Nicolas Cage clarifies why he didn’t play the Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man movie.
Willem Dafoe was ultimately cast as Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin and reprised the role in Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, as confirmed by Entertainment Weekly, several other major stars had been in contention to play the iconic villain, including Cage and John Malkovich.
In an interview with People at the New York premiere of Spider-Noir, Cage now shares that he turned down the opportunity to portray the Green Goblin. He confirms that he spoke with Raimi about the part, and he decided to join Spike Jonze’s movie Adaptation instead. 24 years later, Cage still feels that “For me, that was the right choice at the time.” Adaptation’s cast also featured Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton, and Brian Cox.
Even though Cage passed on playing the Green Goblin and is now in the role of Spider-Noir’s protagonist, Cage explains that he likes taking on the roles of heroes and villains: “I’ve played plenty of villains. I like both,” he explains. “I think they’re both important parts of cinema. I would not want to get trapped into doing one thing.”
While there will always be questions about what Cage’s version of the character would’ve looked like, Dafoe’s performance as Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin is widely regarded to be among the best from the Spider-Man movie villains. He sets a high bar in Raimi’s first Spider-Man movie, and instead of going down the path of redemption as most of the other villains do in No Way Home, he further commits to being evil.
Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era
Tom Holland’s
Spider-Man Trivia
🏠Homecoming2017
✈️Far From Home2019
🌌No Way Home2021
😈VillainsSinister…
🤖MCUAvengers
THWIP! LET’S GO →
01
Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?
AAvengers: Age of Ultron
BCaptain America: Civil War
CSpider-Man: Homecoming
DAvengers: Infinity War
✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.
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02
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?
AThe Vulture (Adrian Toomes)
BThe Shocker (Herman Schultz)
CThe Scorpion (Mac Gargan)
DThe Tinkerer (Phineas Mason)
✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.
✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.
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03
Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?
AFriday
BEdith
CKaren
DJocasta
✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.
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04
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?
AWilliam Ginter Riva
BAldrich Killian
CJustin Hammer
DQuentin Beck
✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.
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05
In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?
AThat Spider-Man killed Mysterio in cold blood
BThat Spider-Man is Peter Parker
CThat Spider-Man is a Skrull impersonator
DThat Spider-Man commanded the drone attack on London
✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.
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06
With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?
AWong
BWanda Maximoff
CDoctor Strange
DKarl Mordo
✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.
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07
Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?
ANed Leeds
BFlash Thompson
CHarry Osborn
DMiles Morales
✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”
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08
At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?
AIt sends Peter to an alternate universe where no one knows him
BIt erases Spider-Man from existence entirely
CIt removes Peter’s spider powers permanently
DIt makes everyone in every universe forget who Peter Parker is
✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.
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↻ SWING AGAIN
Despite not being in Spider-Man, there are still many comic book movies starring Nicolas Cage. This includes his roles as Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Big Daddy in Kick-Ass, voicing Superman in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, and voicing Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, the last of which led to the development of the live-action Spider-Noir.
In Spider-Noir’s story, which is set in an alternate universe’s version of 1930s New York City, Cage plays Ben Reilly/the Spider, a struggling private investigator who must embrace his alter ego when an important new case comes his way. Other key characters are Robbie Robertson (Lamorne Morris), Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li), Janet (Karen Rodriguez), Lonnie Lincoln/Tombstone (Abraham Popoola), Flint Marko/Sandman (Jack Huston), and Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson). The series will be available to watch in black and white and in color.
Outside the world of Marvel, DC, and other comic book properties, Cage lives up to his comments about liking to play both heroes and villains. On the heroic side, he’s brought to life Ben Gates in National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Stanley Goodspeed in The Rock, and Cameron Poe in Con Air. For villains, he’s portrayed Castor Troy in Face/Off, Longlegs in the movie of the same name, and Dracula in Renfield.
Throughout his upcoming projects, Nicolas Cage will continue to play a wide range of characters, including John Madden in Madden, reprising the role of Yuri Orlov in Lords of War, and returning to voice Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Birthdate
January 7, 1964
Birthplace
Long Beach, California, USA
Height
6 feet 0 inches
Professions
Actor, Producer, Director