- Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
Willem Dafoe , 66, reprises his iconic role as the Green Goblin in the sequel.
Fans are cheering for several big surprises while seeing "Spider-Man: No Way Home," but long after seeing the film one thing's clear: People are loving Willem Dafoe's scene-stealing performance as Norman Osborn aka the Green Goblin.
—Austin Burke (@theBurk3nator) December 15, 2021
—No Way Bork (@BorkEternal) December 18, 2021
Dafoe returns to the role almost 20 years after his character was killed off at the end of 2002's Sam Raimi-directed "Spider-Man."
But if you ask fans, it doesn't seem like the actor has aged a day. At 66, many are raving about how Dafoe manages to outshine his previous performance in this film.
—Tessa Smith - Mama's Geeky (@MamasGeeky) December 19, 2021
—Shaurya Chawla (@_ShauryaChawla) December 17, 2021
Others are saying his performance is a reminder that he's one of the all-time great comic-book
—Britany (@britany_murphs) December 17, 2021
—Tyrell (@TheoriesByT) December 18, 2021
—Block A | NWH 10/10 (@ChildishSpector) December 17, 2021
—Mad #LicoricePizzaSweep (@thedalediggler) December 16, 2021
Dafoe doesn't simply return for a cameo in "No Way Home," something the actor wasn't interested in doing. He's back in a significant portion of the film as the CEO of Osborn Corp. who, in 2002's film, underwent an experiment which left him with a strength comparable to that of Captain America.
Despite multiple villains in the film — Doc Ock, the Lizard, Electro, and Sandman — Goblin winds up being the main antagonist for the majority of "No Way Home" in a few big action sequences where he goes toe-to-toe with Spider-Man.
Not only does he deliver chilling monologues, but Dafoe surprisingly steals the screen in a few physically demanding scenes, bringing the devilishly charismatic and maniacal genius to life in a way only he can with a full-body performance and facial expressions to match.
In a pre-taped interview for Sony Pictures, shared online by the film site Mulderville, Dafoe acknowledged the character is a bit darker and scarier this time around. He added that it was important for him to be able to participate in action scenes if he was going to return for the film.
"To do this physical stuff was important to me," Dafoe said. "One of the first things I said to [director] Jon [Watts] and [producer] Amy [Pascal], basically when they pitched it to me, before there was even a script, was, 'Listen, I don't want to just pop in there as a cameo or just fill in in close-ups. I want to do the action because that's fun for me."
For the younger generation who didn't grow up with 2002's "Spider-Man," many are likely discovering the Green Goblin for the first time and they're finally understanding why he so many loved Dafoe's original performance as the complicated villain.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" is now in theaters. You can read our review here and follow along with our coverage here.