The Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly releasing new content, both in the movies and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The shared universe has had some box office struggles since Avengers: Endgame, although Spider-Man: No Way Home was a wild success upon its release. This is largely because it was a massive crossover event which included characters form the previous two Spidey franchises. And Willem Dafoe recently revealed the sweet reason he's glad he filmed that blockbuster.
Ahead of its release, Spider-Man: No Way Home was the most anticipated upcoming Marvel movie, thanks to its ambitious multiversal story. Fans were eager to see three Spider-Men uniting, as well as the return of beloved villains like Willem Dafoe's Harry Osborn/ Green Goblin. While speaking with Variety about his career, the acclaimed actor spoke about the reaction he's gotten from fans since appearing in the MCU blockbuster, saying:
But then 20 years later to revisit it was really cool. Sometimes you run into people and they say, ‘Oh, I saw the original Spider-Man when I was a kid, and now I took my son to it.’ So it’s kind of a sweet thing that bridges two generations of moviegoers.
I'm not crying, you're crying. It's wild to believe that Sam Raimi's OG Spider-Man movie was over 20 years ago, but that's exactly true. This arguably makes Dafoe's performance in No Way Home even more impressive, as he easily slipped back into his dual characters. Although Dafoe wasn't pleased with the movie's de-aging affects.
Many moviegoers have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order, including projects like Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, which was released long before shared universes became commonplace. Green Goblin was the OG villain, with Dafoe offering a delightfully unhinged performance-- including scenes where he argued with himself.
CinemaBlend's Spider-Man: No Way Home review praised the movie's ambitious scope, and the killer performance given by its star-studded cast. The movie was so successful that fans have been hoping to see more Spidey crossovers in the future. What's more, some are campaigning for Andrew Garfield to finally get an Amazing Spider-Man 3 movie, since it was unceremoniously scrapped back in the day. As for Dafoe's potential future as Green Goblin, it feels like just about anything is possible thanks to the multiverse being in play.
As previously mentioned, the MCU has faced some struggles in the years since Endgame was released. There have been some disappointing box office numbers, with The Marvels being the biggest failure of the shared universe so far. As such, it wouldn't be surprising if the studio leaned into Spider-verse stories to help get butts in seats.
The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Deadpool 3 on July 26th. Hopefully we get information about the future of the Spider-Man franchise sooner rather than later.
