Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus are undoubtedly two of the most iconic villains that Peter Parker has ever had to go up against, yet there’s a chance that they won’t make an appearance in Spider-Man 3. This will mean that Tom Holland’s version of the superhero still won’t have faced off against either of the iconic foes.
While both Spider-Man: Far From Home director Jon Watts and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige would like to incorporate the bad guys into the upcoming storylines, they also seem to think it’s best to focus on new faces that audiences might not be as familiar with.
It’s definitely true that moviegoers are very familiar with both lawbreakers at this point. Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy saw these villains appear in at least one way or another in every installment of the series. Green Goblin was first portrayed by Willem Dafoe in the original film before his onscreen son James Franco took on the role in the third movie. Doctor Octopus, meanwhile, was brought to life in Spider-Man 2 by Alfred Molina.
When asked about the villains appearing in the future, Watts had this to say:
“You always start by trying to show people something that they haven’t seen before, unless you have a really good reason, I think, to bring back someone we’ve seen before. Spider-Man has such a great rogue’s gallery that there’s a lot still I think to draw from. I mean, we also put Cyclone, Molten Man and Hydro Man in this movie, in a very roundabout way… Technically you could say [Mexico’s villain] was like Sandman. But yeah, it’s always about trying to find something new and just trying to push the envelope there, but I don’t know, I don’t know who it could be next.”
It’s definitely true that the webslinger has an iconic cast of villains he can square up against, many of whom have never been seen on the big screen. Kraven the Hunter, Chameleon, Arcade, Hobgoblin and more are all still waiting for their chance to join the MCU. Sony even wants Venom to be part of the cast of the next movie.
Feige was also asked Green Goblin and Doc Ock being integral parts of Spider-Man 3, and here’s what he shared:
“It just depends on, is it the right story? Is that the right time? Is there the right angle to do it again in a way that feels fresh and doesn’t feel like, ‘Oh, here it is again.’ Because Spidey, as you know, better than anyone, has a great roster of villains. A great number of them, with Mysterio and Vulture being two of the best that hadn’t been brought to the screen before. I think it all depends on what the story is. It all depends on what the, what the angle is.”
This at least doesn’t rule out the chance for Green Goblin and Doc Ock to appear in the near future. For now, though, the best fans can do is trust in Marvel and hope that they get to see these two legendary Spider-Man baddies sooner rather than later.