While Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has memorably gone up against the likes of Vulture and Mysterio in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the big villain all us fans want him to eventually face is the Green Goblin. One of Spidey’s most dangerous and chaotic antagonists, the Green Goblin, whether in goblin form or simply as businessman Norman Osborn, has so much potential as an adversary not just to Peter Parker but the entire MCU as a whole.
Question is though, who could play him? Willem Dafoe played the role pitch-perfectly in 2002’s Spider-Man, so not only does a new actor have to live up to that performance but also take into consideration what else can be done with this character. There’s no shortage of talented actors working today though, and we’ve compiled a list of actors who we think could knock the role out of the park.
So here’s Green Goblin: 10 Actors Who Could Glide and Strike Fear in the MCU.
10. Dominic West
An underrated English actor who’s given a plethora of great performances, West would do a great job in the role of Oscorp’s founder. West isn’t a stranger to Marvel films, having played the over-the-top villain Jigsaw in Punisher: War Zone, though that film isn’t considered one of Marvel’s best.
He’d be better suited for Norman, where his smug charm (as seen in roles on The Wire, The Affair, and Money Monster) could work to make Osborn as lovably detestable as he can be, but West has shown he can be intense when the time calls for it, which would work well for when Norman is at his most unhinged.
9. Jason Isaacs
Isaacs has long been a fan-favorite to play Green Goblin, and for good reason: he excels at playing charismatic yet ruthlessly evil characters, from Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films to Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot. Those traits would certainly lend themselves to an entertaining and complex antagonist in the MCU.
Isaacs also isn’t a stranger to superhero films, at least in the animated variety: he voiced Sinestro (another role he’s been suggested for) in 2011’s Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, as well as Superman himself in the recently released Superman: Red Son. We think it’s time he made the jump to live-action superhero films as the Green Goblin.
8. Bryan Cranston
Often considered one of the most talented actors working today, Cranston is a favorite of many fan castings for either DC or Marvel properties. While he’s been suggested for the likes of Commissioner Gordon and Professor Xavier in the past, it’s the Green Goblin that fans most want to see him portray.
Anyone who’s seen Cranston’s role as Walter White on Breaking Bad knows what the actor could bring to the role of Spider-Man’s arch-nemesis. That ability to go from calm and meticulous in one minute to explosive anger in the next is the key to Norman’s character, and Cranston is one of the few able to do it with ease.
7. Andrew Lincoln
It’s a shame that Lincoln hasn’t gotten much work recently outside of The Walking Dead because he’s an astonishingly talented actor who deserves more roles in bigger projects. One such role could be Osborn, if the opportunity ever came in his direction. If his TWD co-stars Jon Bernthal and Danai Gurira can join the MCU, surely Lincoln can also.
As Rick Grimes, Lincoln often gave off a commanding sense of leadership, as well as powerful anger and physicality in his more intense moments; each of these traits would serve well in playing both Norman and Green Goblin.
6. James Nesbitt
The critically acclaimed Irish actor who (outside of The Hobbit trilogy and the Starz/BBC One drama The Missing) unfortunately hasn’t broken big outside of the UK. Nesbitt would be a dark horse pick for Gobby, but a very welcome one. His starring role on the 2007 miniseries Jekyll gives us an inkling of how he’d do in the role.
As Tom Jackman’s Hyde-esque alter ego, Nesbitt was effectively ruthless, unpredictable, sadistic, and unexpectedly funny. Seeing him bring those electric traits to the MCU would make for an amazing and creepy antagonist, and could open up more career opportunities for him in the U.S. going forward.
5. Matthew Rhys
The Americans star Rhys has won acclaim for his role on the show as Phillip Jennings, a KGB officer posing as a married father of two in 1980s Virginia. It’s in this role that the Wales-born actor has exuded an air of magnetic charisma and fierce, often fiery determination in getting what he wants.
It’s also his chameleon-like ability to change accents and mannerisms at the drop of a hat that proves to us he’d be able to handle the roles of both Norman and Green Goblin.
4. Damian Lewis
Lewis has proved his mettle as an immensely talented actor, as seen from his roles in two Showtime series, Homeland and Billions. It’s in both of those roles, as USMC Sergeant Nicholas Brody and hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod respectively, that he’s displayed not only an arresting sense of charisma and showmanship but also an ability to be effectively creepy and explosively short-tempered.
While he’s been avoiding the call of comic book movies, the complex dual nature of the Green Goblin could certainly lure an actor of Lewis’s caliber. Plus, it would reunite him with Tom Holland, who Lewis previously worked with on the BBC miniseries adaptation of Wolf Hall.
3. Oscar Isaac
Isaac’s last venture into superhero territory was as the titular villain in X-Men: Apocalypse, where he (like the rest of the cast) was victim to a not-so-great script, not to mention a large and cumbersome suit in his case. If he’s willing to give the genre another shot, another villain more deserving of his talents would no doubt be Osborn and his cackling, pumpkin bomb-throwing alter ego.
While Isaac’s a bit younger than some of the other entries on this list, his role in Ex Machina shows that he’s no stranger to playing shady scientist types, and he’s no doubt got it covered when it comes to darkly charismatic or unhinged roles either.
2. Antony Starr
Starr remained a scary yet engaging presence, one it would be wise to hang a character like the Green Goblin on.
1. Michael C. Hall
The Dexter star is more than capable of playing this role and giving us one of the best antagonists the MCU has to offer. As Dexter Morgan, he managed to effortlessly combine a charming, likable facade with an intense, often frightening demeanor when satisfying his urge to kill. As the antagonist in Gamer, he was one of the film’s bright spots as an equally playful and sadistic character with shades of the Goblin there.
It’s a shame that Hall hasn’t gotten that many roles recently, as he’s a phenomenal actor deserving of more roles to unleash his versatile chops. Playing Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in the MCU would certainly be one we’d pick.
