On the August 23 evening, Sony released the trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home, and there was a lot to take in. Aside from introducing the multiverse and Doctor Strange as a supporting character, we got our first look at the return of Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius.

　　There was also a couple moments showcasing lightning bolts, which is more than likely signifying the return of Electro from Amazing Spider-Man 2--and he will be played once again by Jamie Foxx. However, throughout the trailer, there was one moment where we got to see something else. What was that something else though? Well, from the screenshot below, it's kind of hard to make out.

　　So dark...Even with some Photoshop magic, you can't make the scene much clearer. All we really know is that it's behind Parker, and it is probably a villain of sorts, and it's pretty big. While there's no confirmation of who it is, we have a few ideas of just who is hiding in the shadows of the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer.

　　

1. Sandman

The original members of the Sinister Six--a group of supervillains who want to take down Spider-Man--are Electro, Mysterio, Dr. Octopus, Vulture, Sandman, and Kraven The Hunter. Since Green Goblin is seemingly in the movie, we'll say he takes Kraven's place in the Sinister Six--even though there is a Kraven movie coming eventually.

　　In the current Spider-Man MCU, Vulture and Mysterio have already appeared--and they could appear again for all we know. Electro and Doc Ock are both confirmed for the movie, so the only villain from the original version group--when replacing Kraven with Green Goblin just because--is Sandman. The character did appear in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, with Thomas Haden Church playing the role. In fact, it was one of the few good things about the movie.

　　

2. Venom

Tom Hardy will be playing Eddie Brock again in Venom: Let There Be Carnage when it hits theaters on October 15--unless it gets delayed again, which is very plausible. Also, in Spider-Man 3, Topher Grace played Venom, kinda. Because the thing behind Peter is so large, it seems possible. But which Venom will they go with, if this is the case?

　　Grace's Venom seems a little too small to fit into that scene, so more than likely, if this was Venom, it would probably be Hardy's. Or maybe it's a completely different Venom altogether. Or maybe it's not Venom at all. We literally don't know because the scene is so dark and so short. But you know who blends in to a dark background? Someone whose costume is also dark.

　　

3. Scorpion

Scorpion has already been set up in the current Spider-Man movies. Criminal Mac Gargan appeared in Homecoming, and in the comics, he becomes Scorpion. He's a criminal with a cool suit that has a scorpion's tail that sometimes spits out venom--not the character Venom.

　　While the character has been introduced, at least the dude in the costume has, it seems like a bit much to introduce for this movie. It'll take a little bit of an exposition drop just to let the viewers know how Scorpion got his super-suit, and that character may be best saved for a future movie--one where we're not reintroducing characters from other Spider-Man movies.

　　

4. The Lizard

There are a few people saying that this is indeed the Lizard. Remember how Sam Raimi's movies set up the Lizard by introducing Dr. Curt Connors (Dylan Baker), but then they never actually had the Lizard appear? Well, the Lizard was the villain in The Amazing Spider-Man, so there is a chance he could appear here as well.

　　We're bringing over Alfred Molina from Spider-Man 2 and Jamie Fox from Amazing Spider-Man 2--and possibly one of the Goblin's from either Spider-Man or Spider-Man 3--so the Lizard is by no means out of the question. Plus, it would be nice to have a powerhouse villain for Spider-Man to fight in this movie.

　　

5. Mysterio

Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home was wonderful. Sure, his plan was super-convoluted and needed very specific things to happen in order to succeed, but he was a great addition to the movie. You're probably wondering, "Hey, the thing behind Peter is super-big. It can't be Mysterio!" Mysterio is the master of illusion, so he can do what he wants.

　　In fact, anything I don't understand in the No Way Home trailer, I'm going to chalk it up to Mysterio. Why are Doctor Strange and Spider-Man standing on flying trains? Probably Mysterio.

　　

6. It's just Doc Ock

While we all want to see a ton of Spider-Man villains in this movie, is that the best route to go? What if this simple, super-dark scene is nothing more that Doc Ock hanging out in a dark room and one of his mechanical arms is moving around. I'm not super-confident in this one. It could be him, but at this point, I'm very much on board with "Everything is Mysterio."

　　

7. We're being swerved

Remember all those Avengers: Infinity War trailers that had the Hulk in them? And then, the Hulk never appeared in the movie? With Avengers: Endgame, there were also a bunch of trailers with scenes where characters were digitally removed. The scene with Peter and whomever may not be in the movie at all. It may just be a way to get people to talk about the movie, and a way to get journalists to write pieces about who they think it is in order to further promote the movie.

　　Anyway, let us know who you think the mystery monster is. Spider-Man: No Way Home arrives in theaters on December 17.

　　Mat Elfring on Google+