Green Goblin

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The Green Goblin is a Marvel Comics supervillain, considered one of Spider-Man’s greatest and most infamous foes. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #14 (July 1964).

The first, current and best-known Green Goblin is the alter ego of industrialist Norman Osborn. A serum that granted Osborn superhuman strength also caused him to become a mentally unbalanced megalomaniac. Osborn dresses in a garish green and purple goblin costume and uses an arsenal of high-tech weapons, notably grenade-like "pumpkin bombs" and a flying "goblin glider" to terrorize New York City. Ironically, his troubled son Harry was a close friend of Peter Parker, who is secretly Spider-Man.

In a landmark 1973 storyline, the Green Goblin murdered Peter’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy and was apparently killed in the ensuing battle after his glider malfunctioned. Osborn was believed dead for several years during which several other characters assumed the title, most notably his son Harry, who died in the role. The Hobgoblin is another character who imitated the Green Goblin and used his equipment. Norman Osborn was revealed alive in the late 1990s and resumed his role as the Goblin. Recently, he was exposed, arrested and convicted for his crimes.

The Green Goblin also appeared in several Spider-Man animated series throughout the years and, more notably, in the 2002 Spider-Man film, in which he was played by Willem Dafoe.

Character biography

The original Goblin was Norman Osborn, a ruthless industrialist who co-founded a major firm with Dr. Mendel Stromm. To seize total control, Osborn had Stromm framed for embezzlement and then searched his possessions, discovering an experimental strength/intelligence enhancement formula. When Osborn attempted to create the serum, it turned green and exploded in his face. The accident changed Osborn, greatly increasing his intelligence and strength, but also drove him insane.

Osborn adopted the bizarre identity of the Green Goblin with the goal of becoming the Boss of the city's organized crime. This was intended to be complemented by defeating Spider-Man, a relatively low-powered opponent whom he was confident he could defeat to enhance his reputation. To this end, Osborn created a personal flying device, which started in a broomstick-like shape and evolved into his Goblin Glider, and hand grenade-like explosive weapons resembling pumpkins, a number of thrown projectile weapons called Razor-Bats featuring sharp blades (much like a certain Batman's batarangs), and blaster equipped gloves which fired energy blasts from the finger tips. Thus equipped, Osborn set out to achieve his twin goals, only to be frustrated at every turn by Spider-Man.

Frustrated, Osborn decided to lie low until he was sure his enemy's guard was down. When he was ready, Osborn arranged to have Spider-Man exposed to a special gas designed to suppress his spider sense. With that done, Goblin shadowed him until he learned he was really Peter Parker, and then captured him. In turn, Osborn revealed his own identity to Peter and ranted about his origin and his intentions of killing his greatest enemy, before releasing Peter to do battle. Peter defeated Osborn, who lost his memory and had his costume destroyed by Spider-Man to eliminate his menace.

For a long while, the Goblin personality periodically re-emerged in Osborn to bedevil Spider-Man, only to be forced down in turn when he was defeated. Finally, the Goblin took control one final time and threatened the love of Spider-Man's life, Gwen Stacy, by kidnapping her and taking her to the top of a bridge in New York City. During the resulting battle, the Goblin committed one of his most brutal crimes, pushing Gwen from the bridge and Spider-Man's attempt to save her failed. With blood in his eyes, Spider-Man pursued the Green Goblin for revenge, but managed to control himself after defeating him in battle. In one final attempt to kill him, the Goblin tried to spear Spider-Man with his remote control glider, only to be himself impaled by the gilder's sharp points when Spider-Man avoided the attack. The Goblin was presumed dead for years.

Other Goblins

While Norman was assumed to be dead, several villains and one hero took up the mantle of Goblin villain.

Nels Van Adder

Before Norman Osborn became the Green Goblin, he tested Stromm's serum on an Oscorp employee named Nels Van Adder. The serum had an adverse effect on him, he was mutated into a demon-like creature called the Prototype Goblin or Proto-Goblin for short. Adder constantly harassed and attacked Osborn until he was shot dead by detectives and his body fell into a nearby river.

