Normal Osborne’sMCUdebut resembles Iron Man’s role and I hope this isn’t a trend that continues inSpider-Manstories.Iron Man’s MCU legacyis practically unassailable after being positioned as the de facto protagonist of the Infinity Saga and sacrificing his own life to destroy Thanos. So far, this posthumous legacy has been explored inSpider-Man: Far From Home, where his tight-knit relationship with Peter Parker saw the young protégé dealing with the death of his mentor and the fact that he was chosen as his successor, being bequeathed Stark’s EDITH glasses and control over his tech.
It was anoff-piste move from Marvel Studiosand one that still sparks healthy debate among Spider-Man fans today. Combined with the conspicuous absence of characters typically integralto Peter Parker’s story, like Uncle Ben and Harry Osborne, the MCU’s willingness to deviate from comic book precedent feels particularly pronounced with this character. Now, it looks as if Marvel is doing the same with Norman Osborne, AKA Green Goblin, a character many would call his arch-rival. While I’m always open to the proper use of creative license, I can’t help but feel like Marvel is now repeating itself.
Norman Osborn Is One Of Spider-Man’s Best Villains For A Reason
He Shares A Deep Relationship With Peter Parker
Norman Osborne (and his Green Goblin alter-ego) is Spider-Man’s foremost rivalin Marvel Comics. This isn’t because he was Spider-Man’s first (that accolade goes to the Chameleon), but because the two share a particularly deep and nuanced relationship. Osborn’s respect for Peter Parker seemingly supersedes that of his son and Peter’s best friend, Harry. This respect for Peter is perfectly expressed in bothSpider-ManandSpider-Man: No Way Home, making their subsequent tussles pack an extra punch when Osborn relents to his villainous alter-ego. His immense resources and megalomania have also led to clashes with multiple other Marvel heroes.
Spider-Man’s MCU Future Already Has The Perfect Green Goblin Story
Peter Parker meets the Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but their story is still far from over in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Green Goblin is also responsible for somepivotal moments in Spider-Man’s most famous stories. For instance, while it fell to his son, Harry, to cause Gwen Stacy’s death inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, this was originally Norman’s doing in Marvel Comics. The Green Goblin alter-ego may be inherently psychotic enough to inflict some of the most egregious acts of villainy in Marvel Comics, butOsborn is himself a particularly formidable and shrewd villain, whose overall villainy is rarely up for debate. Nevertheless, the MCU has seemingly resolved to make him more akin to Iron Man.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Introduces The MCU’s New Norman Osborn As An Iron Man Replacement
Even His Introduction Is A Shot-For-Shot Recreation
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manhas landed on Disney+ and depicts Spider-Man’s origins in an alternate universe. Unlike his Sacred Timeline counterpart, this show briefly depicts how Spider-Man received his powers, though his genesis is brief before Spider-Man is seen embracing his titular role. Making Nico Minoru his high school best friend is just one way the show has detracted so far from the Sacred Timeline. Nevertheless, there is one particularly conspicuous parallel inNorman Osborn and how he has taken on Iron Man’s role as Peter Parker’s mentor.
Norman Osborn is voiced by Colman Domingo inYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
I’m particularly struck by just how muchYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manleans into this parallel.Parker’s first meeting with Osborn is almost shot-for-shot identical to Parker’s first meeting with Tony Stark inCaptain America: Civil War, entering Aunt May’s apartment while listening to music, and being initially oblivious to and then surprised by his mentor-to-be’s presence beside Aunt May on the couch. They then discuss an internship before Parker brings up the topic of money.
These parallels between Osborn and Stark aren’t completely out of the blue.
Both mentors are also privy to Spider-Man’s secret identity. Iron Man is aware of this before meeting with Peter, whereas Osborn discovers it later inYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manepisode 2. These parallels between Osborn and Stark aren’t completely out of the blue. Both characters are highly intelligent industrialists, after all. Still, I am slightly concerned that Marvel Studios is covering the same ground while depriving audiences of a truer depiction of Norman Osborn.
Marvel Needs To Give Norman Osborn His Due In The MCU
He Can’t Be Another Iron Man Replacement
Thankfully, the fact thatYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Mantakes placein a different universe means that the MCU can still deliver with its own live-action version of Norman Osborn. When it does,I’m hopeful that he won’t be a stand-in for Tony Stark in the Sacred Timeline, despite their apparent similarities. If the theories that the MCU’s version of Norman Osborn had bought Avengers Tower were vindicated, this might have been more of a risk - particularly if he got his hands on some Stark tech in the process.
The Thunderbolts* trailer revealed that Avengers Tower has apparently been bought by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, or even the CIA itself.
It wouldn’t make much sense, either, given thatPeter Parker has outgrown the need for a mentor figure. Instead, there is a far greater cause for the MCU to lean into the bad blood between Osborn and Parker, now that an Osborn variant was responsible for Aunt May’s death. Given there is no sign of Norman Osborn on the Sacred Timeline so far, the MCU could debut its live-action Osborn inSpider-Man4, which may incorporate a new Osborn from another universe. Whatever the case, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a more unique depiction.
