2007’s Spider-Man 3 has one significant plot hole that has left fans scratching their heads for years, but it actually has a perfect explanation within the context of the Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man trilogy. Spider-Man 3 involves numerous intersecting storylines, including the transformation of Harry Osborn (James Franco) into the New Goblin, seeking to avenge the death of his father Norman (Willem Dafoe) at the hands of Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire). Of course, anyone who has seen the original Spider-Man knows that Harry has it all wrong.
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As Peter spends much of the movie trying to explain to Harry, Norman caused his own death in the final battle of 2002’s Spider-Man. When Norman attempted to impale Spidey with his flying glider, Peter’s spider-sense alerted him to the danger in time, allowing him to flip out of harm’s way. Norman ended up impaled against a brick wall by his glider. Harry, of course, doesn’t believe Peter’s pleas of innocence, until the Osborn family butler Bernard Houseman (John Paxton) confirms to Harry late in Spider-Man 3 that Norman’s death wound “came from his glider” and that his father “died by his own hand,” before pleading to Harry to help Peter against the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) and Venom (Topher Grace).
The fact that Bernard had known all along that Norman caused his own demise has led many fans to question why he didn’t reveal this information to Harry earlier, especially with Harry wrongfully holding his best friend Peter responsible. However, Bernard’s choice of discretion can likely be attributed to the same reason Peter didn’t initially reveal to Harry that Norman was the Green Goblin. In his dying words after being impaled by his glider, Norman begs Peter, “Don’t tell Harry,” a request that Peter honors even as Harry spends all of Spider-Man 2 swearing vengeance on Spider-Man. Only after Harry learns of Peter true identity, and after Harry transforms himself into the New Goblin to avenge his father, does Peter finally decide to reveal the truth about Norman to Harry (however much in vain those efforts may have been). It can easily be argued that Bernard chose to remain quiet about the circumstances of Norman’s death for much the same reason as Peter.
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As Bernard tells Harry “I loved your father, as I have loved you, Harry, as your friends love you.” With Bernard’s close relationship with with Norman and Harry, his decision not to tell Harry the truth about Norman’s death was likely born out of his desire to not tarnish the Harry’s memory of Norman, just as Norman himself begged Peter not to. What’s more, after Harry experiences temporary amnesia after his initial New Goblin battle with Peter, Bernard might have even seen this as a blessing in disguise, with Harry having forgotten Spider-Man’s identity and therefore no longer being determined to kill Peter out of his mistaken belief that he’d murdered Norman in cold blood. Under these circumstances, Bernard probably felt he could continue to preserve both Norman and Peter’s secrets, but once Harry regained his memory and resumed his vendetta with Spider-Man, Bernard seemingly concluded that was no longer an option and decided to finally come clean with Harry for the sake of saving his friendship with Peter.
Spider-Man 3 is one of the more divisive Spider-Man movies, though its place in the character’s big-screen legacy would be enshrined with Tobey Maguire’s return in the multiversal tale of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Still, even that didn’t directly address the confusion many fans have had about why Bernard didn’t simply tell Harry that Norman caused his own death much earlier in Spider-Man 3. However, with Peter himself having chosen to protect Harry from Norman’s darkest secret until he had no choice to but to reveal it, it’s likely that Bernard chose to do so for the same reason. Both Peter Parker and Bernard Houseman loved Norman Osborn as much as Harry did, and sought to shield the son from the sins of the father. In the end, however, circumstances forced both Peter and Bernard to share the truth, and it allowed Harry to reunite with his best friend and die a hero’s death at the end of Spider-Man 3.
Spider-Man 3 is available to stream on Disney+.
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