Though Willem Dafoe's turn as The Green Goblin in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man is often cited as one of the best villainous performances of all time, the costume he donned as Spidey's nemesis proved to be a lot more divisive.
Many have said they preferred the original animatronic mask design we saw in test-footage after the movie's release, but Dafoe was not a fan!
While speaking to Variety for their piece on how Raimi's film "Rescued the Superhero Genre and Changed Hollywood Forever," The Northman actor recalled how difficult it was to make the character look menacing while staying as true to his comic book roots as possible.
"The challenge was always to not make the Goblin ridiculous, make him a little scary. And I think, because technology was involved, they went with a very angular, very modern kind of look, more like an armor. Some of the early tests I saw, the Goblin looked more like a Halloween mask, this kind of puke green with bug eyes. It was kind of silly looking."
Some would argue that the final design didn't quite manage to avoid looking a little silly, anyway, but it was certainly more practical - not to mention easier to explain. After all, why would Norman Osborn wear a rubber mask into battle, and how the hell would it react to his facial movements?
There's probably a happy medium, but Dafoe ditched the mask completely for his recent return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which allowed us to see more of his superb performance.
If we do see the Green Goblin again at some point, how would you like to see his costume depicted in live-action? Drop us a comment down below.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.