How the MCU Almost Ruined One of Marvel’s Greatest Villains

Due in significant part to rights concerns, the MCU initially had difficulty adapting Marvel’s wide range of renowned villains. While Spider-Man’s rogues gallery stayed with Sony, major enemies like Doctor Doom, Magneto, and Kingpin were signed to rival companies. Through an agreement between Marvel Studios and Sony, the MCU was able to use Spider-Man’s antagonists, bringing underutilized characters like Vulture and Mysterio to the big screen rather than recycling classics like Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus.

Nevertheless, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ appealed to nostalgia by bringing back well-known antagonists like Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin. A high point was Dafoe’s comeback as Norman Osborn, who retained the ominous dread that made him a fan favourite in Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy. 

Image Courtesy: Screen Rant

However, this also brought attention to a problem with how Spider-Man’s worst enemy was handled in the MCU. Although Dafoe’s Goblin is a captivating character, unlike in the comics, where Osborn is a father figure to Peter and a pivotal person in his life, his character’s introduction as a multiversal version meant that there was no pre-existing relationship between him and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.

By making this narrative decision, the MCU breaks with the classic, intensely personal conflict between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. Even though ‘No Way Home’ features a highly emotional fight scene, the possibility of such confrontations is diminished because the MCU’s 616 universe does not contain a real Norman Osborn. 

Despite this, Norman Osborn might potentially become a significant figure in the MCU in the future, providing a more thorough depiction of his role beyond that of the Green Goblin, as Marvel has a history of reviving characters and plots.

–Farheen Ali