Batman has the Joker. Superman has Lex Luthor. And for Spider-Man, his most iconic arch-nemesis is, and always will be, the Green Goblin. Only, because both Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 touched on Norman and Harry Osborn's deadly relationship with Spidey and the Goblin, producer Amy Pascal once told me that she hoped the MCU Spider-Man movies NEVER touched on the Goblin story.
What about Tom Holland, though? He's the new Peter Parker. He is carving his niche in the MCU, and in Spider-Man: Homecoming, he is taking on updated versions of The Vulture (Michael Keaton) and The Shocker (Bokeem Woodbine). Does he want to eventually see The Goblin on screen in his universe? As it turns out, no. Holland told me:
I agree with Amy [Pascal]. I think Spider-Man is a character that has so many rich villains. We should be exploring people that we haven't seen before, rather than people we have seen in the past.
Truthfully, I'm stunned. I figured that one of the juiciest storylines that Tom Holland his new collaborators at Marvel would want to finally tell their version of would be the Green Goblin, and Norman Osborn. If we're being honest, the characters of Norman and Harry Osborn are ones that should be introduced early, and be developed over time. Rushing into a conflict between Peter (Holland) and an eventual Norman would be detrimental, so it's possible that the storyline could be teased in future MCU Spider-Man movies, and developed over time.
Instead, we can look forward to other members of Spider-Man's rogues gallery who never showed up on screen, and who aren't part of the Sony universe that's being built around Venom (Tom Hardy), Black Cat and Silver Sable. Does this mean that Doctor Octopus is off the table? Or that we won't get Sandman or The Lizard because they were part of previous Spider-Man movies? It could. That would free up iconic characters like Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, Tombstone, Beetle and Chameleon. Can we get a do-over on Electro, too? Please?
Here's Tom Holland, answering my Green Goblin question at the Spider-Man junket in New York City:
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, our high school hero heads home after the battle of Captain America: Civil War, but is disappointed that he isn't invited to join The Avengers automatically. Instead, he tries to solve some crimes on the ground level in Queens, which has him crossing paths with Adrian Toomes, the Vulture. The movie opens in theaters on July 7. Trust me, you are going to want to see it!
