The internet has been obsessed with "Spider-Man: No Way Home" since it became public knowledge.
Rumblings of a potential crossover with Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire's
incarnations of the titular wall-crawler have led fans to believe that this could be one
of the single most incredible Marvel Cinematic Universe installments to date. It remains
to be seen if there's any truth to such rumors at this point, but we do know that villains
from all three live-action "Spider-Man" franchises are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe
to give Holland's Spider-Man a run for his money.
As revealed in the first "No Way Home" trailer, Doctor Strange's attempt to use magic to change
Peter Parker's life for the better has apparently gone terribly wrong. Now Spidey and the Sorcerer
Supreme have to contend with a myriad of dangerous villains from across the multiverse, all while
trying to send them back to their respective timelines. Electro and Lizard represent the
"Amazing Spider-Man" continuity, with Sandman, Doc Ock, and Green Goblin carrying over from
director Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy.
The second trailer for "Spider-Man: No Way Home" gave fans their best look yet at all
five of these bad guys in action. However, fans couldn't help but notice an odd detail
about the Green Goblin that has laid the groundwork for an interesting fan theory.
When Green Goblin first appears in the most recent "Spider-Man: No Way Home" trailer,
he looks exactly the same as he did in 2002's "Spider-Man." Wrapped in his jade armor — complete
with his signature goblin mask — he stands atop his glider with a pumpkin bomb in hand.
However, Norman Osborn seems to try out a brand new ensemble at some point in the film.
Goggles replace his helmet, additional armor sits on his arms and legs, purple accents
cover his neck and chest, and he rides a redesigned glider. Has the iconic Spider-Man foe gotten
some upgrades in the MCU, or is something else going on?
In no time at all, Twitter has become entranced with this Green Goblin situation, so naturally,
theories have already arisen. According to Rotten Tomatoes, they're not the same, and
this version of the character will appear alongside the one made famous in "Spider-Man."
In trying to sort out their true identity, Another user posits that this could be a tweaked
design for Dane DeHaan's Green Goblin from "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." Meanwhile, another
fan speculated that we may be looking at Mysterio using Osborn's tech to become a unique take
on the Hobgoblin.
"Who are you? Where did you get all those weapons?
I thought Osborn gave ME his best stuff!"
It's all very compelling stuff and would make sense given the maximalistic approach to the
Spider-Man film canon that is being taken by "No Way Home." But, we should still brace
ourselves for the possibility that the solution is significantly less thrilling.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" has had a particularly engaging roll-out for fans who love to analyze
trailers and behind-the-scenes speculation. From the early buzz about the film's ambitions
to the ever still popular hunt for definitive proof that Tobey Maguire and/or Andrew Garfield
will be returning, reading the proverbial tea leaves is becoming as exciting as the
movie itself. Those who have been deep in the web of "No Way Home" theories and alleged
leaks have seen some of those predictions come true. But perhaps that has made us all
a little too susceptible to seeing things that aren't there. We still can't say for
sure exactly what the answer to this latest Green Goblin riddle is, but we do need to
address the possibility that the most obvious solution may also be a disappointingly simple
one.
In a piece for SlashFilm, Jeremy Mathai proposes a theory about the second Green Goblin suit
that is as logical as it is unexciting. As he lays it out,
"If main characters going through multiple costume changes in a given superhero movie
is a time-honored trope, then it's not the biggest stretch to imagine a villain doing
the exact same thing."
So, even if the blurry figure from the trailer is indeed a different version of the Green
Goblin suit, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a different Green Goblin wearing
it. Mathai argues that the second suit could merely be the result of Osborn sustaining
enough battle damage that he,
"Will end up needing to rely on a backup, more cobbled-together suit for future encounters
later in the film."
We'll all just have to wait until "Spider-Man: No Way Home" hits theaters on December 17th
to know for sure.
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