Also, just who is this version of Jameson and why is he played by J.K. Simmons again after 14 years away from the role?
That Avenger is Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who senses Peter’s pain and agrees to cast a spell that will make everyone forget Peter is Spider-Man. But Peter realizes halfway through the process that he doesn’t want everyone to forget–mainly the three people mentioned above–and his attempt to get Strange to change the spell midstream opens up a crack in the universe which should never have been opened.
Through that crack comes an assortment of villains who are complete strangers to this Peter Parker, but well-known to fans of the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield eras of the Spider-Man franchise: Dr. Otto “Doc Ock” Octavius (Alfred Molina), Max “Electro” Dillon (Jamie Foxx), Flint “Sandman” Marko (Thomas Haden Church), Dr. Curt “the Lizard” Connors (Rhys Ifans), and, most ominously of all, Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe). Yes, the original Green Goblin himself is back. It’s not quite the Sinister Six, but it’s certainly a Fearsome Five whom Peter must round up and allow Strange to send home. Which is far more challenging than it sounds.
Doctor Strange is also a welcome sight after being sidelined for most of Avengers: Endgame, and the relationship between him and Spider-Man/Peter is plenty different from the latter’s dynamic with the late Tony Stark. Strange is not a mentor or father figure to Peter like Tony was, yet they’re not quite equals either. Typically, Strange thinks he knows better than the young high school student–and for a while it seems like he’s right, much to Peter’s dismay.
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