Norman Osborn is a character portrayed by Willem Dafoe in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film trilogy and later temporarily integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. He is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and is also known by his alternate identity, the Green Goblin. Osborn first appeared in Spider-Man (2002) as a wealthy industrialist who tests an unstable performance-enhancing serum on himself, developing superhuman strength and a crazed alternate personality. He becomes the Green Goblin and fights Spider-Man, but ultimately dies when he is impaled by his own glider.
The character returns in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) when a spell gone wrong ruptures the multiverse and sends him to an alternate reality. Osborn seeks that reality's Peter Parker's help in curing himself and the other universe-displaced visitors, but his mind is taken over by the Green Goblin, who torments Parker and kills his aunt May. After a brutal fight with Parker on the Statue of Liberty, Osborn is cured of the Green Goblin identity and returned to his universe.
A hallucination of Osborn appears in Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007), haunting his son Harry. Dafoe's portrayal has been praised by critics and audiences, being considered one of the most iconic villains in superhero films. Dafoe and co-star Tobey Maguire held the Guinness World Record for "the longest career as a live-action Marvel character" before Patrick Stewart retook the record.
