Nicolas Cage says turning down Green Goblin role in 2002 'was the right choice at the time'

Nicolas Cage has revealed that he once had the chance to play one of Marvel’s most iconic villains, but ultimately decided to walk away.

Speaking at the New York City premiere of his upcoming series Spider-Noir, Cage told People that he turned down the role of Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man, a part that eventually went to Willem Dafoe.

At the time, Cage said he opted instead to star in Adaptation, the 2002 Spike Jonze film that went on to earn critical acclaim. Reflecting on the decision more than two decades later, he said it “was the right choice at the time.”

The Green Goblin role is now widely considered one of the standout villain performances in superhero cinema, with Dafoe’s portrayal becoming a defining part of the original Spider-Man trilogy’s legacy.

Despite passing on the role, Cage noted that he has always enjoyed playing both heroes and villains throughout his career, saying he likes not being confined to one type of character.

More than 20 years later, Cage has officially entered the Spider-Man universe in a different way, starring in Spider-Noir as Ben Reilly, a 1930s-era private investigator. The character is an extension of his earlier voice work in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, bringing him back into the Marvel world in live-action form.