Spider-Man: No Way Home Reveals 5 Major Improvements to Green Goblin's Costume
After enduring an arduous wait littered with rumors and leaks, fans finally received another official look at Spider-Man: No Way Home with a brand-new trailer.
Although the new teaser didn't show off the Spider-Men that everyone is hoping for, it did have plenty of reveals to tide viewers until the film's December 17, 2021 release. Many of these reveals came in the form of new looks at the returning villains, who all originate from previous Spider-Man incarnations on film.
In addition to more footage of Alfred Molina's Doc-Ock, fans were shown that Sandman is bigger and badder than ever, and Electro appears noticeably more yellow this time around.
Even The Amazing Spider-Man's Lizard rears his reptilian head, although his erratic movement in the trailer is leading some to wonder whether something (or someone) has been removed from the footage.
That, of course, leaves Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, who seems to sport two suits at various points in the film. The classic costume from Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man makes a grand reappearance, albeit with a few upgrades after over 20 years of sitting in cold storage.
Here's how the original suit squares up with No Way Home's rendition of the iconic Gobbie formula.
1. Back to the Green Goblin Formula
After Harry Osborn continued the Goblin legacy under the New Goblin moniker and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 introduced audiences to a Retroviral Hypodysplasia-riddled version of the supervillain, Sony and Marvel have gone back to the formula by returning to a fan-favorite look for the Norman Osborn version of the Green Goblin.
The Green Goblin looks as menacing as ever, with No Way Home's adaption remaining incredibly faithful to the source material with the plated armor, frightening mask, and a pumpkin bomb in hand.
Straight away, the most notable difference between the two depictions of the suit is the contrast between the CGI. VFX has come a long way since 2002, so No Way Home benefits by being able to inject a bit more realism into the Green Goblin's portrayal with enhanced effects and lighting.
Gone is the plastic, toy-like yet charming look of Spider-Man's Green Goblin, ushering in a more battle-worn, scuffed-up costume for the MCU's webslinging threequel. The suit also seems to feature a darker green overall, with less reflective armor plating that makes the MCU's Gobbie a tad less gaudy.
2. The Goblin Glider
While the trailer doesn't show the Goblin Glider in full, it can be assumed that it is the same one from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. A later shot of Gobbie in his second No Way Home costume shows the villain on a glider adorned with green lights, a feature not present on the original craft.
Therefore, it seems that Osborn will have two glider designs to go with his two suits, possibly receiving an upgrade from one of his villainous peers. Alternatively, he could be making his own updates to the glider, as Osborn is something of a scientist himself.
That doesn't mean that Green Goblin's returning glider doesn't have some updates though. Looking at Gobbie's boots, it seems that there is extra tech that goes over the top of his foot, helping keep him firmly attached to the aerial craft. Osborn didn't have anything of the sort previously, so it's assuring to see that he's giving a bit more thought to health and safety.
3. The Goblin's Helmet
While the designs are similar, there are a few changes that make the new mask ever so slightly different from the original.
Overall, the No Way Home helmet is much smoother and wider, toning down the more angular and defined look of the Sam Raimi mask. This can be seen particularly on the furrowed brow where much of the shaping has been flattered out, a trait that extends up across the top of Gobbie's head.
This trend continues through to the mouth, where the upper lip is less pointy than the original. The canine teeth in the upper row are also less curved inwards and more straightened, making Gobbie's top grill appear more formulaic.
In contrast, the recesses under the eyes look to be more defined, making the Goblin's golden globes look a lot more sunken into the helmet. Speaking of the eyes, the mask lenses are a darker gold here, ditching the yellowish tint from before.
The changes are there but admittedly minimal, so it's unclear whether it can be chalked up to disparities between the original design and the CGI recreation, a conscious effort by the creatives to make subtle alterations, or if there is a tactical advantage Osborn has found by sporting a wider mask.
4. The Goblin's Arm-or
The armor on the rest of the body also sees a couple of alterations, with the upper part of the shoulder pads being embossed rather than raised. The upper arm plating is a lot smaller and more skeletal on the No Way Home suit, with the rivets that previously attached the armor also being omitted.
Despite the changes, the exoskeleton that lines the arms remains, allowing the suit to contain the might of a chemically-enhanced Norman Osborn.
5. The Goblin's...Pecs?
Norman has also seemingly updated his muscle arrangement, a seemingly superfluous change at first that may actually expose some weak points upon closer inspection. The Goblin's abs are slightly larger in size with different shapes, giving Gobbie a bit more protection in this department. However, Goblin's true weakness lies in his pecs, or between them, to be more precise.
Looking at Norman's plated pectorals, the armor seems to be further apart on the MCU's version. The costume still retains the flexible under covering to allow a full range of agile movement to enable Norman to pull off his impressive glider poses. While the pecs may have been moved apart to aid in this freedom of motion, it does expose the more vulnerable material underneath.
Could the Green Goblin's pec position lead to his peril at the hands of Peter Parker?
Godspeed, Spider-Man
Ultimately, Spider-Man: No Way Home's rendition of the Green Goblin manages to capture the iconic look of the original while making a few revisions to bring the villain into the modern age with a sleeker and more refined form.
The only aspect of the suit that wasn't given a clear look at is the shoes, which are notable due to Marvel using spraypainted Nike Air Flightposites for the Green Goblin's boots in the original Spider-Man.
Could Gobbie be strutting around in these old kicks for his MCU appearance, allowing Marvel and Sony to release the shoes as a tie-in collaboration with Nike similar to how they produced Miles Morales' in-universe Air Jordan 1s from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as real products? Only time will tell.
Spider-Man: No Way Home releases in theaters on December 17, 2021.
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