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‘That’s a great role’: Willem Dafoe says he would reprise Spider-Man villain again

Actor returned to the role in 2021’s ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

Louis Chilton
Sunday 19 March 2023 14:12 GMT
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Spider-Man: No Way Home teaser trailer

Willem Dafoe has said he would gladly return to the role of Green Goblin, in another Spider-Man sequel.

The actor first played the Marvel Comics villain, whose real name is Norman Osborne, in Sam Raimi’s 2002 blockbuster Spider-Man.

He would later reprise the part briefly in Raimi’s two sequels, before making his full return as the character in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Speaking to Inverse, Dafoe described Norman Osborne as a “great role”, insisting that he could be coaxed back to the character “if everything was right”.

“I liked the fact that it’s a double role both times,” he said. “Twenty years ago, and fairly recently, both times [were] very different experiences, but I had a good time on both.”

Dafoe isn’t the only Spider-Man star to express an interest in returning to the universe.

Tobey Maguire, who played Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) in the trilogy of films, has said that he would be up for taking up the mantle again.

While many fans have called for the actor to be given his own sequel, another possibility is that Maguire could return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in a supporting role.

The forthcoming Avengers: Secret War film is set to feature an unprecedented number of crossover characters – and fans think Maguire’s webslinger might just be one of them.

Dafoe’s Green Goblin in ‘Spider-Man’ (2002) (Sony)

Raimi, too, has suggested he’d be up for directing another Spider-Man film – but only with Maguire in the lead role.

“I love Spider-Man. And I love Tom Holland in the role,” Raimi said, before adding: “If I made a Spider-Man movie, it would probably have to be with Tobey, or he’d break my neck.”

In another recent interview, it was claimed that Dafoe insisted on being slapped by co-star Emma Stone more than 20 times while filming a new project.

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