Sony releases first official image of Dane DeHaan as Green Goblin in 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'

Fans speculated for months whether Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper) or Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) would become the Green Goblin in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Various promotional posters and trailers all but confirmed DeHaan as the Goblin, but no official word ever came from the studio until now.

Sony has released the first official image of Dane DeHaan as the Green Goblin. The photo shows the villain in battle with Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) and captures a moment just as Green Goblin takes down the wall crawler. The picture also gives a clear look at most of the Goblin's costume, and it features some armor-like portions, particularly on the arms and shoulders. The Goblin also has a sick smile on his face and has transformed physically to a slightly more twisted appearance.

The two also appear to be battling in the same spot as Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) from previous footage (see this photo). This will likely further fuel speculation that Gwen dies in the film, just as she did when Spider-Man fought the Green Goblin in the comics. Eagle-eyed fans also claim to spot the top of Gwen's head in a quick shot from the trailer in which Peter Parker is screaming in tears.

And then we have these comments from Stone when she recently called into On Air with Ryan Seacrest:

"Basically they're going to see the continuation of the Spider-Man story, which is the hero's journey, and he's up against a whole new squadron of villains and he's struggling with promises he's made in the last movie and the consequences of making those and what it's like to be in love with somebody who you promised to not see anymore. I think the intention the whole time has been to tell Gwen's story as closely to the comic as possible."

What do you think of Green Goblin's new look? Let us know in the comments below.