| Green Goblin | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Amazing Spider-Man #14 (July 1964) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Steve Ditko |
| Characters | Norman Osborn Nels Van Adder David Lowell Harry Osborn Bart Hamilton Hobgoblin Demogoblin Phil Urich Gabriel Stacy Menace |
The Green Goblin is the alias of a number of Marvel Comics supervillains, the most high-profile of which is Norman Osborn.
Contents |
Norman Osborn is the main character connected with the alias, who developed the equipment used by the other Goblins.
It was revealed that soon after Norman had Stromm arrested for embezzlement, he had found only a portion of the notes detailing his partner's serum. Norman tests the incomplete version of the serum on an Oscorp employee named Nels Van Adder, driving Van Adder slowly insane and beginning his transformation into a red, demon-like being known as the "Proto-Goblin". Killing several people and blaming Norman for what has happened to him, Adder proceeds to harass and later attempts to kill him before being knocked out a window in Oscorp by Arthur and George Stacy and fleeing into the wild. In order to escape conviction for what he had done to Van Adder, Norman convinces the police that Van Adder had been experimenting on himself, and that he had secretly been trying to help him. Van Adder's current fate remains unrevealed.[1]
As well as endowing Adder with super strength and agility, the Goblin Serum also gave him large claws, talons, fangs, glowing green eyes, and near impenetrable red skin (capable of withstanding several close range bullet shots).
The Proto-Goblin appears as a boss in Spider-Man: Battle for New York.
Another Oscorp employee, Doctor David Patrick Lowell worked in the Osborn Chemical Company division, where his main project was a type of "super fertilizer" that could increase the solar absorption and growth rate of flora. After being passed over for a promotion, an irritated Lowell showed Osborn his work, and Osborn, noticing Lowell's chemical was uncannily similar to the Goblin Formula, immediately fired him and ordered all his work terminated. As his life's work was being destroyed by Oscorp employees, an enraged Lowell tried to fight them off, only to become drenched in his formula and be knocked into a wall of solar lamps. The combination of the Goblin Serum-esque chemical and the electricity caused Lowell to mutate into a light-based being dubbed "Sundown". After going on a rampage through New York, Sundown was ultimately defeated and imprisoned by Spider-Man and several other heroes.[2]
After being incarcerated for ten years, Sundown was released from prison, but was blackmailed back into supervillainy shortly afterward by mob boss Lucky Lobo. Eventually turning against Lobo, Sundown, with Spider-Man's help, was able to expose his crimes. Afterward, Sundown declined Spider-Man's offer of becoming a superhero, in favor of a normal life.[3]
Harry, Norman's son, becomes the second Green Goblin.[4] After being defeated and placed under the care of Dr. Bart Hamilton, Harry while under hypnosis reveals many Goblin secrets and Hamilton decides to become the third Green Goblin. Harry recovers, and fights Hamilton, until an explosion renders Harry amnesiac of his time as the Goblin and kills Hamilton.[5] Years later Harry's memories return and he uses a new stronger Goblin serum to augment his power, but dies from it. Harry would later return thanks to the machinations of Mephisto in "One More Day".
Dr. Barton "Bart" Hamilton was a psychologist, born in Scarsdale, New York. Before his death, Harry is put under the medical care of Dr. Hamilton, who manages to make Harry bury his vendetta and identity as the Goblin in his subconscious via hypnosis.[6] Unfortunately, Dr. Hamilton wants to use Harry's secrets to become the third Green Goblin.[7] However, his power was no match for his enthusiasm — he never even bothered to use the strength-enhancing formulas on himself, seemingly believing that just being the Green Goblin would enable him to defeat Spider-Man-, and, despite an elaborate plot to kill Silvermane, the underpowered amateur is confronted by Harry Osborn who has resumed the Goblin identity to stop him. They battle and Hamilton is accidentally killed by a bomb with which he meant to kill Spider-Man, and Harry becomes amnesiac.[8] Years later there was speculation that Hamilton was the Hobgoblin but this is disproved.[9]
A Green Goblin that was presumably Hamilton appeared as a member of the second incarnation of the Legion of the Unliving, created by the Grandmaster. After being pitted against the Avengers, the group and their master were vanquished by Death.[10]
Roderick Kingsley, a fashion designer, finds information that leads him to one of Norman's many abandoned Goblin caches, full of equipment that he alters and takes up the mantle of the Hobgoblin, looking to become an underworld leader. He resorts to brainwashing and framing Ned Leeds, a friend of Spider-Man's. He goes into hiding, and another Hobgoblin comes forth. His name is Jason Macendale and is killed by Kingsley years later. Macendale appears as the Hobgoblin in the Spider-Man: The Animated Series and is voiced by Mark Hamill.
Jason Macendale assumed the role of the Hobgoblin, and when he became trapped in Limbo, it was there that his essence became infused with an unnamed demon. After a battle with Daniel Ketch and Johnny Blaze, Jason realized that he needed to expel the demon from within him. Doing so let loose the being known as Demogoblin who would seek revenge against his former host, Macendale. He later joined forces with Carnage and other villains in an effort to take over Manhattan, which ended in failure. Eventually, Demogoblin meets his death saving a kid in a church. He is later seen in the nightmares and hallucinations of Phil Urich.
Harry's insanity relapses and he becomes the Green Goblin again on numerous occasions, until he dies from the side effects of a modified Goblin serum. His equipment and the identity of the Green Goblin are then briefly used by Philip Benjamin "Phil" Urich (nephew of Ben Urich of the Daily Bugle), who tries to gain a reputation as a superhero, although he is sometimes seen as being as maniacal as his villainous predecessors. When his equipment is damaged during a battle against a Sentinel in the Onslaught crossover, Phil is unable to repair or replace it and the fourth Green Goblin thereafter retires. He later forms the team Excelsior. Currently Phil has become the new Hobgoblin. In the MC2 alternate future, he resumes his career as the Green Goblin.
Gabriel, the son of Norman and Gwen Stacy, became the sixth Green Goblin known as the Grey Goblin.[11] Born after Osborn's enhancements, Gabriel already had improved physical abilities and aged rapidly. After taking a dose of Goblin serum, Gabriel becomes a physical powerhouse, but goes completely insane, thus becoming the Grey Goblin. After crash landing in a battle with Spider-Man and his twin sister, Gabriel suffers severe amnesia. His sister, Sarah, takes Gabriel to Paris, but he soon escapes.
Menace is Harry Osborn's ex-girlfriend Lilly Hollister. She has used the Goblin technology since being exposed to a new version of the Goblin serum that grants the ability to physically transform at will. Menace is now in a relationship with Norman Osborn and is pregnant with his child.
An offshoot of the Scriers cult founded by Norman, consisting of only his most loyal followers.
Following Norman Osborn's rise and fall from power, a number of "Goblin Gangs" sprang up across America. Composed mostly of white supremacists who agreed with his plans to remove the Asgardians from the country, they wear purple clothes, green face makeup and have goblin-based tattoos.[12] Vin Gonzales was revealed to have received one of these tattoos while in prison when he passed a message from Norman to Harry about Stanley, Harry's newborn son.[13]
| This article includes a list of related items that share the same name (or similar names). If an internal link incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. |