Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin is rumored to be the main villain of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Marvel Studios and Sony’s third installment in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man franchise is shaping up to be quite different from what fans expected when Spider-Man: Far From Home ended. After Mysterio revealed Spider-Man’s secret identity, the MCU’s Spider-Man 3 is going in a surprising direction with the heavily rumored presence of the multiverse.

The expectation that Spider-Man: No Way Home will explore the multiverse has been teased through multiple official and unofficial casting decisions. Benedict Cumberbatch is set to appear as Doctor Strange before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Furthermore, there are reports that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man heroes will appear, as will several of their villains – and possibly even Charlie Cox as Daredevil. The wide range of rumors regarding Spider-Man 3‘s cast eventually grew to include the return of Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin, whom he played in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.

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Green Goblin was the main villain of Spider-Man and had cameos in both sequels after dying in the first film. His return in Spider-Man: No Way Home is now rumored to see him return in a major way. Collider‘s Jeff Sneider revealed on his podcast The Sneider Cut (via The Direct), that he’s heard Green Goblin is the main villain of Spider-Man 3 and is “pretty sure” this information is accurate. He went on to say Green Goblin is one of six villains in the movie and the movie’s title is a reference to the villains from other dimensions not having a way home. However, he also cautioned to take this all with a grain of salt for the time being.

If this information is accurate and Green Goblin is Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s main villain, it will be fascinating to see exactly what role he plays. Dafoe’s Green Goblin died after his glider impaled him, so how he avoids that fate to return here is unclear. It is possible that the Green Goblin featured in Spider-Man 3 is not the same one from Raimi’s films. Alfred Molina already confirmed his return as Doc Ock sees him play the same version of the character from Spider-Man 2, but Marvel could take a different approach with Green Goblin if they want to alter parts of his story or character design.

Green Goblin’s large presence in Spider-Man: No Way Home could be part of the plans Marvel and Sony have for the franchise’s future. If he appears alongside five other Spider-Man villains, it is possible that Osborn founds the Sinister Six at some point in this movie. Sony has been trying to develop a Sinister Six movie for years to no avail. Depending on how Spider-Man: No Way Home leaves Green Goblin’s story, there is even a chance that Dafoe could continue playing the character in future MCU films after making his highly anticipated return. Hopefully all of these rumors about who will and won’t be in Spider-Man: No Way Home will become a bit more clear to parse through once the first trailer drops.

Source: The Sneider Cut [via The Direct]

Key Release Dates
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  • Black Widow (2021)Release date: Jul 09, 2021
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)Release date: Sep 03, 2021
  • Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
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About The Author


Cooper Hood
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Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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