Harry Osborn

Harry, Norman's son, became a new Green Goblin up until his death.

Bart Hamilton

Before his death, Harry was put under the medical care of Dr. Barton "Bart" Hamilton who managed to make Harry bury his vendetta and identity as the Goblin in his subconscious. Unfortunately, Dr. Hamilton wanted to use Harry's secrets to become the third Green Goblin. Eventually, the underpowered amateur was killed by a bomb intended for Spiderman, and the Goblin menace was buried yet again. There was some speculation that Hamilton was the Hobgoblin, though this was disproven.

Hobgoblin

Roderick Kingsley, a fashion designer, found information that lead him to one of Norman's many abandoned Goblin caches, full of equipment that he altered and took up the mantle of the Hobgoblin, looking to become an Underworld leader. He resorted to brainwashing and framing Ned Leeds, a friend of Spider-Man's. He later went into hiding, and another Hobgoblin came forth. This one was killed by Kingsley years later.

Phil Urich

Still later, Harry's insanity relapsed and he became the Green Goblin again on numerous occasions, until he died from the side effects of a modified Goblin serum. His equipment and the identity of the Green Goblin was then briefly used by Philip Benjamin "Phil" Urich (nephew of Ben Urich of the Daily Bugle), who tried to gain a reputation as a superhero, although he sometimes seemed to be as maniacal as his villainous predecessors. When his equipment was damaged during a battle against a Sentinel in the Onslaught Crossover, Phil was unable to repair or replace it and the fourth Green Goblin thereafter retired. He would later form the team Excelsior. In the MC2 alternate future, he resumes his career as the Green Goblin (see below).

The Return of Norman Osborn

In a controversial move by Marvel (one deemed necessary by the company's then-Editor-in-Chief to bail them out of the much-maligned Clone Saga), it was revealed that Norman Osborn was still alive and had been manipulating the events of the Clone Saga behind the scenes. For a while, a genetic construct that had once been a human being acted as the fifth Green Goblin following Norman's orders, so that he would not be suspected (despite having admitted in public that he was Norman Osborn, and while wearing the costume). He also bought the Daily Bugle so that he could control and edit out any bad publicity, such as the frequent editorials by Ben Urich. During a period when Norman was driven mad when a mystic ceremony that he participated in went wrong, the genetic construct sought out Osborn's original formula to stabilize itself and discover who it truly was. But it was too late, and in front of Spider-Man's eyes, it melted into a puddle of goo and died.

The Goblin's Heir

After the fifth Goblin died, Norman developed a new plan for Spider-Man—he wanted Parker to become his new heir. His first move in this game was drugging Parker into flying around in the Goblin's costume and attacking his friends. Norman then took Peter to the old Osborn estate to try to convince him to take up Norman's mantle on his own free will. After days of physical and psychological torture, Peter cracked under the stress, but still refused Norman at the last minute. Norman's next plan involved using a drunk Flash Thompson to drive a truck into Midtown High School, where Peter worked. The accident caused Flash to suffer major brain damage and enraged Peter enough to decide to finish his feud with Norman once and for all. At the end of the fight, which took place in one of Norman's chemical plants, Spider-Man came close to killing the Goblin, but relented at the last second. Peter told Norman that if he gives into his hatred for the Goblin, the last piece of Gwen would die, and that he did not need to kill Norman anyway, as simply being him was punishment enough. Parker left, telling Norman that he was tired of fighting him, and declared a truce.

Exposed

The Green Goblin's true identity was revealed to the public by a dedicated investigation by the Daily Bugle after he murdered one of their reporters. After a battle with Spider-Man and Luke Cage that spanned the length of Manhattan, he was arrested and sent to prison for the first time in the character's 40-year history.

