A key star from Invincible is confident that they’d make the perfect Green Goblin for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
One of Marvel Comics’ biggest villains, and Spider-Man’s archnemesis, is Norman Osborn, aka the Green Goblin. Though, to date, he’s only been portrayed in live-action by one actor: Willem Dafoe.
Dafoe debuted in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2005), but his Green Goblin recently came back for another round in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
But, when it comes to the MCU, Earth-616 doesn't seem to have its own Norman Osborn in play—even a universe-displaced Green Goblin couldn't find a trace of him. Hopefully, however, one day, that will change, and the iconic villain will get another moment in the spotlight.
Invincible Star Is Eyeing a Classic Marvel Villain
"... I Should Be Norman Osborn."
The Direct's Russ Milheim spoke with Invincible star Chris Diamantopoulos (who was promoting his upcoming series The Sticky), where the actor proudly declared that he'd love to play Norman Osborn.
Diamantopoulos, who plays the likes of Donald and Doc Seismic in Invincible, pitched that he'd play the Green Goblin in a "series called Goblin," which would "be about Norman Osborn leading up to becoming the Green Goblin:"
"I would be very good in the in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yeah, I do definitely. I was born going to Silver Snail comic shop. That's like one of the first place I ever went when I was a little kid, little baby. I've been a comic fan, a Marvel fan for my entire life, passed that on to my son. He's a crazy comic collector, particularly 80s and 90s stuff.
But I think that they should make a series called 'Goblin,' and it should be about Norman Osborn leading up to becoming the Green Goblin. And I should be Norman Osborn."
Is It Time for the Green Goblin in the MCU?
Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin is fantastic—that’s inarguable. But fans are ready for a new take on the iconic bad guy, and the MCU deserves to take a crack at adapting him.
Spider-Man 4 (which has had a challenging development cycle) provides the perfect start to set that up. With Tom Holland’s Peter Parker likely attending college, he will need a new group of friends.
This is where Harry Osborne can be introduced, which would lay the foundation for his father to make his presence known. An alternate version of the character can also be seen in the upcoming animated series Spider-Man: Freshman Year.
Chris Diamantopoulos would make for an incredible Norman Obsorn; there’s no doubt about it. He has some impressive range, which would work well with portraying the stern businessman side of the character and the crazy killer Goblin angle as well.
What could be a hard sell for Marvel Studios (and Sony Pictures) is a Norman Osborn television show specifically. While villain shows have been successful (see Loki and Agatha All Along), it’s unclear if a Green Goblin series could ever exist in the MCU in the first place, given the weird rights tangled up with any Spider-Man character.
Chris Diamantopoulos' next project will be The Sticky on Amazon Studios' Prime Video, which will be released on December 6.
