Marvel fans all around the world are ready for the Avengers to reunite. It's all that the Marvel Cinematic Universe fandom can talk about, for the Multiverse Saga's conclusion is set to begin in next year's Avengers: Doomsday, which will bring Robert Downey Jr. back but in the brand new role as the infamous Doctor Doom. It's going to be one heck of a film, but it's also going to be a heck of a wait for the installment, which isn't set to grace screens until December 2026 (having been delayed from May). But it will be worth the wait to see the MCU legend portray the infamous Marvel Comics villain.
Doctor Doom is one character who Marvel fans have been waiting to see introduced to the MCU for a long time. The legendary franchise has adapted the likes of Thanos, Red Skull, the Winter Soldier, Gorr the God Butcher and so many more recognizable antagonists from the comics over the years, so it often feels like there aren't many that it hasn't given us a version of yet. Victor von Doom is one of them, and now that is officially set to happen ahead of the Multiverse Saga's end, uniting the Avengers in the process.
That being said, there is also another legendary character that the MCU has yet to give us an adaptation of - and it's one so major that it's hard to believe they haven't yet. Well, not one canon to the MCU anyway.
Marvel Studios reportedly planning on introducing Norman Osborn into the MCU
According to long-time industry insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios is planning on introducing Norman Osborn into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He doesn't say where or when that could happen, but the likely place for that would be sometime after the Multiverse Saga's conclusion as a host of new characters will likely play a major role in having the next phase of the franchise stand out from its predecessors. Osborn could be one of them.
Now, if you're reading this confused by the possibility of a new Norman Osborn in the MCU, you're not the only one. Whenever the character does inevitably appear in the film series, it won't be the first time that a Marvel Studios project has referred to the character. You'll remember that 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home brought Willem Dafoe back as his version of the character, allowing him to reprise the role he played in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man back in 2002. Moreover, Marvel Animation's Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man - which takes place in an alternate Earth that runs parallel to the MCU - had Colman Domingo voice Norman throughout its 10-episode run (and he's expected to return for season 2 next year).
Both of those versions of the infamous Spider-Man villain were exclusive to their own universes, so neither one are technically canon to the MCU's Earth-616. With that in mind, any future Norman that we see in the franchise will likely be the MCU's official version; one exclusive to Earth-616. And if that's the case, Marvel Studios and Sony could attempt to introduce him before the Multiverse Saga ends. After all, if we've met his variants, it's only a matter of time until we meet him.
Norman Osborn is a Spider-Man villain and Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to begin production this year. Could the future Green Goblin end up facing off against Tom Holland's Spidey in the upcoming fourth Spider-Man movie in the MCU franchise? Probably not right away, but this could serve as the perfect opportunity to introduce this particular variant of the character, setting the stage for a long-term storyline with him.
It's not yet clear if Marvel Studios and Sony would want to bring back Willem Dafoe or Colman Domingo to portray the character. Of the two, Domingo would be the most likely. As the characters in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man maintain a likeness to their MCU counterparts, it would stand to reason that Osborn would too. And with that, Domingo could be called in to play the live-action version of the character.
Domingo's name has been attached to the MCU for quite some time now, with initial rumors claiming that he could replace Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. The Fear The Walking Dead star did inevitably confirm that conversations around that might have been had, but that he was more interested in playing his own character. With a collaboration with Marvel Studios and Sony already under his belt, he could be a strong contender to reprise that same role in live-action when that time comes.
Norman Osborn is one of the best-known Marvel Comics villains due to his alter-ego as the Green Goblin as well as his complex relationships with his son Harry and Peter Parker. It goes without saying that his MCU debut is long-overdue at this point and that Colman Domingo would have the charisma, aura, and acting quality to bring him to life.
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