Normie Osborn
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Normie Osborn is the grandson of Norman Osborn and the son of Harry Osborn, first and second Green Goblins. As Harry Osborn and Peter Parker were best friends, he is also Spider-Man's godchild.
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[edit] History
Normie Osborn first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #263 (April 1985), when he was born to Liz Osborn.
Normie is usually portrayed as being about five. He appeared in Green Goblin stories throughout the 1990s, generally portrayed as hating Spider-Man for hurting his father, but otherwise being surprisingly well balanced.
At one point, Harry organised an elaborate plan to detonate his own house with everyone he hated inside. Realising, following a fight with Spider-Man that he had left Normie inside, he rescued him. With the shock restoring his sanity, he then returned to rescue Peter, only to find the Goblin Formula was killing him. His last words were "You're my best friend". Normie was shown as overhearing this, possibly changing his view of Spider-Man.
In the storyline Legacy of Evil, a trio of robotic "Goblin women" (one of a number of failsafes prepared by Harry before his death) kidnap Normie, intending to turn him into the new Green Goblin. Spider-Man and the Molten Man (Normie's uncle) defeated them before he was exposed to the Goblin Formula.
When Norman Osborn Sr. returned from the dead, he also used a robot Goblin to kidnap his heir. This version appeared as the standard Green Goblin, causing Normie to believe his father had returned. This was part of a complex ploy to increase his visibility by playing the unfortunate grandfather.
Norman has dismissed the possibility of his grandson being the new Goblin, saying he has the same weaknesses as Harry.
[edit] MC2
In the MC2 alternate future, little Normie Osborn is all grown up. A sensitive boy, he took his mother's remarrying hard, never getting along with his stepfather, Foggy Nelson (until after her death when the two finally bonded), and he held Peter Parker responsible for the death of his father and grandfather. When his mother became ill and died, Normie broke down, accepting his father's and grandfather's mantle as the Green Goblin as his destiny. His appearance as the Green Goblin forced May Parker to adopt the mantle of Spider-Girl. His first few appearances met with failure as he was continually defeated by Spider-Girl, Phil Urich (as the "Golden Goblin"), and even in one instance by Mary Jane Parker. Then one day, when May had temporarily lost her powers, Normie kidnapped her. Tied up and teasing her with a knife, May realized that Normie was hoping she would break free and kill him. At this time, May was able to convince him to go get help and to forsake the Goblin legacy.
Normie reformed, and even helped May continue on as Spider-Girl during her temporary power loss by lending her his goblin equipment (Normie also confided in her that he was actually acrophobic). He later also helped Phil Urich return to costume as the good Green Goblin. For a time, Normie converted one of his grandfather's old Goblin hideouts into a kind of "batcave" from which May and Phil could use as a base of operations, which he christened "the Website." However, the Website was later located and destroyed by Canis' people.
While in group therapy (for former supervillains) he began dating Brenda Drago (Raptor, the daughter of Blackie Drago, the second Vulture), much to the chagrin of May who had developed a crush on him. During the events of the Season of the Serpent storyline, May confessed her feelings to Normie, but Normie did not think it would be appropriate (or legal -Normie is 19, May is 15- and there is no way that Mr. Parker would give him permission to date her, considering he is none too thrilled that they are even friends). However after he is shot in the chest by Mr. Nobody (who shot him to mess with May's head), Normie's true feelings are revealed in a coma vision where his grandfather taunts him, "All you had to do was kill the girl. But no you had to fall in love with her, and how's that working out for you, Normie?" The vision of Norman also taunts him that "you will never truly be rid of me."
His relationship with Brenda became rocky for a time when Élan DeJunae appeared to inform him of their betrothal which had been arranged by her father and Norman Osborn when Normie and Élan had just been children. Normie was not thrilled with the news, and Élan decided it was up to her to make sure that Normie was true to the family legacy. First, she attempted to expose him to the Goblin chemicals, but she was foiled by Spider-Girl. Normie was submerged in the chemicals for a long time, but he said the doctors gave him a clean bill of health.
Next Élan objected to his wedding to Brenda literally crashing it. She forcably bonded the Venom-symbiote to him as a "wedding gift." The new Venom went on a rampage until Normie with the help of Spider-Girl was able to gain control of the symbiote. May told him to cast it into the fire, but Normie could not bring himself to kill it. "I overcame the Goblin legacy, I should be able to control a simple alien symbiote." It looks as if Normie wishes to use the symbiote to be a hero. However, he is apparently afraid of a repeat of what happened on what was supposed to be his wedding day. He told his secretary Kristy Watson (Normie's nanny growing up, cousin of MJ), that if the alien ever takes control of him again, to have Spider-Girl destroy him.
His superhero persona doesn't have a name yet. They object to being referred to as Venom (because Venom was the symbiote with Eddie Brock) or as Normie (he would like to keep his identity secret) while out patrolling but "all the good ones (names) are already taken."
When the Avengers came to arrest him for harboring the Venom-symbiote, the cyborgized-Jim Rhodes short-circuited (claiming that Tony Stark murdered him) and went on a rampage in New York City. In the end, Normie with the Venom-symbiote saved the day because he was the only one who did not hold back -- he snared Rhodes with the symbiote and then grabbed onto a live wire from inside a streetlight, electrocuting both himself and Rhodes, with the short-circuiting Rhodes falling first. Afterwards, he informed them that Raptor is a government agent and so "surrendered" to her custody.
He voluntarily joined Kaine's team of reformed supervillains on the condition that Raptor (who does not get along with Whedon, its director) may be allowed to quit.
When Brenda is viciously wounded in an attack by the Hobgoblin, he joins Spider-Girl in the hunt for the Hobgoblin. They discover that the Hobgoblin's entire purpose is to lure Spider-Girl to a group of assassins known as the Scriers, and Spider-Girl is impaled by one of their swords. Osborn and the symbiote lash out, killing several of the Scriers with symbiote-construct blades, causing the Scriers to momentarily retreat (this momentarily lapse would become his and Kaine's little secret). Then, Normie with the symbiote saves Spider-Girl when Osborn transfers the symbiote to her. It heals her wounds and removed the blade's poison from her system. While Spider-Girl with the symbiote go on to hunt down Hobgoblin, Kaine and Normie are besieged by more Scriers. They are later joined by Spider-Girl and Peter Parker (back in costume). The battle is halted however when the Scriers are called off by the Black Tarantula, who had just assumed control of their organization.
The symbiote had been vulnerable when Peter Parker rejected it, and it was corrupted by the hate and anger of the second host (Eddie Brock). When it bonded to Normie Osborn, it was changed by his loving nature. When the symbiote gives its life to protect Spider-Girl and her father from the Hobgoblin, Normie felt it die.
After the battle, Normie and Brenda are married.
[edit] Trivia
- During his Goblin phase, Normie got several tattoos, one on his back reads "Honor Thy Father/Kill the Spider." One on his chest reads "Revenge" and has a spider impailed with a knife. There are also scars on his wrists from when he attempted suicide. As a parting gift, the Venom-symbiote removed all of his tattoos and scars.
- Normie is afraid of heights.
- According to the Venom-symbiote, Normie is a closet fan of Disney movies.
- When in control of the symbiote, Normie resembles Symbiote Spider-Man.
