The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has established itself as the most divisive Spider-Man movie of all time. While the 2014 film benefitted immensely from Andrew Garfield’s sensational take on the iconic web-slinger, compelling emotional depth, mesmerising web-slinging sequences, exhilarating action, outstanding visual effects, and Hans Zimmer’s “zimmering” score, the Marc Webb directional was also criticised for its overstuffed plot, overreliance on Peter and Gwen’s romance, and weak buildups of villains. Speaking of villains, Dane DeHaan played Harry Osborn, aka Green Goblin, in the sequel. We witnessed the return of Andrew Garfield and Jamie Foxx’s Electro in MCU’s Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). But we do not know whether we will see DeHaan making a return as Green Goblin in the MCU or Sony’s future Spider-Man projects.
In a recent interview with Screen Rant, Dane DeHaan talked about his interest in returning as Green Goblin in the future. However, the actor has not been contacted about it in the last 10 years. This is what he said about his odds of returning as Green Goblin.
“I mean, never say never, but honestly, I haven’t spoken to anyone that has to do with the producer side of Spider-Man in like, 10 years. So I would be shocked to get that phone call. [Chuckles]…I mean, look, I love playing like comic book characters, superheroes, that kind of thing. I would be very interested in returning to that world in some way. But for it to be Spider-Man related, I would just be absolutely shocked, because, again, I haven’t gotten a phone call, an email, anything from those people in 10 years.”
There’s no denying that DeHaan’s portrayal of Green Goblin had the potential to win everyone’s hearts. His take on the iconic Marvel villain was unique and different from Willem Dafoe’s theatrical and bombastic character portrayal. Dafoe was lucky to receive a well-fleshed-out arc under Sam Raimi’s capable direction. His version of Goblin slowly descends into madness, which makes his transition from Norman Osborn to Green Goblin more impactful.
On the other hand, DeHaan’s version of Goblin was more unstable and deranged than Dafoe’s. The former did one hell of a job in his role. However, his transformation into Green Goblin felt rushed. As a result, we did not get enough time to connect with the character.
Dane DeHaan never got a chance to return as Green Goblin after Sony buried The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 4. Fans would love to see his return to The Amazing Spider-Man universe someday soon. Stay tuned for more updates.