Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin is supposedly set to appear in Spider-Man 3, despite the fact that the character died nearly decades ago. In Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man movie, Norman Osborn was killed in the final battle with Spider-Man. While attempting to distract Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), the Green Goblin remotely activated his glider, believing that he could kill his enemy with a sneak attack. However, he failed to count on Peter’s spider-sense, and was subsequently impaled by his own glider. This was the end for Osborn, but Willem Dafoe did reprise the role in the other two installments in the trilogy by appearing as a hallucination to his son, Harry (James Franco).

It would seem that Dafoe may get to play the iconic villain at least one more time on the big screen. Amidst rumors that multiple characters tied to past Spider-Man franchises are joining the MCU’s third Spider-Man movie, it was reported that Dafoe would be back as the Green Goblin. This hasn’t been officially confirmed, but the news was backed up by reports that Dafoe was spotted on set. If this is true, then it’s possible that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will be crossing paths with his comic counterpart’s greatest enemy. Thus far, the Green Goblin is a character that the MCU hasn’t directly teased or mentioned, but that may be about to change.

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Thanks to the multiverse, bringing in characters from both Raimi’s trilogy and The Amazing Spider-Man movies is now a possibility. If WandaVision can have Fox’s Quicksilver (Evan Peters), then it stands to reason that Marvel can pull off something similar with its movies. Through the multiverse concept, Marvel can give the two Spider-Man franchise their very own realities, where they would exist separate from the world of the MCU’s heroes and villains. That being said, Willem Dafoe’s character is dead in the world of Sam Rami’s Spider-Man movies, so that naturally raises questions about how his return would work in a way that makes sense.

How MCU Phase 4 May Be Incorporating Raimi’s Spider-Man Characters

Casting details have provided some clues about how Raimi’s trilogy will be represented in Spider-Man 3. At first, it was believed that Spider-Man 3 would have all three live-action wallcrawlers, but it’s hard to say if this point if that’s actually going to happen. Recent comments from Tom Holland have cast doubt on Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire making appearances, but neither has been officially ruled out. Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man 2, on the other hand, is still expected to appear in some capacity. There’s also Spider-Man 3’s Sandman (Thomas Haden Church). If the three are included, that would give the MCU three major villains from Raimi’s trilogy. It could be that the three characters will somehow cross over from another world and encounter the MCU’s Spider-Man and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch).

How Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin Can Be In Spider-Man 3

Green Goblin

The easiest way for Spider-Man 3 to use Dafoe’s Norman Osborn is, of course, for him to appear as a hallucination (like he was before) or in a flashback sequence - but not only would that feel like the waste of a great character, but it wouldn’t serve a clear narrative purpose. Even if Maguire’s Peter Parker is in the movie, the central character is still the MCU’s Spider-Man. A character like the Green Goblin from Raimi’s trilogy wouldn’t work in his story unless he was alive and part of the action.

The MCU can make that happen by giving Raimi’s Spider-Man world its own reality and a divergent timeline. It could be discovered that there’s a timeline where the events of Spider-Man played out quite differently. It may be that Norman Osborn survived his fateful encounter with Spider-Man and lived to see another day. Alternatively, Green Goblin could have succeeded in killing Peter Parker that night. The New York City in that timeline would be one that doesn’t have a wall-crawler swinging around fighting crime. If that’s really what Spider-Man 3’s plan is, that would explain how they can make a multiverse Spider-Man movie without Maguire or Garfield being included. The film may only incorporate timelines where they’ve died. That could be how Molina’s Doctor Octopus – who died in Spider-Man 2 – is able to appear, and it may also be the reason why most of Spider-Man 3’s surprising cast additions are old villains.

Related: Why MCU's Spider-Man Works Even Without An Origin Story

How Norman Osborn May Be Different In Spider-Man 3

Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn sharpening a knife in Spider-Man

The inclusion of this particular version of Green Goblin presents Marvel with an excellent opportunity. Though Marvel would be using an existing, live-action Goblin, the character’s role in modern comics makes it possible for Marvel to offer something new with the character. In the comic books, Osborn evolved from the mentally unstable manic who killed Gwen Stacy into one of the greatest criminal masterminds in the Marvel Universe. In the 2000s, his rivalry with Spider-Man stopped being the focal point of the character. As his ambitions grew, he set his sights higher and became a threat to all the heroes on Earth. He became an enemy to the X-Men, the Avengers, and more. He also led his own team, known as the Dark Avengers. Though he did wear an Iron Man-style suit at one point, for the most part, he was able to accomplish these things as just Norman Osborn, and not as the Green Goblin.

This could serve as the template for what Marvel does with Willem Dafoe’s character in Spider-Man 3. This would make perfect sense for the movie, especially given the passing of time. Osborn would have to be approaching 70 by this time, and is unlikely to continue suiting up as the Green Goblin and fighting superheroes. That’s why the portrayal of his character in the 2000s comics feels like a much better fit. Osborn, having retired the Green Goblin mantle years ago, can be living comfortably as a billionaire, secretly pulling the strings of all sorts of disasters and schemes occurring on the planet. By this time, his wealth, resources, and experiences could have accumulated to a point where he has transformed into the mastermind fans know from the comics. That would certainly be an interesting scenario, as Dafoe’s Goblin was already widely regarded as one of the best Spider-Man movie villains. Revealing that he killed his Peter Parker (and has taken over the world) would elevate him into an even better villain, and a perfect antagonist for Tom Holland’s hero to fight in Spider-Man 3.

More: Spider-Man 3's Best Villain Choice Was Already Setup In Far From Home

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