Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy saw quite a few villains—both good and bad—played by some of the renowned actors in the industry. The greatest villain of all would be the psychotic Green Goblin, who made the first Spider-Man film memorable for generations of viewers. Willem Dafoe’s unhinged performance in the film played a huge role in the success of such a villain.
Dafoe was popularly known to audiences as the character actor who controversially played Jesus in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. Interestingly, he was chosen for the role over three other famous actors, which will be surprising for fans. However, it is hard to imagine anyone other than Dafoe in the role now.
Before Willem Dafoe, these 3 actors were initially considered for Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man
Willem Dafoe‘s Norman Osborn, aka Green Goblin, is not just a fan-favorite Spider-Man villain but is often regarded as one of the best live-action comic-book villains. The character had such great appeal that when Dafoe was brought back for Tom Holland‘s multiversal film Spider-Man: No Way Home, he was made the central villain.
However, three other actors were considered for the role before Dafoe entered the picture for Tobey Maguire‘s film. Fans will honestly be surprised as to why Dafoe was picked over these actors. Columbia Pictures initially considered Nicolas Cage, Jim Carrey, or John Malkovich to play the part.
Cage would later go on to play another Marvel character, Ghost Rider, while Malkovich will make his Marvel entry in the upcoming Fantastic Four film. Jim Carrey earlier played the supervillain, The Riddler, in Batman Forever. However, none of these actors would’ve fit the bill to play Green Goblin in Spider-Man. At least, that’s what fans think.
Fans noted how casting Dafoe wasn’t a bad decision and he turned out to be perfect for the role. Some fans mentioned that these actors could’ve had a different take on the villain, however, they added that they found Dafoe to be irreplaceable in the role. Some of the fan reactions read:
Probably a good thing. He played it perfectly
— Alex Lee 🇨🇦 🇨🇳 🇯🇲 (@leeman24) February 17, 2025
Nic Cage with his dedication and method-acting could fit, but Dafoe was unreplacable
— Dr. Naumi (@DrNaumi) February 17, 2025
Jim Carrey could’ve been a great Raimi-verse Carnage.
Can’t unsee Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin.
— NeoGodGoku (@NeoGodGoku) February 17, 2025
Carrey would’ve been amazing, but Dafoe was perfect
— Vince (@Philly_fan11) February 18, 2025
Well I think it worked out because Dafoe killed it
— KingSpartacus17x (@KSpartacus17) February 17, 2025
The latest rumors about the upcoming Spider-Man film suggest that Willem Dafoe is set to make a comeback as Norman Osborn. The report comes from Marvel scooper @MyTimeToShineH on X, who shared that he is reportedly in talks with Marvel to return to the role.
Willem Dafoe himself answers why he is the best Green Goblin
After playing the main antagonist Green Goblin in not just one but two Spider-Man films, Willem Dafoe is definitely a fan-favorite actor. During an interview with WIRED, he was asked the question, “Why Willem Dafoe is the best Green Goblin?”
Dafoe immediately came up with an answer, that had some truth to it. He shared, “Because he was the first Green Goblin. Is that a good answer?”. Being the first actor to portray the villain, Dafoe effortlessly brought the duality of the character to the screen. Fans didn’t immediately receive James Franco’s or Dane DeHaan’s Green Goblin well.
During the interview, he also expressed his displeasure with No Way Home‘s use of de-aging techniques to make him look younger. He shared, “What’s the point? I don’t look that much older, I don’t think, anyway.”
Spider-Man is now available for streaming on Disney+.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
