In Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Norman Osborn from the Sam Raimi films (played by Willem Dafoe) mentions that neither Oscorp nor Harry exists in the current universe that he just found himself in. But with Spider-Man continuing to be such a central figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is hard to imagine such an important entity not playing a part in Peter Parker’s future. So, how could Marvel bring the Osborns, and by extension, Oscorp, into the films without retconning No Way Home?
Oscorp Does Not Exist – Yet
The Norman Osborn of the MCU could possibly be a younger scientist who just formed the company and Oscorp could exist in a similar manner to Octavius Industries in the Spider-Man game on PlayStation — a much smaller business ran out of a small warehouse. This could provide a different take to the typical Oscorp that is shown in other media, which is often depicted as a large corporation akin to Stark Industries.
Another way for this to happen would be if Oscorp began life as another company before either being sold to or taken over by Norman Osborn as a new President or Chairman. This could explain why no Oscorp Tower exists in the MCU, as it doesn’t yet bear the name, and could allow for Oscorp to suddenly have a much larger presence quickly in New York by explaining that it has indeed been here all along — just under a different name.
Oscorp Is in a Different City
Given that Dafoe’s Goblin came from a time before the prevalence of the internet and smartphones, he could have been looking for himself in all of the wrong places. If Oscorp did exist but was in somewhere other than New York City, Osborn would not have been able to find out, as it seemed that his search was limited to physically visiting the same addresses from his own universe, made evident when he told May and Peter that “someone was living in my house”.
Norman Is a Politician, Not a Scientist
Taking some ideas from more of the comics, as well as the PlayStation game, Norman Osborn might not even be involved in the world of business anymore. In the comics, Osborn also has another persona — the Iron Patriot, who leads the Dark Avengers. While in an Iron Man armor decked out in red, white and blue, he created the team after the events of Secret Invasion. This team consisted of several Marvel antagonists, including Bullseye, Venom and John Walker (U.S. Agent), and acted as part of Norman’s plots to gain immense power.
To do this plot for a more power-hungry Osborn, however, he would have to become a politician and leave Oscorp behind, which may have either not grown as a business or stayed a different name if Osborn was just an executive. A way to make him more dangerous is if fans see his rise in power throughout the films and shows, with him perhaps starting out as mayor of New York City before heading to Washington D.C. and forming the Dark Avengers.
The last theory is perhaps the most likely, as Marvel seemingly wants their Spider-Man movies to be different than those that came before it. Rather than becoming another Goblin, Norman could be a political danger akin to Kingpin. With Armor Wars and Secret Invasion happening soon, as well as several key members of the Dark Avengers already in the MCU, it is seeming increasingly likely that this is how Norman will continue to play a part in the franchise’s future.
To see Dafoe’s Norman Osborn make his way to the MCU, Spider-Man: No Way Home is in theaters now.
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