‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Writers Say Mysterio & Rhino Were Almost Featured

A Sinister Six?

Spider-Man No Way Home Rhino Mysterio

The Spider-Man: No Way Home writers said that Mysterio and Rhino were almost included.

Spider-Man: No Way Home found Peter Parker (Tom Holland) dealing with five different adversaries from two alternate universes. Those five villains included Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Lizard (Rhys Ifans), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and Electro (Jamie Foxx). Some were curious as to why there isn’t a sixth member on the team, turning it into the Sinister Six. Well, it turns out that appearances from villains such as Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Rhino (Paul Giamatti) were considered.

Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers appeared on The Q&A With Jeff Goldsmith to discuss Spider-Man: No Way Home. When asked about whether or not Mysterio and Rhino were considered as candidates of the group of antagonists for Peters 1, 2 and 3 to battle with, here’s what the duo revealed:

“Yes, there was [talk of Mysterio or Rhino returns], Yeah, there was definitely talk, like, ‘Who is the Sinister Six here?’”

“If you want six, you can always say Venom was the sixth [member] if you want. He’s in the tag, he made it [into the MCU], but he never made it out of Mexico [Laughs]. There was always that talk of, ‘Should we be doing officially the Six?’ I think what’s so fun about working off the [comic book] canon is you can reinvent, and we know that people know the canon, but maybe everything doesn’t line up…was Venom the sixth, or was there someone else lurking?”

“Who were some of those shapes in the sky that’s coming through?”

It would’ve been interesting to see either Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Giamatti play Mysterio and Rhino respectively as part of a complete Sinister Six to battle against the three Peters. After all, Mysterio faking his death would be consistent with the character, whereas seeing Paul Giamatti’s Rhino make a return would be pretty interesting to see. Although he’s not featured, Peter 3 (Andrew Garfield) makes a direct reference to him when having a discussion with his fellow Spider-Men in regards to villains he’s fought.

Here is the synopsis for Spider-Man: No Way Home:


For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero’s identity is revealed, bringing his Super Hero responsibilities into conflict with his normal life and putting those he cares about most at risk. When he enlists Doctor Strange’s help to restore his secret, the spell tears a hole in their world, releasing the most powerful villains who’ve ever fought a Spider-Man in any universe. Now, Peter will have to overcome his greatest challenge yet, which will not only forever alter his own future but the future of the Multiverse.

Directed by Jon Watts from a script written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, No Way Home stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Tony Revolori, Martin Starr, J.B. Smoove, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Benedict Wong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and Jamie Foxx, with Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, and Tom Hardy.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is playing in theaters. Stay tuned for all the latest news regarding Sony’s plans for the Spider-Man franchise, and the possible returns of Mysterio and Rhino, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.

Source: The Q&A With Jeff Goldsmith (via Screen Geek)

Noah Villaverde

Noah Villaverde

Cinema lover. Saxophone player. Coffee consumer. Chronic complainer. Oh, I also write. #TeamHeroic