Why Andrew Garfield's Lizard Returns In Spider-Man: No Way Home (Theory Explained)
Spider-Man: No Way Home has been the source of speculation among fans due to its Multiverse-related rumors, reports, and leaks.
Directed by Jon Watts, the threequel marks the third solo outing from Tom Holland's Marvel hero alongside franchise mainstays such as Zendaya and Jacob Batalon. The discussion surrounding No Way Home wouldn't be complete without the presence of the Multiverse, mainly with marketing openly teased that previous villains from past Spider-Man movies will make their presence felt in the film.
Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus was showcased during the first trailer, ultimately confirming his return to the Spider-Verse. Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin was heavily teased in No Way Home's promotional drive, while Holland confirmed that Jamie Foxx would reprise his The Amazing Spider-Man 2 role as Electro.
One of the villains that has been rumored to return in the MCU threequel is Rhys Ifans' Curt Connors, aka the Lizard. Now, the highly-anticipated second trailer confirms the Lizard's Marvel comeback.
No Way Home Trailer Shows Lizard's MCU Debut
Spider-Man: No Way Home's second trailer confirmed that the Lizard will be one of the villains that will be featured in the threequel.
The Lizard appears at the tail-end of the latest trailer, teaming up with Jamie Foxx's Electro and Thomas Hayden Church's Sandman.
The villain's second appearance in the trailer shows him and his allies attacking Peter Parker at the Statue of Liberty:
Lizard's Role in The Amazing Spider-Man (Recap)
2012's The Amazing Spider-Man showcased the debut of Rhys Ifans' Curt Connors, going up against Andrew Garfield's iteration of the web-slinger. During the film, Connors took a regeneration formula, anchored by Peter Parker's decay rate algorithm, on himself that turned him into a lizard/human hybrid.
Throughout the pair's battles in the film, Connors reveals to Peter that he's "getting stronger everyday," which is backed up by his claws growing while attacking the web-slinger. The villain's plan in the film was to transform humans into lizard-like creatures to eliminate humanity's weaknesses.
As expected, Spider-Man was able to defeat the Lizard in the film's final battle at Oscorp tower, with the Marvel hero restoring Connors' human form with an antidote. At the end of the movie, Connors is behind bars, serving time for his nefarious plans.
How Lizard Returns in No Way Home
Lizard's survival at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man makes it easy to explain his comeback in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Given that Connors was last seen in jail, it's possible that he was transported to the main MCU during that time, with the spell potentially regaining his Lizard-like transformation.
Even though Connors was injected with an antidote, there's a chance that some of the regeneration formula could still be inside his body, thus explaining why he could transform once again into the Lizard.
On the flip side, it's also likely that the Lizard featured in No Way Home is a Variant, meaning that he's from a different universe. Doctor Strange explained in the latest footage that the villains died fighting Spider-Man, and this could hint that this Lizard fell to his death in an alternate version of The Amazing Spider-Man instead of being saved by an antidote.
This could explain why Lizard is still hellbent on seeking revenge against the web-slinger. This also makes sense within the narrative since Connors from Andrew Garfield's Marvel universe still cares for Peter Parker during the aftermath of their fight, telling Gustav Fiers to "leave the boy alone."
How Lizard Fits in No Way Home's Story
Whatever the case, the Lizard is back and he is out for blood. To be more specific, it's Spider-Man's blood.
Based on what's been revealed so far, it looks like the Lizard will only be heavily featured during the final battle of the movie at the Statue of Liberty. This seems to be the narrative trajectory of the The Amazing Spider-Man villain.
Still, the Lizard can be spotted inside Doctor Strange's Multiversal prison during the first trailer, attacking Tom Holland's Peter Parker but is ultimately stopped by a magical barrier. It's possible that Lizard also joins the fight on the bridge alongside Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus, but he is going to be captured by Strange.
If this is still the Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man universe, there's a strong chance that he will be manipulated by Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin to fight Spider-Man. Osborn could explain that this Peter Parker is different from his universe, and the only way to get back home is to kill the web-slinger.
If this is a Variant, then it would be easy for any of the villains to convince him to join the fight against Spider-Man.
Given that Holland's MCU hero is against the idea of killing the bad guys, Peter needs to be creative in order to stop the Lizard's mayhem.
In the main MCU, it is unknown if Peter already fought a version of the Lizard. Disney+ already announced an animated Spider-Man series set in the world of the Avengers, and Lizard could be one of the villains during Peter's early adventures as a web-slinger.
If this is the case, then Peter could use the same strategy that he used in his past battles in order to defeat the reptile behemoth. If not, then this is where Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man will enter the conversation.
While The Amazing Spider-Man's titular hero is still in the rumor mill, many would agree that Garfield's version of the web-slinger is clearly experienced in terms of dealing with the Lizard, and he could use it as an advantage during the final battle alongside Holland's iteration.
A rematch between Garfield's Marvel hero and Rhys Ifans' Lizard would be a visual treat, adding another chapter to their storied rivalry from the Marc Webb-directed franchise.
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