As could be expected, however, Osborn did not stay in prison for long. Even behind bars, Osborn masterminded a plot to get Spider-Man himself to help him escape, which the web-slinger ultimately did, as payment for releasing Aunt May from a kidnapper on Osborn's pay - Mac Gargan, The Scorpion. Spider-Man battled with the Sinister Twelve, a group of his greatest enemies led by Osborn as the Green Goblin, who revealed that he had a hand in financing many of these villains' origins. The Goblin slipped away in the heat of the battle and abducted Mary Jane Watson, taking her to the Brooklyn Bridge, but Spider-Man was able to rescue her. The Green Goblin then found himself grappling with a deranged Doctor Octopus, still drugged from being held in police custody. A bolt of lightning sent the two villains plunging into the river. Doctor Octopus was eventually recovered alive and well, and Peter later received a letter from Osborn, mailed before the fight.

Sins Past

It was recently revealed in a controversial storyline that, prior to Gwen Stacy's death, Osborn had engaged in an affair with her, resulting in twins. After Stacy's death, Osborn took the children into his care during his sabbatical in Europe. The children, named Gabriel and Sarah, aged and matured rapidly after only a few years. The twins emerged after Osborn's takedown and confronted Spider-Man, whom they believed to be their real father, and who they believed had murdered their mother. After a series of confrontations, Gabriel and Sarah discovered their real father's identity after Peter dug up Gwen's grave for a DNA sample; if he had even briefly thought he was their father, he should have been able to use his own DNA to determine their parentage. Sarah rejected Osborn's vendetta, but Gabriel assumed the mantle of the sixth Green Goblin, or "Grey Goblin" Gabriel, deranged and amnesiac after a battle with Spider-Man, disappeared along with Sarah, although she later reappeared in Paris. This apparently explained an awful lot to Peter: why Osborn had killed Gwen, why Mary Jane Watson avoided Peter for a long time, having known the secret, and why Osborn wanted Peter as his 'heir', among other things.

Civil War

Though few details have been released, it is known that the Goblin will be one of the villains taking advantage of the schism developing between Marvel's superheroes over superhuman registration during the Civil War story arc. In "Civil War: Frontline #2", the Goblin watches in shock as Spider-Man publicly reveals his identity as Peter Parker, railing that Peter "broke the rules!" He's then approached by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who are seeking his aid.

Peter also confirms on TV that Osborn is the Goblin, and that he killed Gwen Stacy.

Powers and abilities

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As originally conceived, the formula that turned Norman Osborn into the Green Goblin bestowed upon him enhanced (though not to superhuman levels) intelligence and limited super-strength only.

Today, Norman Osborn possesses superhuman strength comparable to that of Spider-Man. His reflexes, speed, and stamina are enhanced. His durability has been augmented over the years to the point that bullets fired from most conventional weapons can't pierce his skin. Apparently, a .45 Magnum at close range can injure him, as Mary Jane Watson realized when she shot him when he tried to kidnap her. However, Osborn is capable of healing from damage that would be lethal to a normal person to a limited degree, having regenerated from being impaled through the chest by his own rocket-glider leaving only a scar as a reminder and later from having over a dozen of his bombs explode while webbed to his chest. This was first used as a plot device to bring Norman Osborn back from the grave.

He is armed with a variety of bizarre incendiary devices and uses a Goblin Glider as a personal transport. It can reach velocities of well over 300 miles per hour and is extremely maneuverable.

Aside from his physical advantages, the serum also greatly enhanced Norman's already highly above average intellect, making him a bona fide genius capable of making progress in advanced areas of genetics, robotics, engineering, and applied chemistry that most professional scientists can scarcely comprehend. However, these aptitudes are inhibited by the fact that Osborn is criminally insane.

The superhero Green Goblin (Phil Urich, nephew of Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich), also had the ability to produce an ear-shattering maniacal laugh that threw off his enemies. Unlike the other Goblins, Phil only received a small dose of the Goblin formula (perhaps in an altered form). His powers instead came from his mask, which delivered an electric burst that somehow augmented his strength and speed, without any of the typical negative effects on his sanity. His mask also gave him access to remote-controlled weaponry and spy devices.

