Spider-Man: Homecoming - 8 Villains The Sequel Could Introduce To The MCU

Mac Gargan's chilling assertion that he has "friends on the outside" has been widely interpreted as a nod to the villain collective known as The Sinister Six.

If that is indeed the case - and let's face it, it probably is - the group's leader Doctor Octopus is going to have to show up at some point.

Now, the assembly of the Sinister Six could be a gradual project, with the evil mastermind behind the concept due to step out of the shadows later, but Marvel Studios could equally choose to fast-track the process.

Doc Ock, of course, last appeared on the screen in 2004's Spider-Man 2, which presents the problem of recasting a part that Alfred Molina smashed out of the park.

No doubt the tentacles would weigh heavy, but if the late Health Ledger can deliver the performance of a lifetime in a role Jack Nicholson made his own, there's no reason why somebody else can't do justice to Otto Octavius.

Shrewd recruitment is the key, and we say cast Christoph Waltz as the mad doctor. Surely he's overdue an outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Bringing Doc Ock into the MCU is essential at some point, not just to get the Sinister Six off the ground, but to pave the way for adaptations of some of the fantastic comic book storylines he's been involved in over the years.

A poignant arc during the infamous Clone Saga saw Octavius save Spider-Man's life following a fatal poisoning courtesy of the Vulture... an act of good will he committed so he would one day have another chance to vanquish Spidey himself.

Then there's the Superior Spider-Man, which saw Doc Ock implant his mind into Spider-Man, only to find that he also inherits some of Peter's heroism too.

A Superior Spider-Man adaptation is definitely one for the distant future of the MCU, but Marvel Studios needs to start somewhere.