Spider-Man: No Way Home Concept Art Reveals The Throwback Villain You Didn't Get To See
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" may not have featured as many characters as films like "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," but for what it lacks in quantity it certainly makes up for in quality. "No Way Home" brought together heroes and villains from across the multiverse, reuniting fans with characters from "Spider-Man" franchises of the past.
Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) all return from the original Sam Raimi trilogy of "Spider-Man" films, while Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) made the leap from the "Amazing Spider-Man" series. Even Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are featured in the film, reprising their roles as versions of the titular web-slinger himself.
It's amazing seeing all of these iconic characters come together on the big screen, and the entire film is packed with nostalgia and action from start to finish. That said, it may surprise some fans to learn that based on a piece of concept art, it appears that there were originally plans to include another villain in the film.
Mysterio might have returned and battled Doctor Strange
A piece of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" concept art by artist Andrew Reeder reveals that, at some point, there may have been plans for Mysterio to appear as a villain in the film, as well. The art shows Mysterio (played by actor Jake Gyllenhal in "Spider-Man: Far From Home") battling Doctor Strange beside the Statue of Liberty. The statue itself seems to be fractured, almost as though the battle takes place in the Mirror Dimension, which could explain why there's no New York skyline behind them while they're battling.
Mysterio met a grisly end at the end of "Far From Home" before posthumously exposing Spider-Man's identity to the world, but it's made clear that all of the villains that appear in the film died at the hands of Spider-Man in their respective universes. If Mysterio had returned from the dead, it likely would have been a Mysterio from another universe. Adding Mysterio to the film would have definitely been an interesting twist (especially considering how he is portrayed as a martyr in the world of the MCU), and would have made it so that the film officially featured four members of the "Sinister Six."
For whatever reason, it's clear that Mysterio never made it into the movie, and we can only imagine what his face-off with Doctor Strange might have looked like.