The MCU Can Still Have Its Own Green Goblin (Despite Dafoe’s Perfection)

While Spider-Man: No Way Home has served as a reminder of how great William Dafoe is in the role of the Green Goblin, the MCU can still give its own approach to the Spider-Man villain. By stealing the spotlight once again twenty years after the first Spider-Man film, Willem Dafoe’s performance in No Way Home creates a problem for the MCU on how to have its own, non-multiversal Norman Osborn. To reduce the inevitable comparisons to Dafoe’s version, the MCU could focus on a different side of the character not yet explored in live-action.

How perfect Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina were as Green Goblin and Doc Ock was one of the reasons why MCU had so far avoided reusing any of Spider-Man’s previous villains. In No Way Home, despite sharing the screen with four other villains and three Spider-Men, Dafoe managed to come out as a highlight of the film thanks to his performance both as the scared Norman Osborn and the vicious Green Goblin. With a second Spider-Man trilogy in the MCU all but confirmed, it is hard to imagine that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker journey could continue for three more movies without at least involving Harry or Norman.

In the comics, when he is not the Green Goblin, Norman will often act as a behind-the-scenes type of antagonist who fights the heroes using his money and influence. The character’s run as the Iron Patriot or even as a member of the Illuminati has little to do with the more classic version of the Green Goblin and could be what the MCU needs to have its own, distinctive Norman Osborn. Additionally, many important Avengers sagas that are yet to be adapted into live-action involve Norman (and not the Green Goblin) as a key player. Armor Wars, which will soon be a Disney+ series, is the perfect example. After two decades of appearances in Spider-Man films, a role in a more different story such as Armor Wars could benefit the character.

Trying to make the classic Green Goblin without Willem Dafoe would be too big of a risk that the MCU seems wisely unwilling to take. Should a new actor be cast as the MCU’s version of Norman Osborn, giving him a material completely different from the one Dafoe had to work with would be the best alternative to avoid comparisons and still allow the next films to feature one of the most important characters in the Marvel universe.

Willem Dafoe’s performance as Green Goblin is already immortalized in the history of superhero films, but that should not discourage the MCU from trying to give its own take on the character going forward.  Two decades after setting the bar high for any actors in an antagonist role, Dafoe has returned in Spider-Man:No Way Home to remind everyone why he is synonymous with the Green Goblin. To accomplish the difficult mission of replacing the actor in future productions, several decades of comic book storylines that focus more on Norman Osborn than on the Goblin are available.

About The Author

Marcelo Leite
(185 Articles Published)

Marcelo Leite is a senior writer for Screen Rant with years of experience in creative and academic writing. Although his chosen field was structure engineering, there is nothing he likes better than writing about the things he loves.

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