Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin is rumored to be the main villain of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Marvel Studios and Sony's third installment in Tom Holland's Spider-Man franchise is shaping up to be quite different from what fans expected when Spider-Man: Far From Home ended. After Mysterio revealed Spider-Man's secret identity, the MCU's Spider-Man 3 is going in a surprising direction with the heavily rumored presence of the multiverse.

The expectation that Spider-Man: No Way Home will explore the multiverse has been teased through multiple official and unofficial casting decisions. Benedict Cumberbatch is set to appear as Doctor Strange before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Furthermore, there are reports that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man heroes will appear, as will several of their villains - and possibly even Charlie Cox as Daredevil. The wide range of rumors regarding Spider-Man 3's cast eventually grew to include the return of Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin, whom he played in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.

Related: Why The Multiverse Peter Parkers Can Be The MCU Spider-Man's Best Mentors

Green Goblin was the main villain of Spider-Man and had cameos in both sequels after dying in the first film. His return in Spider-Man: No Way Home is now rumored to see him return in a major way. Collider's Jeff Sneider revealed on his podcast The Sneider Cut (via The Direct), that he's heard Green Goblin is the main villain of Spider-Man 3 and is "pretty sure" this information is accurate. He went on to say Green Goblin is one of six villains in the movie and the movie's title is a reference to the villains from other dimensions not having a way home. However, he also cautioned to take this all with a grain of salt for the time being.

Willem Dafoe Green Goblin

If this information is accurate and Green Goblin is Spider-Man: No Way Home's main villain, it will be fascinating to see exactly what role he plays. Dafoe's Green Goblin died after his glider impaled him, so how he avoids that fate to return here is unclear. It is possible that the Green Goblin featured in Spider-Man 3 is not the same one from Raimi's films. Alfred Molina already confirmed his return as Doc Ock sees him play the same version of the character from Spider-Man 2, but Marvel could take a different approach with Green Goblin if they want to alter parts of his story or character design.

Green Goblin's large presence in Spider-Man: No Way Home could be part of the plans Marvel and Sony have for the franchise's future. If he appears alongside five other Spider-Man villains, it is possible that Osborn founds the Sinister Six at some point in this movie. Sony has been trying to develop a Sinister Six movie for years to no avail. Depending on how Spider-Man: No Way Home leaves Green Goblin's story, there is even a chance that Dafoe could continue playing the character in future MCU films after making his highly anticipated return. Hopefully all of these rumors about who will and won't be in Spider-Man: No Way Home will become a bit more clear to parse through once the first trailer drops.

MORE: When Will The First Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer Release?

Source: The Sneider Cut [via The Direct]

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