Alternate versions of Green Goblin

As a fictional character, the Green Goblin has appeared in a number of media, from comic books to films and television series. Each version of the work typically establishes its own continuity, and sometimes introduces parallel universes, to the point where distinct differences in the portrayal of the character can be identified. This article details various versions of the Green Goblin depicted in works including Marvel Comics Ultimate line and "Earth X".

In mainstream comic continuity

*Norman Osborn is the first and modern version of the Green Goblin. First appearing in "Amazing Spider-Man" #14, Norman Osborn became one of Spider-Man's arch-nemesis until his presumed demised in the seminal "Amazing Spider-Man" #39. The character would return in "Peter Parker: Spider-Man" #75, and again be featured as a premiere villain. Norman Osborn has been featured as the Green Goblin in film, video games, and animation, as well.

*Harry Osborn is initially introduced as friend to Peter Parker in "Amazing Spider-Man" #31, following the initial "death" of his father, Norman Osborn, Harry becomes the second Green Goblin to seek revenge of Spider-Man, his best-friend Peter, in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #136. Harry Osborn has been feature in film, video games, and animation.

*Dr. Bart Hamilton is the psychologist treating Harry Osborn, who uses Harry's secrets to become the third Green Goblin in "Amazing Spider-Man" #176, only to accidentally kill himself in a battle with Harry who had returned as the Green Goblin.

*Phil Urich, is introduced as a new Green Goblin in "Web of Spider-Man" #125. Ulrich, nephew of Ben Urich of the Daily Bugle, tries to become a superhero, only to be overshadowed by the transgressions of his predecessors.

Other Goblins

*Hobgoblin was introduced by writer Roger Stern in "Amazing Spider-Man" #252, as a Goblin alternative to both Harry Osborn and Bart Hamilton. Various characters would be featured or alluded to as secret identity under the Goblin mask, the character ultimately revealed as Roderick Kingsley.

*Demogoblin is introduced as the demon counter-part of the Hobgoblin (Jason Macendale).

*Grey Goblin is the son of Norman Osborn and Gwen Stacy introduce by J. Michael Straczynski during the Sins Past" story arch in The Amazing Spider-Man #509-514. The rapidly aging progeny of Osborn takes the Goblin formula and briefly becomes the next in the line of Goblins.

*ProtoGoblin is a former OsCorp employee use to test the Goblin serum. Introduced in "Peter Parker: Spider-Man" #1, Nels Van Adder is changed by Norman Osborn into red, demon-like creature.

Alternate universe depictions

1602

In the "" Pocket Universe, Norman Osborne appears as a major villain, attempting to find "the Source", which is guarded by the Natives of Roanoke Island, and utilize it to gain unimaginable power; to achieve his goal, Osborne allies with King James I of England and makes several attempts to create conflict between his fellow American colonists and the Natives. Ultimately, Osborne is captured and imprisoned in stocks after peace between the colonists and Natives resume and the English are forced from America.

2099

In the Marvel 2099 setting, the Goblin is a radical trickster who wants to prove that Spider-Man (Miguel O'Hara) is in the pay of a megacorp. He has bat-like glider-wings and a bag of "tricks", similar to the 20th century version. He also has the ability to project illusions.

He is eventually unmasked, and appears to be Spider-Man's brother Gabriel, although it is later revealed, in a retcon, that he is a shapeshifter who took Gabriel's identity. Writer 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. [ http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.peter-david/msg/4e9186e3c4855006?hl=en& ] (There is a similarity between this situation and the earlier confusion over the identity of the Hobgoblin, in which it was David who wrote the initial unmasking story). This goblin was never called the Green Goblin, but instead simply Goblin 2099.

Age of Apocalypse

Here, Norman Osborn, known as Red, is a terrorist traitor to the human race, a member of Apocalypse's Marauders along with Dirigible, the Owl and Arcade. Red, along with the rest of the Marauders, is eventually killed by Clint Barton and Gwen Stacy.

Amalgam Comics

In this alternate reality, where a part of the Marvel Multiverse is fused with a part of the DC Multiverse, Norman Osborne is fused with Harvey "Two-Face" Dent into Harvey Osborne, The "Two-Faced Goblin". The left half of Osborne's face was scarred in an accident (which he blames Dark Claw for), but he disguises himself in the mainstream Goblin's costume and uses pumpkin bombs, but also he rides on a glider shaped like Two-Face's coin. He fought alongside Silicone Man (Sandman + Plastic Man) and Scarecrow (Ebenezer Laughton + Johnathan Crane) as the "Terrible Three" (Sinister Six + Terrible Trio), but was forced to kill them when Silicone Man and Scarecrow were possessed by the Night Spectre (Nightmare + Spectre).

