There are many Marvel fans hoping that the longtime classic villain Norman Osborn will soon make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, depending upon the era, event, or even universe from the comics, the version of Osborn coming to the big screen could be very different as a result. While he started out as a Spider-Man villain, Osborn has grown over time to become a much bigger Marvel villain at large. Which Norman Osborn could fans see in theaters in the near future? Which version is the most likely and which is not?
Norman Osborn was first introduced in the comics as a pretty corrupt industrialist and the CEO of Oscorp, his own company, specializing in military contacts as well as chemicals and genetics. After stealing a prototype serum meant to enhance strength and intelligence from his business partner, it explodes in his face. While the serum works, there are side effects that cause insanity, giving birth to Osborn's classic and most well-known version, the Green Goblin. Armed with a durable protective suit, throwable pumpkin bombs, and an experimental personal flying glider, the Green Goblin becomes the arch-foe of Spider-Man, often being responsible for quite a lot of pain and suffering in Peter Parker's life. However, Osborn has become so much more than just a Spidey foe as the years have gone on.
Over the years, Osborn went through a more stable era with a sort of reformed personality, working with the government to lead the Thunderbolts, a team of fellow reformed supervillains (a rumored project what Marvel Studios may be developing for the MCU). Furthermore, during the Secret Invasion of the Skrulls, it was Osborn who delivered the final blow, killing Queen Veranke, and getting massive amounts of public approval. As a result, he was made director of SHIELD, which he turned into HAMMER, and created a new team of Dark Avengers, with supervillains posing as heroes, with himself leading the team as Iron Patriot (yes, he was the original and it wasn't just a War Machine rebrand as Iron Man 3 depicts it to be). As of right now in the MCU, there is no SHIELD in the public eye, and the status of an official Avengers team is uncertain after the events of Endgame. There seems to be a strong opportunity for Osborn to step in a play the part of a replacement hero while having a darker secret agenda to be discovered and stopped by the real heroes later on.
In the Ultimate Universe, Oscorp is actually responsible for Spider-Man getting his powers, which causes Osborn to view himself as Peter Parker's father in a twisted way. He also experiments on himself akin to the standard Marvel universe version, but in the Ultimate version, he transforms into actual Green Goblin monster, essentially a flaming, horned, Hulk. Seeing as how the MCU has taken several cues from the Ultimate Universe as much as the standard 616, it's very possible that this could be a route for Osborn in the films.
While unlikely, it's also worth mentioning that most recently, Norman Osborn became the Red Goblin, a combination of Osborn's Goblin personality as well as the Cletus Kasady symbiote Carnage in the same body. While a terrifying evolution for Norman, it's probably not the most viable version for Marvel Studios and Sony to use, seeing as how quite a bit of context would be needed for that to make sense for mainstream audiences. The most likely and logical version would probably be a Norman Osborn that starts out as an industrialist with dark agendas in the shadows as an overarching big bad in the MCU. Then, over time, he could either go the classic Green Goblin route, or try and fill the current void in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and try to create a replacement for the Avengers, or even a combination of the two. However it plays out, Marvel Studios and Sony will be sure to introduce Osborn in a way that feels natural and entertaining to fans, while also making sure to honor and reference the source material of such a dynamic and multi-faceted villain from the comics.