The most fulfilling part of Doc Ock was the one where he was in love. Jamie Foxx did a better job with his take on the film. Is it possible that Willem Dafoe is involved? In Spider-Man: No Way Home, he did the same things he did 20 years ago. It was perfect.
The moviegoing world got its first taste of what a big, serious take on a comic book could look like in a movie almost 20 years ago. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man was a revelation for the genre, packed with thrills and seat-edging action that feels like it's ripped directly from the printed page.
The Green Goblin was a key part of that success. He owned every single scene he was in as he chronicled Norman Osborn's descent into madness. It's the voice. And laugh. He sounds like a villain in a comic book.
This is a scene from Spider-Man where Goblin is coming out. You don't need to watch; just listen. The strained throatiness that makes every line sound like a cackle is bone-chilling. Behind the mask and armored flight suit, you can feel the exaggerated proportions of a broken genius driven mad by his own power.
Spider-Man himself, who lacked the playful energy of his comic book counterpart, shined brightly next to the foil that was given to him by Dafoe. Comic book movies depend on their villains more than their heroes. The majority of villains are one-and-done, and they wreak havoc before being defeated. The pressure is on to sell that villainy.
It's not clear what the full story will look like, but No Way Home has a lot of emotional journey on it. He's the lens through which Tom Holland's Peter Parker comes to understand that being a hero doesn't mean you have to choose who you save. He's the chaos agent behind Peter's greatest loss, and his continued existence tests the limits of Spider-Man's commitment to wielding his "great power" responsible.
It's a lot for any one actor to play a character that has been gone for two decades and has no real in-universe to any of the people in his life. He's in another universe and not just a man out of time. The derangement it creates gives him a potent tool to hang his performance on is what broke him all those years ago.
Credit: Moviestore
Again, Dafoe goes full Goblin. When Peter's "tingle" (aka Spidey Sense) outs Norman's true intentions for the first time, he shows us what we've been missing. His cackle is a full-on physical performance. As the monster within emerges and a thin, menacing grin spreads across his face, it's easy to see why he's been wearing a mask for so long.
That cackle is a trademark of Dafoe. He channels the history of exaggerated villainy into a single moment. There are cartoons that are less convincing. He nailed it when he played Spider-Man in No Way Home.
There's a reason people still go crazy in theaters when he says "You know, I'm something of a scientist myself." That evil smile. Even with two other famous Spider-Men and an entire rogue's gallery of bad guys all returning, the appearance of this Goblin in a 2021 movie fully stands out.
The latest Spider-Man feels like it was built to provide some kind of closure. They fight to save the villains they fight to save. Everyone who was created outside the current timelines has a proper ending, so No Way Home could be our last dance with most of this crew. I hope not.
The return of Green Goblin isn't just a reminder that, hey, Willem Dafoe is really good at this. He gave Holland-Spidey a true nemesis, something he hasn't yet found in the MCU. All we can do is hope Holland's dance with the multiverse is not over, because we don't know what's next for our latest Spider-Man.
