The Live-Action Spider-Man Actor Who Wasn't In No Way Home
Contains spoilers for "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
Even if you haven't yet seen "Spider-Man: No Way Home," by now you've likely heard that the film features two very exciting appearances: Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. The two stars of former "Spider-Man" franchises show up in "No Way Home" to assist Tom Holland's Peter Parker/Spider-Man in returning the slew of villains back to their own universes. These other villains, of course, include characters from Maguire and Garfield's films: Willem Defoe as the Green Goblin, Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius, Thomas Haden Church as Sandman, Rhys Ifans as Lizard, and Jamie Foxx as Electro.
While the returning villains' presence was announced via the film's trailers, the appearance of the former Spider-Man actors was saved as a major surprise for audiences, despite the rampant rumors that persisted for months leading up to the film's release. Still, rumors or not, many fans would agree that seeing all three Spider-Men on the screen together was the most exciting moment of the film, and likely one of the most exciting moments of any "Spider-Man" film.
What many fans — even the most dedicated ones — may not have thought about, however, is that "No Way Home" was actually missing one actor who has played a live-action Spider-Man before.
TV Spider-Man star Nicholas Hammond is missing
As we all know, there have only been three big-screen "Spider-Man" franchises, beginning with Sam Raimi's trilogy starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker. However, before Maguire took on the role, actor Nicholas Hammond played the web-slinger in the 1970s television series "The Amazing Spider-Man" on CBS. The series lasted for a total of 13 episodes, which aired over the course of two short seasons. Some of the storylines included Spider-Man's attempts to stop a planned bomb at the president's speech and a science convention that results in the cloning of a second (evil) Spider-Man.
Additionally, Hammond also played the role in three made-for-television movies (which did receive international theatrical releases), beginning with 1977's "Spider-Man," which also acted as a pilot for the TV series. Following the first film, Hammond returned as Peter Parker for two sequels, 1978's "Spider-Man Strikes Back," and 1981's "Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge."
Unfortunately, Hammon wasn't approached to reprise his role for "Spider-Man: No Way Home" — despite the actor wishing he had been. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hammond said, "I think it would have been huge fun. It would have been a kick in the pants to have the old guy there. I was really hoping I would be approached but unfortunately, that didn't happen."