20 Greatest Movie Villains Of The 2000s

As has been proven time and time again, most recently by Brand New Day, Spider-Man is in a league of his own when it comes to superhero popularity. Fortunately, what has played a part in such sustainable longevity is the impressive array of villains in his arsenal.

Live-action, and indeed animated, Spidey has taken on some true heavyweights over the past two and half decades, but the Vulture, Mysterio, the Lizard, Spot, and even Doc Ock (Michael Keaton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans, Jason Schwartzman, and Alfred Molina) simply cannot hold a candle to the Green Goblin.

Naturally, we're talking about Willem Dafoe's iteration of Norman Osborn from 2002, a character as devilish and demonic as he was sympathetic. Such was the power of Dafoe's performance, there was no part of either side of the character that wasn't utterly captivating.

As Norman, the man who had no say in the actions his body was doing, he was heartbreaking, but as the Goblin, he was detestable. He was evil. That laugh alone was enough to send shivers down the spine of anybody watching, and it's no surprise that Norman played a central role when brought back for No Way Home. It's just a shame he wasn't given more screen time opposite Tobey Maguire in 2021.