Alternate versions

MC2

Normie Osborn

Normie Osborn is the son of Harry Osborn and Liz Allan, and the grandson of Norman Osborn. In the alternate timeline of the MC2 universe he would become the Green Goblin and battle Spider-Man's daughter, May Parker before reforming and becoming her ally.

Phil Urich

In the MC2 timeline, Phil Urich married his girlfriend Meredith and became a forensic scientist and friends with Peter Parker. He is aware of both Peter and Spider-Girl's identities. Phil Urich resumed the Goblin identity, first under the name of the Golden Goblin, then as the Green Goblin with the assistance of Normie Osborn (III). After Phil lost a long series of battles, Normie recreated Phil's original mask, which granted him superhuman strength and other abilities, greatly enhancing his effectiveness. He is also a founding member of the New New Warriors.

Fury the Goblin Queen

Élan DeJunae, daughter of the San Mardeo DeJunaes crime family in South America, was betrothed to Normie Osborn when she was just a baby because of her father's involvement with the Order of the Goblin. Since then, Élan learned the family business and eventually made connections with the Black Tarantula. She grew up training to follow Norman Osborn's footsteps, and eventually became the leader of the Order of the Goblin.

Following a near fatal attack on Normie, Élan returned to New York to follow through with their arranged marriage, but Normie was not aware of the betrothal. Meanwhile, Élan and the Black Tarantula plotted to use Spider-Girl to destroy Lady Octopus and Canis so they could take control of the New York underworld. Following plans made by Norman Osborn before his death, the Queen of the Goblins tried to dose Normie Osborn with a new version of the goblin formula. However, Spider-Girl defeated Élan, but in the battle, the formula exploded and the Queen escaped.

Because Normie spurned her and denied his place in the Goblin legacy, Fury crashed his wedding to Brenda Drago and forcibly bonded the Venom-symbiote to him in an attempt to corrupt him. This so far seems to have backfired as Normie has gained control of the symbiote and gone on to become a hero. After Fury crashed Normie's wedding, Phil Urich (the good Green Goblin) defeated her and sent her to prison. She is likely still plotting revenge. [http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/mc2/goblinqueen.html 7.

Marvel 2099

In the Marvel 2099 setting, the Goblin was a radical trickster who wanted to prove that Spider-Man 2099 was in the pay of the megacorps. He had batlike glider-wings and a bag of "tricks", similar to the 20th century version. He also had the ability to project illusions.

He was eventually unmasked, and appeared to be Spider-Man's brother Gabriel, although a later retcon said that he was a shapeshifter who took Gabriel's identity. Peter David, who quit the book between creating the character and the unmasking, has said that it was his intent for the Goblin to be the female Catholic priest Father Jennifer, and for Gabriel to be a red herring[link]. (There is an ironic similarity between this and the earlier confusion over the identity of the Hobgoblin, in which it was David who wrote the unmasking story).

Ultimate Green Goblin

Norman Osborn is a corrupt industrialist and scientist who is trying to perfect the Super Soldier drug for S.H.I.E.L.D. He neglects his wife and son,Harry. An OZ-injected spider bites Peter Parker on a field trip. Peter develops amazing powers, and Norman theorizes that since the OZ combined with spider DNA gave Parker the abilities of a spider, if Norman were to receive OZ combined with his own DNA he could become a heightened version of himself. The experiment goes wrong and an explosion occurs, affecting Harry and Dr. Otto Octavius. Norman is transformed into a grotesque monster.

