Of the many special additions to Spider-Man's cinematic legacy made by Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, what the movie does with Doctor Octopus is easily one of the best. Fans had never seen a female version of the beloved villain before, and the reveal of Olivia Octavius was a remarkable surprise. Unfortunately, if you're hoping that the character is going to be back for the developing sequel, you're going to have still keep your fingers crossed for now, as apparently actress Kathryn Hahn has not yet heard anything about the untitled Into The Spider-Verse 2.
Hahn has been doing a lot of press recently thanks to her latest Marvel role – playing the nosy neighbor Agnes in the Disney+ series WandaVision – but it was during a recent interview with Collider that she was asked about her future in the animation world. While she definitely didn't close any doors on the possibility of appearing in the sequel, the door also doesn't exactly seem entirely open just yet. Regarding the potential return of Olivia Octavius, Hahn said,
Not that I've heard, but I would love to. But not that I've heard. Who knows? [The first one] is amazing. I'm so proud of that thing.
To Kathryn Hahn's credit, the development of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 2 has most definitely been secretive, and at this stage in the game it's a project that we know next to nothing about. The sequel got the greenlight almost immediately after the first film hit theaters (arriving on a wave of critical acclaim), and while we know that Sony Pictures Animation has plans on having the new movie be released on October 7, 2022, the details we know beyond that are scant.
As of right now we really only know that two members of the cast from the original are coming back, and that's primarily because of the tease featured at the very end of the film. Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld will be reprising their roles as Miles Morales and Gwen Stacey, but right now your guess is as good as mine when it comes to co-stars like Jake Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry,Nicolas Cage, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, John Mulaney, and Kimiko Glenn.
Given how wonderful the iteration of Doctor Octopus is, we'd love to see Kathryn Hahn's version of the character return in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 2 (assuming that she would have an appropriate role to play in the plot and not just be jammed in for fan service). And given how late in the game actors traditionally record their material when it comes to making animated films, it's something that definitely seems like it could still happen, despite Hahn hearing nothing about it up to this point.
For those of you needing a Kathryn Hahn/Marvel fix, of course, for now we have the on-going adventures that are playing out on WandaVision – and it definitely seems like her character has a key role to play in the show's macro mystery. In that sense, the actor's future with Marvel seems bright regardless of what happens with Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 2 (though we'll definitely been keeping a close eye out for updates).
