Memes usually die fast. Most of them have the shelf life of an open avocado—green and vibrant one minute, brown sludge the next. But then you have Norman Osborn. Specifically, Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn from the 2002 Spider-Man film. When he looks at Peter Parker and utters the line, I’m somewhat of a scientist myself, he wasn’t trying to be funny. He was trying to be condescending and relatable at the exact same time. It’s a weirdly specific vibe.
Fast forward nearly two decades, and that single sentence turned into a digital shorthand for every time we’ve ever googled a symptom and decided we’re basically doctors. Or when we fix a router by unplugging it and feel like electrical engineers. It’s the ultimate anthem for the confidently underqualified.
The Birth of a Legend in a Lab Coat
Let’s go back to 2002. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man was a massive deal. It basically paved the road for the MCU juggernaut we live with now. In the scene, Peter Parker is meeting Norman Osborn, the father of his best friend Harry. Peter is a brilliant high schooler, and Norman—a multi-billionaire industrialist with multiple degrees—is impressed by Peter’s understanding of nanotechnology.
Norman says the line to bridge the gap between a titan of industry and a nerdy teenager. It’s meant to be a moment of bonding. In the context of the movie, it’s actually a bit of a flex. Osborn is a genius. He’s not "somewhat" of a scientist; he’s a world-leading scientist.
The irony is what makes it work.
The internet didn't actually grab onto this until about 2016. It started popping up on places like Reddit’s r/raimimemes, a community dedicated entirely to the specific brand of campy, earnest energy found in the original trilogy. People realized that the still image of Dafoe—with that slightly awkward, smug grin—was the perfect reaction image for any situation involving a tiny bit of knowledge and a huge amount of unearned confidence.
Why We Can't Stop Using It
Why does this specific meme have such legs?
Honestly, it’s the relatable fraudulence. We live in an era where everyone has access to all the information in the world, which makes us all feel significantly smarter than we actually are. If you’ve ever looked at a complex chart about the stock market and said "Ah, yes, the candle sticks are forming a pattern," you are Norman Osborn.
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There is a psychological component here, too. It’s a self-deprecating nod to the Dunning-Kruger effect. That’s the cognitive bias where people with limited competence in a domain overestimate their abilities. The meme lets us admit we’re doing it. By saying I’m somewhat of a scientist myself, you’re signaling to the world: "I know I don't know what I'm talking about, but I'm going to say something anyway."
It’s a shield against criticism.
You see it everywhere.
- Someone explains how to bake bread during a lockdown? I’m somewhat of a scientist myself.
- A gamer adjusts the field-of-view settings in a menu to gain 3 FPS? I’m somewhat of a scientist myself.
- A person successfully identifies a bird in their backyard because they saw it on a National Geographic poster once? You get the idea.
The No Way Home Renaissance
Just when the meme was starting to settle into the "classic but old" category, Marvel and Sony did something brilliant. They brought Willem Dafoe back for Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021.
The fans were waiting for it. They were practically begging for it.
During the film, Dafoe actually says the line again. It was a meta-wink to the audience that confirmed Marvel was paying attention to internet culture. It wasn't just a callback to the 2002 film; it was a callback to the meme itself. This skyrocketed the phrase back into the mainstream. It proved that the line had transcended the movie it came from. It was no longer just a script line; it was a cultural touchstone.
More Than Just a Meme: The "Expert" Problem
There is a deeper layer to why this phrase resonates in the 2020s. We are currently navigating a world where the definition of an "expert" is under constant fire. Between social media "gurus" and the democratization of data, the line between a hobbyist and a professional is blurrier than ever.
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The meme captures that tension perfectly.
It’s often used to mock people who do about five minutes of research on YouTube and then try to debate people with PhDs. It’s the battle cry of the armchair expert. But because Willem Dafoe is so charismatic, the meme feels more playful than mean-spirited. It’s a way to acknowledge our own pretentiousness.
How to Use It Without Being Cringe
Look, memes have rules. If you use them wrong, you look like a "fellow kids" meme (another classic, also featuring a Steve Buscemi vibe).
If you want to use the phrase effectively, the key is the gap between the task and the ego.
- The Low Stakes Win: Use it when you do something incredibly basic that a child could do. Example: You put a Band-Aid on a paper cut without getting an air bubble. "I'm somewhat of a scientist myself."
- The Accidental Discovery: Use it when you notice something obvious that feels profound. Example: Realizing that if you put the cereal in after the milk, it stays crunchier.
- The Deeply Niche Hobby: When you've spent three hours reading a Wikipedia rabbit hole about the history of salt.
Actionable Takeaways for Cultural Fluency
If you’re looking to understand or utilize the power of this kind of viral longevity, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Embrace the camp. Part of why Dafoe’s performance works is that he isn't afraid to be "too much." The best content—and the best memes—usually come from a place of high sincerity or high theatricality.
Watch for the "Meme-ification" of your industry. If you are in marketing or tech, notice how people use these phrases to simplify complex feelings. It's a shorthand for rapport. Using a phrase like I’m somewhat of a scientist myself in a casual professional setting can actually break the ice, provided everyone gets the joke.
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Don't over-explain. The fastest way to kill a meme is to explain the joke while telling it. The power of this phrase is that it’s a "if you know, you know" moment.
Study the source material. If you haven't seen the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man, go watch it. Not just for the meme, but to see how character beats are built. Understanding the original intent makes the subverted meme version much funnier.
Stay humble. The core of the joke is that we aren't actually experts. Use it as a reminder to keep learning. The moment you start saying it and actually believing you’re a genius is the moment you’ve become the villain of the story.
The longevity of this meme isn't just luck. It’s a perfect storm of a legendary actor, a highly quotable script, and a digital culture that loves to poke fun at its own perceived intelligence. It’s a reminder that even in a world of high-speed algorithms, a good character beat from twenty years ago can still be the best way to tell a joke.
To stay ahead of these trends, pay attention to which old media is being "rediscovered" by younger generations on platforms like TikTok. Often, the next big meme is already sitting in a movie you watched two decades ago, just waiting for someone to find the right frame and the right caption. Keep an eye on the comment sections of niche fan communities; that’s where the real cultural heavy lifting happens before it hits the mainstream.
Ultimately, keeping up with internet culture isn't about knowing every single joke. It's about understanding the "why" behind them. Why this line? Why this face? When you start to see the patterns in what people find funny, you’ll realize that, honestly, you’re somewhat of a scientist yourself.