Nicolas Cage Almost Played Spider-Man’s Green Goblin Before Willem Dafoe

Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” movies are a masterclass in adapting comic books to the big screen, particularly in how to make their setting feel lived-in and real while also fantastical. Raimi populated each of his films with memorable side characters that fleshed-out and expanded his take on the “Spider-Man” universe, giving the movies an everyman perspective that makes them stand apart from all other superhero films out there. His “Spider-Man” trilogy features dozens of characters who make an impression with merely a single line of dialogue, which builds up their version of New York and allow us to better see and care about Spider-Man because we’ve gotten to know the people he spends his days protecting — from Mr. Aziz (Peter’s boss at Joe’s Pizza in “Spider-Man 2”) to the glorified extras played by then lesser-knowns like Joel McHale and Emily Deschanel, Mr. Ditkovitch (albeit in a bigger role), and, of course, every single Bruce Campbell cameo.

Then there are the villains. A hero is only as good as their opponents, and in the case of Raimi’s “Spider-Man” movies, the antagonists are so good they were brought back years later for the multiversal mayhem of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (pitting them against Tom Holland’s web-slinger in the Marvel Cinematic Universe). And out of these, no one stands above Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, a character so perfect he was a primary villain in two completely different “Spider-Man” trilogies. But before Dafoe, there were other actors considered for the role. According to Entertainment Weekly, none other than Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage was among those eyed to play Norman Osborn in Raimi’s film.

“He’d be a great Green Goblin,” Stan Lee said at the time. But while Cage reportedly did talk to Raimi and his collaborators about the role, his schedule didn’t allow for it.

Cage has a long history with superhero films. As a big fan of comic books, the actor has been involved in many Marvel or DC Comics productions, starting with Tim Burton’s never-realized “Superman Lives” movie (which would have brought the famous “Death of Superman” comic book storyline to the big screen). However, Cage’s first actual on-screen superhero role came years later in 2007’s “Ghost Rider,” a flop that somehow kickstarted a franchise. Following the titular Marvel antihero with the powers of hell, “Ghost Rider” is nowhere near the level of quality of Raimi’s “Spider-Man,” but it’s still an entertaining romp.

Eventually, Cage got to play Superman on two separate occasions — as both a live-action superhero via his ghoulish cameo in “The Flash” (which even Cage was freaked out by) and as an animated character in the fantastic “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.” As for “Spider-Man,” don’t feel too bad about Cage missing out on the Green Goblin; he’s since gotten to star in the best “Spider-Man” movie since Raimi’s “Spider-Man 2,” lending his voice to Spider-Man Noir in the animated “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. ” In fact, audiences were so delighted by Cage’s Humphrey Bogart-inspired performance in the film that he’s now set to return as Spider-Man Noir in a live-action series.

You know what they say: You either die a Marvel villain or you live long enough to eventually play a Marvel superhero on TV. And who knows, perhaps Cage will play other Marvel characters in the future. (We have a few suggestions already.)