In attempt to destroy all evidence of his existence, Norman kills his wife and attempts to kill Harry, but his son manages to escape. The next day, he attacks Harry's school but is stopped by Spider-Man. During the fight, Osborn plummets off into the river, seemingly dead. Norman survives, and in his words, "evolves". He can now control his transformations into an intelligent incarnation of the Green Goblin via OZ injections. Taking Harry back, Norman moved back into the city, blaming rival Justin Hammer for the explosion. He reveals himself to Parker, telling him that he must give up his life as Spider-Man and work for him, or he and his loved ones will die. Osborn tells Parker to kill Nick Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. When Parker refuses, Norman kidnaps Mary Jane Watson, Parker's girlfriend, and attempts to kill her. Due to overdosing on OZ, Osborn suffers hallucinations. These include seeing everything through a blood-red filter, objects such as the Spider on Spider-man's chest moving around, and creatures called "plasmids" tormenting him. Spider-Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. attack Osborn. Harry picks up a shattered window pane and jams it into his father's back, reverting him to his human self.

In the Ultimate Six limited series, Osborn and his old assistant Dr. Octavius devise a plan to escape from prison that which uses Norman's new ability to transform into the Goblin at will. They kidnap Spider-Man and force him to join them. Norman considers Parker to be his 'true' son and believes Parker belongs with him. In a battle between the Ultimate Six and the Ultimates at the White House, Harry is used as a trump card by Nick Fury. Harry pleads with his father to stop. Norman is about to change back when a triggerhappy Iron Man blasts him from behind, severely altering Norman's genes and causing him to lash out at the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel before being shot down to Harry's horror. He is again taken into custody.

In the Ultimate Spider-Man video game the Beetle, a Latverian mercenary, breaks him out to provide samples for Latverian experiments in creating super-soldiers. Osborn rampages around New York city but is stopped by Spider-Man after a confrontation in the UN Conference Building.

No character uses the name "Green Goblin" in Ultimate Spider-Man; however, when the X-Men's Kitty Pryde uploads a hologram of the Ultimate Six into the Danger Room, the Osborn hologram refers to itself as the Green Goblin.

Other media

Animated series

• The 1960s animated television series featured the first depiction of the Goblin outside of the comic book, but fans have criticized it for getting the character completely wrong. For instance, the Goblin is depicted as a dimwitted robber who is obsessed with magic and the supernatural. Those were fields of expertise that Norman Osborn in the comics was never interested in (save for one anomalous incident in the late 1990s), preferring to use technology to commit crimes.

• The 1980s series depicted Osborn as something closer to The Lizard with a serious medical problem of physically and uncontrollably changing into the Goblin, a kind of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The Green Goblin was a long-term recurring villain in the  series.  In the series, Norman Osborn and his partner, Mendell Stromm, were coerced into creating a formula for the Kingpin that grants superhuman strength.  An unstable reaction resulted during one experiment and Norman disappeared in the explosion, presumed dead.  His son, Harry blamed the Oscorp stockholders, J. Jonah Jameson, Anastasia Hardy, and Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin) among others, for the death of his father.  Soon a mysterious airborne figure, identifying himself as the Green Goblin, began kidnapping the stockholders one by one.  Harry quickly became the main suspect and was followed by a wary Mary Jane who became kidnapped herself.  Tracking her down, Spider-Man uncovered an underwater base where the Goblin intended to kill everyone he had kidnapped.  Fighting the Goblin, Spider-Man unmasked him, only to discover that the Green Goblin was Norman Osborn.  Amnesia ensued and Norman was unable to remember his dual identity.  The following morning at Oscorp, he announced that he will no longer build chemical weapons.

His son, Harry, resents his father's apparent favoritism of his friend Peter Parker.  Norman Osborn is a brilliant scientist and businessman who is known for his contributions to nanotechnology.  He is the head of Oscorp, a company contracted by the United States military to create a new super-soldier.  Osborn, needing to prove his formula is the new technology the military is seeking, experiments on himself and becomes the Green Goblin.  The process drives him insane however, and kills his partner, Dr. Mendel Stromm.  The military then decides to give the super soldier contract to another company, Quest Aerospace.  As the Green Goblin, Osborn appears and kills several high-ranking military officers and Quest scientists who were present at the Quest test.  Although Quest Aerospace's prototype was destroyed, the company decided to expand and, in doing so, assumes control of Oscorp on the condition that Norman Osborn step down as CEO.

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