Spider-Man: No Way Home - Every Character Ranked Worst To Best

2. Norman Osborn

spider man no way home
Marvel Studios

Because Norman Osborn is always going to Norman Osborn...

Willem Dafoe was on splendid form here as the returning Green Goblin, with the character positioned as the sort of threat rarely before seen in a superhero picture. Norman felt just as vile here as he has for decades in the pages of Marvel Comics, and his actions and intentions were truly sinister.

Vulture and Mysterio were great villains in the previous two Spider-Man movies, yet Osborn just felt like an entirely different level of evil. Added to that, the physical dominance shown over ol' Web-head during the pair's tussle in and around Happy Hogan's abode was spectacular.

Of course, Goblin also gleefully caused the death of Aunt May and tried to serve up the same fate to MJ.

As alluded to, Dafoe was phenomenal in this return to the role he played in Sam Raimi's trilogy. When sane Norman was at the wheel, Willem brought a warmth and sincerity to the role. When the Green Goblin took control, the four-time Oscar nominee was utterly chilling.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.