As much as Marc Webb keeps telling us that Electro (Jamie Foxx) is the main antagonist in his The Amazing Spider-Man 2, we keep getting more and more Green Goblin coverage as the sequel nears. The latest, disturbing image of Dane DeHaan in character as the Goblin can be seen below:
The image comes to us from Total Film, and appears to take place in the clock-tower battle that has been hinted at in various teasers and trailers for Webb’s Spider-Man sequel. Will this battle take place near the end of the film? If you do the math in your head, it virtually has to, as the bulk of Webb’s movie should deal with the creation of Electro, the handling of Electro, the introduction of DeHaan’s version of Harry Osborn, his transformation INTO the Goblin, and – eventually – the battle between classic foes Spider-Man and Gobby.
Of course, the idea that Harry turns into the first Goblin and not his dear old dad, Norman (Chris Cooper), flies in the face of classic Spider-Man mythology, so Webb appears to be spinning a very different story here (and one I’m not certain I’m ready to embrace). This is a massive change, and I’m eager to see how it plays out on screen. Until then, we’ll reserve judgment and talk only about what we see in the image.
I’m concerned about this new approach to the Goblin. Once upon a time, the Green Goblin looked like this:
Norman Osborn wore a costume and a mask. He was able to take the mask off and interact with the public, however, so Peter Parker never knew the true identity of his greatest foe until it was too late. DeHaan, from what I can see in the above image and in this new Spider-Man toy, has turned into an actual Goblin. His ears are pointy. His screen is green. He’s developed fangs. Is he a permanent goblin? The villains in this revised Spider-Man are outcomes of genetic research at OsCorp, so it’s probable that Harry – like the Lizard before him – is a real goblin now. But man, does that alter the course of the story.
At least he doesn’t look like this:
Webb’s Spider-Man sequel has been laying the groundwork for a much larger Spidey universe, one that keeps OsCorp at the center of Web-head’s problems. I have to believe that Norman will play a much bigger role in the expanded story as things play out. You don’t hire Cooper for a few glorified cameos. And is this clock-tower sequence going to be the end of Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy? There’s so much left to be determined. Find out more when the movie opens on May 2.
