In its second instalment, Marc Webb's Spidey reboot is trying to avoid overloading the screen with villainy. It was a misstep to which Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, host to every bad guy this side of the Hooded Claw and Simon Cowell, fell prey, but one from which Sony will have learnt. For that reason, we're not expecting Norman Osborn or the Green Goblin to feature heavily in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but Chris Cooper, the man playing him, is gearing up for an expanded role in the third film.
Talking at the Toronto International Film Festival, Cooper told ComingSoon.net that Spidey 2 will offer a foretaste of Osborn villainy to come. "This is an introduction to Norman Osborn," he explained. "Apparently this leads to better things in Spider-Man 3. I think it's fair to say that he's on his last legs."
Presumably, as CEO of Oscorp and the current Green Goblin, he'll be grooming his son Harry (Dane DeHaan) to take over both positions in the event of his death.
So what of the real villain(s) of the piece? "There's all these little fortune cookies around but the main villain is Electro," producer Avi Arad told **Empire **at this year's Comic-Con, refusing to be drawn on the rumour that the Sinister Six will appear. "We're not trying to make a big deal out of all of them, but they all have a reason to be the size they are."
Clearly there's a long-term plan at work - a conveyor belt of baddies for Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) to tackle in parts 3 and possibly 4 - and Cooper's character is one of those waiting just over the horizon with claws sharpened and pumpkin bombs ready.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be out on April 18, 2014 with The Amazing Spider-Man 3 following on May 27, 2016.