The Lord of the Rings trilogy is packed with unforgettable scenes, among those when Gollum (Andy Serkis) talks to himself through his reflection on the water, but this scene was made first in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and with the Green Goblin, and they are very similar. Many years before Tom Holland played Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man got his first big-screen adaptation in 2002 in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, with Tobey Maguire playing the title character. Spider-Man made way for a trilogy that ultimately redefined the modern superhero genre and paved the way for subsequent superhero movies from Marvel and other universes.
Spider-Man told the origin story of the title hero as a young Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically altered spider during a school trip, resulting in him developing spider-like superhuman abilities. While Peter dealt with these new powers and the responsibility that came with becoming a superhero, Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), owner of Oscorp and father of Peter’s best friend, Harry Osborn (James Franco), went through a transformation as a result of a failed experiment with a chemical that made him go insane and turned him into the Green Goblin. Now, Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy don’t seem to have much in common aside from being from different parts of the fantasy genre, but they actually have one scene in common involving their most notable antagonists.
Based on the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was released between 2001 and 2003, and followed the quest of Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring and thus its maker, Sauron, as well. However, by the time of the events of the final movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the Fellowship had split and Frodo continued his journey with the always loyal Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) and Gollum, a treacherous hobbit corrupted by the One Ring. The movie opens with a flashback of Sméagol killing his cousin after he found the ring and his subsequent transformation into Gollum, and back in the present, Gollum has a conversation with himself through his reflection on the water, similar to that of Norman Osborn with himself on a mirror during his transformation into the Green Goblin.
In The Return of the King, Gollum is having an inner conflict as he’s planning on killing Frodo and Sam so he can take the ring again, and he shares his fears with his reflection, which serves as his evil side. Gollum’s reflection reminds him that he already killed a hobbit to take the ring and he can do it again, so he shouldn’t be afraid and go for it, and they discuss their plan. A year earlier, Spider-Man did a similar scene featuring Norman Osborn and his evil side, the Green Goblin, only in this case with a mirror. Norman’s Green Goblin reflection explains to him he has arrived to “do what he can’t, to remove those in his way”, such as the board members at his company and later Spider-Man, and promising to bring him “power beyond his wildest dreams”. Both Sméagol and Norman were moved by their thirst for power that manifested through their other, evil personality, which was the side that ultimately became dominant, seeing them transform into full-on villains.
Although the settings and context are obviously different, there are many similarities between Gollum’s conversation with his reflection on the water and Norman Osborn confronting his Green Goblin side on the mirror, and it’s important to note that Raimi did it first. Both scenes are key in the development of the Green Goblin and Gollum, and they helped the audience understand their motivations and deepest desires, which were all rooted in power. In the end, both villains got what they deserved and not exactly what they wanted, and became some of the most memorable movie characters.