Avataars: Covenant of the Shield

In the miniseries ', which takes place in an alternate universe referred to as Eurth created by the Shaper of Worlds, the Green Goblin appears as the Goblin King"'. A small, nimble creature green in color and adorned in purple rags, the Goblin King is shown to speak solely in rhyme and runs a toll booth in the Webwood, extorting goods from travellers along with his henchmen the Six Most Sinister. [ Cite comic
Writer = Len Kaminski
Penciller = Oscar Jiminez and Javier Saltares
Inker = Eduardo Alpuente and Chris Ivy
Story = Wild Kingdoms
Title = Avataars: Covenant of the Shield
Volume = 1
Issue = 2
Date = October, 2000
Publisher = Marvel Comics ]

Earth X

In the alternate future of Earth X, Norman Osborn's business ventures have completely taken over the United States. Citizens work in his businesses and shop in his stores and eat his food. Norman is the prime economic power and de-facto ruler of the country.

House of M

In the "Spider-Man: House of M" from the 2005 Marvel comics series "House of M", there are two versions of the Green Goblin. The first is Peter's wrestling friend and rival Crusher Hogan, who uses the identity as his wrestling franchise. The second is Peter Parker himself, who, feeling guilty posing as a mutant when really he was a human given powers in the usual Spider-Man fashion (radioactive spider bite), poses as the Green Goblin to reveal the information about him being a human to J. Jonah Jameson, his then publicist, and eventually the entire world. Norman Osborn is also present in this continuity, as an industrialist whose company is bought out by Peter.

Marvel Fairy Tales

In issue one of "Spider-Man Fairy Tales" (an adaptation of "Little Red Riding Hood") Osborn makes an appearance as one of the woodsmen in the employ of Jameson alongside Peter and Thompson. [ Cite comic
Writer = C. B. Cebulski
Penciller = Ricardo Tercio
Inker = Ricardo Tercio
Story = Off The Beaten Path
Title = Spider-Man Fairy Tales
Volume = 1
Issue = 1
Date = July, 2007
Publisher = Marvel Comics ] Norman and Harry Osborn also appear in issue four of "Spider-Man Fairy Tales", a gender-reversed retelling of the story of Cinderella. Norman is the cruel guardian of Peter Parker, and his coat of arms and armor have a goblin/pumpkin motif. [ Cite comic
Writer = C. B. Cebulski and Mindy Owens
Penciller = Nick Dragotta
Inker = Mike Allred
Story = What You Wish For
Title = Spider-Man Fairy Tales
Volume = 1
Issue = 4
Date = October, 2007
Publisher = Marvel Comics ]

Marvel Zombies

In the "Marvel Zombies" universe, a zombified Green Goblin appears attacking Galactus alongside several other undead supervillains. [ Cite comic
Writer = Robert Kirkman
Penciller = Sean Phillips
Inker = Sean Phillips
Story = Marvel Zombies (Part Four)
Title = Marvel Zombies
Volume = 1
Issue = 4
Date = May, 2006
Publisher = Marvel Comics ] Also in "Marvel Zombies: Dead Days", the zombified Green Goblin, alongside several other undead Spider-Man villains, appears to attack Wolverine and Magneto as the two are saving innocent civilians from zombies, only to be repelled by them. [ Cite comic
Writer = Robert Kirkman
Penciller = Sean Phillips
Inker = Sean Phillips
Story = Marvel Zombies: Dead Days
Title = Marvel Zombies: Dead Days
Volume = 1
Issue = 1
Date = July, 2007
Publisher = Marvel Comics ]

MC2

In the ongoing MC2 universe, Norman Osborn is very much the same character from his 1996-1999 portion of the original 616 timeline, only in this universe, he abducts, not murders, Peter's daughter Mayday Parker and leaves her in the care of Allison Mongraine. However, Peter's wayward original clone Kaine, along with a remourseful Mongraine, return Baby May to the Parkers. May would later become a hero in her own right, Spider-Girl.

Two years later, Norman attempts to gain incredible power through the Gathering of Five, but in a final battle with Spider-Man, Osborn is slain in an explosion that also severely injures Peter, costing him one of his legs.

