The MCU doesn’t need Spider-Man to introduce Norman Osborn
By Mark Lynch
The MCU may not have Spider-Man anymore, but that shouldn’t stop them from introducing the world to their version of Norman Osborn.
Spider-Man: Far From Home concluded the most recent phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and ended with one heck of a cliffhanger – with promise of more things in store for our favorite web-slinger and for the MCU in general.
Unfortunately, things are now looking grim for the wall-crawler’s MCU future, as Sony has decided to close the door on the Marvel Studios Spider-Man deal. That means that Marvel will have to switch things up a bit and figure out what the MCU looks like without Spidey.
However, this really shouldn’t be a problem. Marvel Studios has proven that they are capable of adapting and making things work. And just because they can’t use Spider-Man, that shouldn’t mean that we can’t see his most dangerous villain, Norman Osborn, right?
Before you say it: Yes, I’m aware that Norman may not be available. The Green Goblin is, of course best known for being a Spider-Man villain – but I’m not talking about the Green Goblin, I’m just talking about Norman – a character that the MCU should be able to adapt.
Remember, we did get Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Age of Ultron – with the latter going onto play a much bigger role in later MCU films. Both of those characters are mutants in the comic books. Mutants are, of course, associated with the X-Men – characters that, at the time, Fox had the rights to. And, if you recall, Quicksilver even appeared in a number of Fox’s X-Men movies.
Thus, you would imagine that Marvel Studios would be able to find a similar loophole for Norman Osborn, even if they weren’t allowed to directly refer to the Green Goblin.
His time as Marvel’s top villain
For a while, Norman Osborn wasn’t just a Spider-Man villain. In 2011, Norman was reinvented by Warren Ellis in his Thunderbolts series. He was the director of the Thunderbolts – a team that consisted of Songbird, Moonstone, Radioactive Man, Penance, Venom (Mac Gargan), and Bullseye. Here, he embraced his human side and shied away from the Green Goblin persona – well, except that one time when he was being mind-controlled!
Later, he helped defeat the Skrulls (Secret Invasion), became an Avenger, and led his own version of S.H.I.E.L.D. called H.A.M.M.E.R.
This was the beginning of Norman’s journey to becoming a wider villain to all of Marvel Comics and not just Spider-Man. And since he was more than just a Spider-Man annoyance for a while, Marvel Studios may have case here.
We also shouldn’t overlook the Dark Reign era – in which Norman’s Dark Avengers were running around as heroes, while he was trying to destroy Asgard, and formed a cabal with Loki, the Hood and Dr. Doom.
He was a black eye on the already bruised face of the superhero community. Luckily, the heroes rose up and took their world back. Not before Norman (the guy who dressed up like a goblin and threw people off bridges) was the world’s protector.
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This isn’t someone like the Scorpion, Venom, or Dr. Octopus who are predominantly Spider-Man villains. Norman was used to antagonize the entire Marvel Comics universe.
Norman Osborn could do all of these amazing things in the MCU. His Green Goblin side is fun, but he’s not nearly as interesting. Norman is calculated and is capable of becoming everything the world hates about a corrupt businessman with too much power – except Norman can back it up physically as well as in the boardroom.
Even after the Dark Reign, Norman gained a cult following of villains and former S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, and A.I.M. agents who believed in him. He’s a natural leader – especially to the dishonorable people of the world. After Loki, Thanos, and Killmonger, we need another incredible villain – that’s one of the key things that keeps the MCU popular. And the right actor could show the world that the Green Goblin is actually Norman’s weaker side.
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What do you think? Does the Marvel Cinematic Universe need Norman Osborn? Let us know in the comments below.