Lizard’s MCU Redesign Confirmed By 4K Alt-Version

The Spider-Man: No Way Home 4k trailer revealed clear new looks at the villains in the upcoming film, including a subtle update to Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man. The latest No Way Home trailer revealed several new secrets about the forthcoming movie. For instance, fans already knew Spider-Man (Tom Holland) messes with Doctor Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) memory wipe spell, which causes past Spider-Man villains to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the latest footage shows why Parker interferes, revealing that he only viewed his life as normal after MJ (Zendaya) learned about his secret identity. Additionally, the trailer reveals why Spider-Man fights against Doctor Strange. Peter Parker wants to save the villains’ lives, but Doctor Strange insists it’s their destiny to die.

Rhys Ifans’ Lizard is among the villains returning for the film. The character first appeared in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, taking on Andrew Garfield’s version of Peter Parker. Lizard’s ultimate goal is turning the human population into lizard hybrids, but Garfield’s Spider-Man thwarts the plan, dousing New York in an antidote instead. The treatment also hits Lizard, which transforms him back into the human version of Curtis Connors. He’s ultimately arrested and appears in a post-credit scene where he’s visited by a mysterious person while in captivity.

In the new footage of the character, Lizard gets an updated design, which is best seen in the 4k version of the No Way Home trailer. No Way Home reveals that several of the returning villains get improved looks. For instance, Marvel completely changes Jamie Foxx’s Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, giving the character yellow electricity instead of sticking with Electro’s odd blue design. However, Lizard’s changes are less drastic. The character’s look is mostly the same as his previous design, but his face appears to be slightly more reptilian. He seems to have more lizard-like grooves and a potentially more pronounced snout.

Overall, Lizard’s updates work. Marvel is giving most of the returning villains slightly different appearances, and for Lizard, that means taking on even more lizard-like qualities. Though the trailer doesn’t offer a clear look at the updated villain design, the changes appear pronounced enough to come across in the brief scenes. Lizard still closely resembles his original design, so the look won’t throw fans off. However, it also makes sense that Connors could develop more animalistic qualities after spending more time as Lizard. Also, with the Multiverse, endless versions of the characters are possible. So the MCU can get away with villain changes, such as Lizard’s, without needing to go through long-winded explanations about them.

Still, it’s unclear if the updated design fully addresses a primary concern. Following the release of The Amazing Spider-Man, fans criticized Lizard’s design for his lack of a snout and lab coat. Though the character briefly has a lab coat in the film, as he often sports in the comics, he eventually tears it off. While the character’s original appearance in Marvel’s comics also had him sans snout, later designs have him looking more lizard-like. The Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer doesn’t show Lizard in a lab coat, but the possibility of a more pronounced snout could make the look more on the nose with fan expectations.

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Bill Bradley
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Bill is an experienced reporter who’s covered entertainment and fandom since 2014. He’s done everything from unearthing the discarded Game of Thrones pilot script in a library in Texas to finding out why Steve left Blue’s Clues. He also enjoys eating Taco Bell and drinking chocolate milk.

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