Has Green Goblin Really Been Done To Death?

The main argument against this is that the Green Goblin has already appeared before; he was featured in both Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, and Marc Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man films. Speaking to Screen Rant while on a set visit for Spider-Man: Homecoming, producer Amy Pascal suggested made Norman Osborn’s prior appearances made him unlikely to appear in the MCU. Marvel’s goal, she explained, was to ensure the MCU Spider-Man felt fresh and original. “I don’t know how many more times we can do the Green Goblin,” Pascal noted. “I’ve certainly tried to do it fifty.”

But has either previous cinematic interpretation really nailed the Green Goblin? Willem Dafoe played industrialist Norman Osborn in 2002’s Spider-Man, and he performed well enough; unfortunately, though, the film hasn’t dated well. Meanwhile, the design of the Green Goblin armor was pretty poor. James Franco took over as the second Green Goblin in Spider-Man 3, but that movie was packed with far too many characters and plot-threads. As a result, Franco’s Green Goblin was undercut. Dane DeHaan’s version in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has earned few accolades; Sony tried to launch a cinematic universe off the back of it, and unwittingly destroyed the film’s narrative cohesion.

Sony may well have tried to do the Green Goblin before, but that doesn’t mean they’ve done a good job of it. Norman Osborn is far too important a character in the Spider-Man mythos - and, indeed, in the Marvel Universe itself - to be written off like this.

How Can Green Goblin Work In The Homecoming Sequel?

The fundamental problem with both previous versions is that they’ve started with the idea of the Green Goblin. Instead, it’s best to start with the concept of Norman Osborn; a wealthy, shady industrialist who becomes a surrogate father-figure to the young Peter Parker. The “father-figure” role is currently filled by Tony Stark, but Marvel has confirmed Stark isn’t in the Homecoming sequel. It’s quite possible that Downey’s time as Iron Man will come to an end in either Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers 4. Peter is clearly desperate for surrogate parents, and it would be easy for an Osborn to step in. If Marvel did gender-swap the character, it wouldn’t take much to suggest a rift between Peter and Aunt May that added another degree of vulnerability to Peter.

Crucially, Marvel isn’t only aiming to cast the main villain. They’re also looking for another secondary character, an 18-24-year-old male lead - again, of any ethnicity. This has been described as a “significant role,” with “leading-man qualities.” Some fans are speculating that this mysterious secondary character is somehow tied to the villain, and that immediately raises the possibility that Marvel is looking to cast Norman’s son, Harry. In the comics, Harry became one of Peter’s closest friends - until, that is, Spider-Man “killed” his insane father.

It’s easy to imagine a scenario where the genius Peter Parker is drawn into the Osborns’ orbit. He would befriend Harry, and gain a surrogate father/mother figure in the elder Osborn. Spider-Man’s best enemies have always been those he’s closest to; his rogues’ gallery is essentially his phone-book. Homecoming brought this personal element with the tremendous reveal that Vulture was Liz’s dad, but this plot would be one step beyond that; Peter’s very mentor would actually be the shadowy villain. Meanwhile, Osborn’s inclusion could continue to set up some of the most exciting Spider-Man possibilities, including the Sinister Six. Osborn’s leadership skills are another dimension of the character that have never been explored on the big screen before; the Sinister Six would present the ideal opportunity to do so, and several members are already in play.

Why Norman Osborn Would Be Good For The MCU After Avengers 4

The Green Goblin is one of Spider-Man’s most iconic foes. But he’s far more significant as genius and industrialist Norman Osborn. He runs Oscorp, a multinational company of tremendous influence, rivaling Stark Industries at its height. Osborn has no qualms about weapons design; the MCU equivalent would most definitely be seeking ways to create “enhanced” soldiers. There are strong rumors Mendell Stromm, a geneticist who works for Oscorp, will be the main villain in Sony’s Silver & Black. Although the relationship between Sony’s Spider-Man spinoffs and the MCU is uncertain, there are rumors Sony is only casting a voice actor for a brief Osborn cameo. Their concern is that they don’t want to contradict Marvel’s canon; they seem to believe Marvel may cast the role sooner or later. Should Marvel choose to do so, they could subtly tie the Sony spinoffs into the MCU, and also extend the scale and scope of Osborn’s evil. After all, while their main story would be told in the Spider-Man movies, the spinoffs would add to the character’s legend.

In the comics, Osborn was ultimately exposed and imprisoned. He wound up team leader of the Thunderbolts, a group of super-villains who were forced to work for the US Government; that incarnation of the team was essentially Marvel’s answer to Suicide Squad. Marvel has already introduced one key player in the Thunderbolts, Civil War’s Baron Zemo, and unusually chose to keep him alive by the film’s end. Ant-Man & The Wasp will introduce another, the Ghost.

As leader of the Thunderbolts, Osborn wound up on the front lines in battle against a Skrull invasion. A lucky shot turned him into a hero, and Osborn was awarded with leadership of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s replacement, H.A.M.M.E.R.. This launched one of the most exciting eras in recent Marvel Comics, the so-called “Dark Reign.” This arc saw the heroes struggling to survive, desperately wondering what to do about Osborn. Significantly, 2019’s Captain Marvel is set to introduce the Skrulls, and many fans believe that’s to set up a “Secret Invasion” arc running through Phase 4. With two members of the Thunderbolts in play, and the Skrulls due to appear next year as well, Marvel really could be setting the stage for Osborn’s rise to power.

This, of course, is an arc that the Spider-Man movies have never explored before. They’ve never shown Osborn disgraced and defeated, yet refusing to surrender; they’ve never given a sense of just how much a survivor he truly is, or presented him with a chance to reshape the world in his own twisted image. The “Dark Reign” era alone demonstrates that, for all Sony have used two previous versions of Osborn, they haven’t used the character up; he still has tremendous potential, especially as part of the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe. Meanwhile, the surrogate/mentor relationship with Peter would launch Osborn’s story with style, ensuring viewers became invested in Spider-Man’s greatest enemy, and watched his rise to power with equal parts shock and excitement.

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