TASM Green Goblin Actor Doesnt Want To Return As Spider-Man Villain

Actor Dane DeHaan, known for portraying Harry Osborn/Green Goblin in Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man 2,  says that he wouldn't want to return to the role. The film, a follow up to The Amazing Spider-Man, saw Peter Parker attempt to juggle his personal life and heroic life while multiple villains rose to put an end to the web-slinger. DeHaan gave a unique take on the Green Goblin, which features a significantly different design than past iterations, as well as a more personalized motivation for his hatred of Spider-Man.

The film was originally intended to future develop an extended universe for the Spider-Man properties that Sony owns. Not only did the film work to establish a sequel, it pushed toward the creation of Spider-Man's most powerful villain team, The Sinister Six. However, after the film failed to live up to the standard set by the predecessor and the expectations of fans, Sony decided to take the franchise in a new direction.

DeHaan, currently set to star in Apple TV+'s new series Lisey's Story, talked with ComicBook about his views on returning to the character. When asked if he was offered an opportunity to either reprise his roles as Green Goblin, or take on a new project, DeHaan stated,

Currently, this is the golden age for actors who want to return to their previous comic book roles returning. From J.K. Simmons reappearing as the infamous media icon J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: Far From Home, to Jamie Foxx returning as Electro and Alfred Molina retaking the mantle of Doctor Octopus for Spider-Man: No Way Home, there has never been a more clear desire for nostalgia in the MCU. With the extension of the MCU being a dominant piece of both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, a path of reentry could be made for anyone who had the desire to return.

DeHaan, however, is looking for unique projects and different characters. The setback of losing out on a third Amazing Spider-Man film pushed his career in a new direction. He has gone on to star in a variety of different films, series and even a different comic book adaptation. In terms of his acting, DeHaan is trying to look ahead, not behind. Though there are fans who enjoyed The Amazing Spider-Man 2's version of Green Goblin, DeHaan's part is not essential to move the universe forward. With him expressing little desire to return, audiences shouldn't expect to see him in a Marvel blockbuster soon. But it's always possible he could reconsider.

However, the web-slinging hero is about to finally learn that the multiverse is real. While it wasn't properly established in WandaVision as originally perceived, the concept will factor in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which is confirmed to narratively connect to Spider-Man: No Way Home. This might be how players from Sony's separate Spider-Man films can appear in the upcoming Jon Watts' threequel. So far, Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 and Jamie Foxx's Electro from Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 are expected to be involved in the film. Meanwhile, there have been persistent (and persistently denied) rumors that both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will also make a cameo, reprising their own roles as Peter Parker/Spider-Man.