Warning: SPOILERS for The Amazing Spider-Man #11Fans often believe that Spider-Man’s other goblins — most notably Hobgoblin — are just knock-offs of the original Green Goblin, but Norman Osborn sheds some light on this very issue.
Things are absolutely crazy right now for Peter Parker in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man. Following his battle with clone Ben Reilly, Peter had a falling out with his friends and family over a still unknown event. Mary Jane even left him and the two of them are estranged. In order to pick himself up and get himself back in the workforce, Peter has accepted a job from Norman Osborn to work at his company. More than that though, Osborn has also built for Peter a brand new and technologically improved Spider-Man suit.
In The Amazing Spider-Man #11 by Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr., Peter’s suspicions over Norman Osborn’s newly reformed demeanor are put into question. It begins when the ex-Hobgoblin Ned Leeds manages to take pictures of Norman and the original Hobgoblin Roderick Kingsley talking. When Peter confronts Norman about this, Osborn reveals that when Kingsley went to prison, Osborn orchestrated a takeover over his company. Now that Kingsley is out, he wants everything that is rightfully his. When Peter warns Norman that Kingsley is dangerous, Osborn responds that Kingsley is a goblin and most goblins are dangerous.
Norman Osborn Has Respect For Hobgoblin
This is a brief moment, but it’s very important towards the debate fans often have about the goblins who battle Spider-Man. Of course, Norman’s Green Goblin is the original. There’s just no topping him. Even his son Harry was in many ways a stand-in goblin and not the iconic villain Spider-Man is terrified of. So when other goblins were introduced, such as Hobgoblin, Menace, and more, many fans felt as if they were just rip-offs of the template Green Goblin created. However, this scene puts some of that debate to rest.
In his newly reformed state, Norman is able to properly assess the situation, and he comes to the conclusion that he is not special as the original Green Goblin. All goblins are dangerous and worthy of attention in their own right. Roderick Kingsley is especially dangerous as he has manipulated many individuals to take the fall for him as Hobgoblin. If Kingsley were merely an impostor, Osborn would attempt to fight him rather than try to work something out. Instead, Osborn recognizes Kingsley’s status as a goblin and respects it. For this reason, hopefully fans will look past just the Green Goblin and view Hobgoblin and all of Spider-Man‘s other goblins as legitimate.
The Amazing Spider-Man #11 is now available from Marvel Comics.
