Spoilers for Heroes Reborn #5 ahead!
The Green Goblin got revenge on Nighthawk, Marvel’s Batman, in a brutal fashion – by targeting one of Nighthawk’s former sidekicks. In Heroes Reborn #5, readers get to see the Goblin make good on a personal vendetta in a horrifying fashion way and the issue is on sale now in print and digital.
Heroes Reborn presents fans with a look at a world without the Avengers, and in their place, the Squadron Supreme, a team of Justice League pastiches, have become Earth’s premier super team. One of the Squadron’s members is Nighthawk, a twisted version of Batman. By day he is Congressman Kyle Richmond; by night he is the vigilante Nighthawk. In the world of Heroes Reborn, Nighthawk has had several sidekicks, including Gwen Stacy, who he trained as Nightbird. One of Nighthawk’s greatest enemies is the Green Goblin, and in Heroes Reborn #5, he gets revenge on Nighthawk for years of humiliating defeats.
The Green Goblin has engineered a breakout at Ravencsroft Asylum (the Marvel version of DC’s Arkham Asylum) and has dosed many of the inmates with his Goblin Gas, driving them mad. As Nighthawk fights his way through Goblin Gas-enhanced villains like Bullseye and Rhino, he sees that the Goblin has taken Gwen Stacy hostage, dangling her over a ledge. The Goblin then tosses her over the edge, and Nighthawk catches her. As he helps her up, he realizes the Goblin infected Gwen as well, and now an already battered and bruised Nighthawk must fight his former sidekick. He is quickly able to overpower her and stop the Goblin’s reign of terror.
Gwen Stacy’s final fate was not revealed in this issue, so readers are left uncertain whether or not Nighthawk was able to cure her of the Goblin Gas’ effects, however, the brutality of the attack cannot be denied. The Green Goblin did not merely try to kill Gwen Stacy, he used his Goblin Gas to infect and corrupt her, and send her after Nighthawk, knowing good and well that Nighthawk will not harm her. The attack is almost purely psychological and puts the Heroes Reborn version of the Green Goblin in line with villains such as the Joker and Scarecrow. The Goblin was trying to break Nighthawk, but he was not successful. Nevertheless, fighting his former ally still took a toll on him.
Regardless of what universe he is in, the Green Goblin is a deadly foe and in the world of Heroes Reborn, he is even more dangerous, and takes his revenge in the most brutal fashions possible, as Nighthawk learned. Heroes Reborn #5 is written by Jason Aaron, with art by R.M. Guera, colors by Giulia Brusco and letters by Cory Petit.
