Willem Dafoe 
NormanNever asked questions except by me:
Of course if you have a burning question, just ask me at:
Willem Dafoe Norman
Why the movieverse characters?
To me, they are more believable than the comic book characters; besides Willem Dafoe rocked my socks off with his acting of both characters.Willem Dafoe had not read the comic books. His interpretation came from reading the script, with input from the director Sam Rami, who is a Spider-Man fan. Mr. Dafoe’s acting made Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin more human.
Before his tragic experiment, Norman Osborn was a scientist driven to succeed in business. Since scientists do not earn lavish salaries, Osborn, who once was poor, wanted more than recognition for his work. He wanted power and money. That could be found in providing the U.S. Government with military hardware. Osborn built Oscorp with money from the U.S. Army.
Unfortunately, for Osborn, the U.S. Army was going to withdraw their funding unless Oscorp could deliver a super-soldier formula that was safe and effective, on time. Driven to save his company, Osborn experiments on himself with formula. However, it was effective but not safe. He developed another personality, the Green Goblin.
After Osborn split into Green Goblin / Norman Osborn, he maintained his ‘old’ personality as one of the two Alters. These two distinct identities live in the same body but relate to the world in two different ways. The Norman Alter is a man who has difficulty loving his son Harry, but adores Peter Parker, Harry’s best friend. This Alter exhibits normal human strength and abilities. After he discovers the Goblin Alter, Norman tries to reach détente with him. The stronger Goblin convinces Norman that he is only out for their own good. Over time, Norman allows the Goblin to rule the body they share.
Why do I refer to the Green Goblin as Norman Osborn’s Alter?
Those who are familiar with mental illness will recognize Osborn’s insanity as MPD/DID (multiple personality disorder/dissociative identity disorder). The American Psychiatric Association describes MPD/DID to be the presence of two or more distinct identities, with each having its own pattern of relating to the universe and each other. In Norman Osborn’s case, the super-soldier serum he ingested caused the split.
His Greenness 
What makes the Green Goblin a formidable foe for Spider-Man?
Because of the super-solider formula that Norman Osborn ingested, the Green Goblin is now endowed with superhuman strength, enhanced intelligence, heightened reflexes, and coordination. What he lacks in is fighting skills; he makes up with high-tech weapons.
Green Goblin shares with Norman Osborn’s belief in the ‘survival of the fittest’ but takes it to the extreme of being the ‘Ubermensch’ or supreme man. His belief that he is a higher evolved form of human makes the Goblin even more dangerous, since he lacks compassion for those ‘weaker’ than himself. Relying on Norman Osborn’s knowledge of Peter Parker (AKA Spider-Man), the Green Goblin has an edge on fighting the virtuous Spider-Man.
One of the principal things that make the Green Goblin formidable is his glider. This relatively small craft, made from a high-density alloy, can carry up to 400 pounds. The glider’s vertical thrust ability makes it extremely maneuverable while miniature turbofans give it speed and power. Using the mental stirrups mounted on the wings, the Goblin flies on the glider, hands free.
Another advantage of the glider is that it is voice activated. The Goblin’s trademark weapon, the pumpkin bombs, is stored in the wings, and can pop up at the Goblin’s commands. An offshoot of the glider technology, the razor bat (a boomerang-like weapon) is also made from the same metal alloy.
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Va. Carper
September 19, 2006