And he wouldn’t be opposed to playing the iconic character a third time… y’know, if he’s asked.
Speaking to Variety, Molina said he’s looking forward to experiencing the next Spider-Man movie—this summer’s Brand New Day—as an audience member this time, even if he’s “not even sure who the villain is.”
To the inevitable question—might Doc Ock return?—he had a diplomatic answer.
“Who knows? When I did Spider-Man 2 for Sam Raimi back in 2004, I remember at the time they had me on a three-movie option. The contract said that should they choose to renew that option, they had the right to bring me back. When I shot the scene where Octavius dies and sacrifices himself, I said to the producers, ‘Well, I guess my option is null and void.’ But Avi Arad, who was running Marvel at the time, said, ‘Well, no one really dies in this universe.’”
Cut to nearly 20 years later and he was asked to return for No Way Home, an experience he calls “great fun.” As for what might happen next for the character, though, “I don’t know what the future holds. I think we might have to just leave Doc Ock in a nice prominent place in the rogue’s gallery of villains, but honestly, if they came knocking on my door and said we’d love you to do it again, I would do it again, no doubt. I doubt if it’ll happen, though.”
Speaking of returns he’d be excited for, Molina would definitely say yes if Netflix wants another season of The Boroughs. So far there’s been no word from the streamer on whether or not that’s happening, but the actor would “love for this to be ongoing. I think the writers have said that it was always their intention to do three seasons,” he said.
“That’s their aim because they felt that’s a perfect arc in terms of telling the whole story. Who knows? TV can be fickle, but it can also give you incredible opportunities. We’ve got a wonderful cast. We’ve got a great premise. The sets are all there. I’d love to do more.”
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