Fans Want This 'Widow's Bay' Character For Spider-Man's Arch-Nemesis
Widow’s Bay (2026) has become a runaway success for Apple TV, and a large portion of that is thanks to the show’s lead, Matthew Rhys, who plays the mayor of the titular town, Tom. He’s manic, hilarious, and just a bit in over his head, but what’s hidden beneath all that is an actor with amazing range.
With Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) marking the return of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a mystery villain supposedly hiding, it’s the perfect time for Norman Osborn/Green Goblin to debut. Of course, Willem Dafoe’s performance in Spider-Man (2002) is a tough act to follow. However, fans seem to agree that the one man who has proven his range and potential to carry that weight is Matthew Rhys.
Matthew Rhys’ Filmography Shows What He is Capable of as an Actor
When it comes to a character like Norman Osborn, you need someone who can carry experience and instability all at the same time. He’s a man who knows how to act publicly, but the emotions he feels are always just under the surface, and the work of Matthew Rhys has proven why he has the chops to do just that.
When watching him in Widow’s Bay, you see someone who is barely in control of his life and a bit cowardly. However, it’s those moments of blank stares and the decision to do morally questionable things that show just what Tom is capable of when there’s pressure.
Then, of course, there’s his role in The Americans (2013), where he plays an undercover KGB agent in America, capable of manipulation and killing when needed. Finally, the quiet rage in his role in Netflix’s The Beast in Me (2025) is the final piece of the Norman Osborn puzzle. In that series, he plays a man suspected of being a killer, and his moments of rage prove that, as fun and funny Rhys can be, he can also be a scary person, perfect for Spider-Man’s deadliest foe.
Norman Osborn Has Had a Unique Run in Movies and TV
Aside from the many cartoons where Norman Osborn appeared, there are at least two standout portrayals of him in movies and TV that have helped form the mainstream fan’s opinions on the character. But the most famous is easily Willem Dafoe’s portrayal in Spider-Man and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
Dafoe’s Norman Osborn is utterly terrifying to watch but also incredibly fun. When he is Norman, Dafoe focuses heavily on the strictness of his character and how it impacts his son, Harry, and also the duality of him and the Goblin. In the comics, Norman Osborn isn’t a slave to his Green Goblin persona, but the dichotomy works for the films, especially in Spider-Man: No Way Home, where he is even more menacing.
Finally, Colman Domingo’s Norman Osborn in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2025) isn’t the Green Goblin yet, but he is ruthless. One of the more charismatic versions to see on the screen, Domingo brings a necessary calmness to the character that makes him such a fun interpretation. But we’ve yet to see a balance of intense emotion and charisma that the MCU desperately needs for this character.
Now is the Perfect Time to Bring Norman Osborn Into the MCU
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has promised a villain pulling the strings that we haven’t seen yet. That doesn’t mean it’s Norman Osborn, but it does mean that this franchise is hitting a stride where a character like Norman can be introduced as a man in the shadows to avoid Peter’s immediate hesitation to trust him. Realistically, he needs a strong enemy to challenge every side of him, and Norman could be that guy in the future.
The stage is set for Spider-Man to finally have a villain that challenges him in ways previous ones haven’t, and it would be great if it’s a new version of Norman that isn’t quite the Green Goblin yet. To see an actor like Mathew Rhys in the role would also sell how this character could be different, being that he looks the part but brings a quiet chaos never seen in the villain before. It’s a gem of a fan casting with an actor who has more than proven himself, and to have him play such a layered character would be a dream come true.
