Shades of Green: The Green Goblin in Film and TV

By Jason Lethert

It takes a lot to please fanboys with comic to film translations, but it doesn't take much to draw their ire. All you've got to do is give Captain America a clear plastic shield. Or add Richard Pryor to the film for comedy relief. Or turn Batman into a corny glam-fest, offensive in it's superficiality. But the winds are changing and have been ever since the landmark Batman (1989). Next spring, many suspect that Sony Pictures will take comic adaptations to the next level with their feature film Spider-Man, but to do it they need to convince us that Willem Dafoe is Norman Osborn - the Green Goblin.

So far, fans have reacted quite enthusiastically to any glimpses of the upcoming film. Last year was quite a different story with Marvel's other heavy-hitter - The X-Men. Many of the initial character designs that leaked onto the web were highly criticized by fans for their departure from the comic books. Though director Brian Singer and crew reportedly "agonized over" the harsh reactions, by the time the movie came out, the complaints had melted away.

Spidey's movie has had a few minor controversies - the "showdown" between Raimi, David Fincher, and Christopher Columbus, for example. And of course there was the villain shuffle - the source treatment by James Cameron included the Sandman and Dr. Octopus - yet, when Raimi came in, he threw out both villains and replaced the two with Green Goblin.

The largest of the controversies dealt with Peter Parker's "organic" web-shooters, but by and large, everyone is ready for Spider-Man to rock. "I've read the script, and it absolutely kicks ass," said writer Peter David, who novelized the film screenplay.

Though Sony has been very forthcoming with news, images and promotions regarding the film, there has been one area the company is surprisingly mum about - the Green Goblin. The only glimpses of GG have been blurry photos, and briefly one production shot leaked to the internet. Then, a week ago Sony revealed Green Goblin conceptual art, and the mother lode: a full motion sequence of the Goblin in action!

All along, we've had a much better idea of what to expect from the villain's alter-ego. After a few false starts casting Norman Osborn (Nick Cage dropped out due to scheduling, then John Malkovich's negotiations reached an impasse), Willem Dafoe was signed and is generally accepted as an excellent choice. "(He's) a great actor - I thought Shadow of the Vampire was great - and that may give us a preview of what to expect," David further elaborated at this year's San Diego ComiCon.

So Norman Osborn seems to be on track, and his alter ego is looks to have big-time potential. But before we look at that aspect of the movie, a look back is in order - the Goblin has been one of Spider-Mans most venerable foes - both in comics, and in celluloid:

1967: Spidey goes to Hollywood

Spidey's first trip into motion was Saturday morning Spider-Man cartoon on CBS. The design was very reminiscent of the John Romita Sr. drawn books of the time, setting a trend for decades to come. Romita, as well as Stan Lee gave as much input as they could, and were credited as creative consultants.

The series used stock footage for many of Spider-Man's web-swinging scenes, some of which are surprisingly cool. The stock footage allowed for more fluid and dynamic action. Legendary animator/filmmaker Ralph Bakshi worked on many of the episodes. And of course - who could forget that theme song, which itself has risen to iconic status?

And in his translation to television, Spider-Man brought his rogues gallery of villains. Chief among them was the Green Goblin, who appeared in three episodes the first season. The series eschewed Norman Osborn, and focused on the Goblin - the short story format of the first season kept the characterization continuity of Peter/Spidey confined to the Daily Bugle.

The Green Goblin was also a spitting image of his comic book counterpart. In fact, some of the more detailed (and less animated) close-ups were surprisingly effective and creepy. And he had his full complement of weapons: electrical discharge from his gloves, pumpkin bombs, and of course - the bat-glider. The voice acting was also laudable, if a bit goofy here and there.

1982: A Tale of Two Series

In the early 80s, Spider-Man appeared in not one, but two animated series. According to pre-eminent comic multimedia journalist Andy Mangels, the shows were produced concurrently - there was the obscure syndicated version, and the more remembered network version that co-starred Iceman and Firestar. And of course, the Goblin was appeared in both shows.

The character designs from these two series again were solid John Romita Sr. style, and faithful to the look of the Goblin. Indeed, certain shots recalled famous comic-book covers and panels. In an interesting nod to continuity, the Goblin's first appearance in "Revenge of the Green Goblin" takes place as Norman Osborn is released from an asylum, as if to reference to the Goblin's previous criminal activity from the 1967 series.

The voice acting was a step from the 60s cartoon - more serious, yet still with the maniacal edge. The network version of the show also included the character of Mona Osborn, Norman's niece and college friend of Spider-Man.

The "Spider-Friends", as they called themselves, were afforded a better budget, but that apparently wasn't for scripts as the Goblin story in this series was apparently the same story as the syndicated version, but adapted to include Iceman and Firestar. But, the network version was packed full of comic-book touches, such as frequent guest-appearances from famous Marvel heroes and villains. There were also stylish "title pages" that proclaimed the name of each episode - much like the comic-book covers.

Plus, the opening credits had cool extra footage - the signature scene of which was that of Firestar flying around the Goblin, engulfing him in a highly detailed painted animation of fire. Thankfully, the improved visuals made up for the familiarity of the material. The voice was another improvement adding the evil to his cackle that makes the Green Goblin Marvel's worthy answer to DC's Joker.

However, there were some elements of the Goblin that missed the mark. Both Goblin appearances had a plot device with a corny machine that allowed the goblin to see the past and future. It also would have been nice to see the Goblin rely on his traditional arsenal more often. But overall, these were somewhat minor complaints.

In the 1980s, the character of the Green Goblin had long since been dead in the comics, of course with a couple copycats popping up now and again. And with decreased visibility in the books, the character appeared in only two of the combined 50 episodes of both series. This trend of under-representation would continue in the Green Goblin's next cartoon appearance, though it would still become the definitive translation of the character - to date.

Continue on to part 2 where you'll find:

Send tips, press releases and other scoopage to news@comics2film.com or fax to (707) 897-8420.  Click here for more contact info.