Green Goblin Actors Also Returning In Spider-Man 3

Both Green Goblin actors could be headed into Spider-Man 3.

By Doug Norrie | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

green goblin spider-man

Green Goblin looks to be just another in the (very) long line of characters heading back to the screen in an upcoming flick that might just break the big screen. One of Spider-Man’s primary antagonists has seen a couple of different iterations in the various franchises and both could be headed back into the web-slinger’s universe. That’s because recent rumors have both Willem Dafoe and Dane Dehaan’s Green Goblins dropping into the cast for Spiderman 3

The two different versions of Green Goblin heading back to the big screen are just another in a seemingly never-ending list of characters who’ll assemble on-screen for this much-anticipated third movie in the Spider-Man franchise. When we last saw Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn was impaled by his own glider blades. 

Meanwhile, Dane Dehaan’s Harry Osborn was incarcerated for crimes he most-definitely committed. He was rotting away in prison, but with Spider-Man out of action, was still plotting revenge. They are now set to join the group of villains from all over the Spidey universe’s past. 

The Green Goblins getting back into the mix represent just a couple of bad guys in the list of nemeses who’ll take the screen in the fight against Peter Parker. Jamie Foxx is coming back as Electro and Alfred Molina will return as Doctor Octopus. There’s still no word on Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman, Topher Grace’s Venom, or Rhys Ifan’s The Lizard though we still have some time on those. But even without those latter three, Spider-Man will have all he can handle in this new film. 

That being said, it isn’t just the Green Goblins and other villains returning to the screen in this extravaganza. Tobey Maguire is rumored to return and Andrew Garfield will reprise his version of Spider-Man alongside current star Tom Holland. Plus Kirsten Dunst is back as Mary Jane and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy could even be coming back from the dead. This kind of overlap and casting from multiple timelines is unprecedented in movie history. I’m not sure there’s another movie comparison for what this latest is trying to pull off.

charlie cox daredevil

And it isn’t just characters from previous movies popping in either. Charlie Cox is going to get back into the Daredevil suit as well. This will be his character’s first spot on the big screen after helming the Netflix series. 

If this whole thing sounds ambitious, that would probably be a massive understatement. Spider-Man 3 will be able to bring back Green Goblin and others through the use of the multiverse which makes it *easier* to operate along different timelines and within different realities. And beyond just the plot device which allows it to happen, the real win came when Marvel and Sony Pictures struck up a deal for the latter’s characters to exist in the former’s new world. Coming to an agreement about the licensing rights made it possible for the entirety of the Spider-Man movie universe (all three iterations) to take part in the story. 

Casting news for Spider-Man 3 is hitting the wire almost hourly at this point with no indication it’s slowing down anytime soon. I doubt Dafoe and DeHaan returning as Green Goblins is the last we hear about what should be a groundbreaking film.