Fury the Goblin Queen

Élan DeJunae, daughter of the San Mardeo DeJunaes crime family in South America, is betrothed to Normie Osborn when she is just a baby because of her father's involvement with the Order of the Goblin.

From then on, Élan learns the family business and eventually makes connections with the Black Tarantula. She grows up training to follow Norman Osborn's footsteps, and eventually becomes the leader of the Order of the Goblin. Following a near fatal attack on Normie, Élan returns to New York to follow through with their arranged marriage, but Normie was not aware of the betrothal. Meanwhile, Élan and the Black Tarantula plot to use Spider-Girl to destroy Lady Octopus and Canis so they can take control of the New York underworld. Following plans made by Norman Osborn before his death, the Queen of the Goblins tries to dose Normie Osborn with a new version of the goblin formula. Spider-Girl manages to defeat Élan, but in the battle, the formula explodes and the Queen escapes.

Because Normie spurned her and denied his place in the Goblin legacy, Fury crashes his wedding to Brenda Drago and forcibly bonds 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) defeats her and sends her to prison.

She is likely still plotting revenge. [ [http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/mc2/goblinqueen.html Goblin Queen] ]

After discovering a living twin of May Parker (kept in suspended animation) among his grandfather's possessions, Normie wondered whether it was a clone or whether the original Goblin had put the real May in suspended animation and arranged for her parents to receive a clone of May to raise. He visited Élan in prison and questioned her about this, but she refused to say anything. She was then later broken out of jail by an unknown benfactor, then she released the clone May on to the world and towards the original May.

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 becomes the Green Goblin and battles Spider-Man's daughter, May Parker, before reforming and becoming her ally.

Phil Urich

In the MC2 timeline, Phil Urich marries his girlfriend Meredith and becomes a forensic scientist and friends with Peter Parker. He is aware of both Peter and Spider-Girl's identities. Phil Urich resumes 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 recreates Phil's original mask, which grants him superhuman strength and other abilities, greatly enhancing his effectiveness. He is also a founding member of the New New Warriors. [ [http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/mc2/greengoblin5.html Green Goblin VI] ]

Ultimate Marvel

In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Norman Osborn is a corrupt industrialist and scientist who is trying to perfect the Super Soldier drug for S.H.I.E.L.D., an obsession that leads to the neglect of his wife and son, Harry. In "Ultimate Spider-Man" #1, an OZ-injected spider bites Peter Parker on a field trip. Peter develops amazing powers, and Norman theorizes that if the OZ combined with spider DNA gave Parker the abilities of a spider, then 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, however, is transformed into a muscular, grotesque, demonic-looking monster, granting him superhuman strength, reflexes, stamina and durability, and enabling him to leap great distances. He also appears to also be pyrokinetic, as he can throw flaming balls of destructive energy and (in the Ultimate Spider-Man video game) surround himself with flames. In an attempt to destroy all evidence of his existence, the Goblin kills Norman's wife and attempts to kill Harry, who manages to escape while the house is burning down. The next day, he attacks Harry's school but is stopped by Spider-Man. During the fight, the Goblin plummets off a bridge into the river, seemingly dead. However, Norman survives and has, in his words, "evolved". He can now control his transformations into an intelligent incarnation of the "Green Goblin" via OZ injections. Due to overdosing on OZ, Osborn suffers from 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.

Taking Harry back, Norman moves back into the city, blaming rival Justin Hammer for the explosion. Under the spell of the Goblin, he reveals himself to Parker, telling him to give up the life as Spider-Man and work for him, or suffer the deaths of Parker's loved ones. The Goblin tells Parker to kill Nick Fury, the Head of S.H.I.E.L.D. When Parker refuses, the Goblin kidnaps Mary Jane Watson, Peter's girlfriend, and attempts to kill her by hurling her from the top of a bridge. Spider-Man is able to save Mary Jane, and joins S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives in attacking Osborn. The battle continues at Osborn's Manhattan penthouse, where the Goblin transforms even further after taking several more OZ injections and begins to choke the life out of Parker. Harry discovers the scene, picking up a shattered window pane and jamming it into his father's back, reverting him to his human self. Norman is taken into custody by S.H.I.E.L.D.

In the "Ultimate Six" limited series, the Goblin and his old assistant, Dr. Octavius, devise a plan to escape from prison which uses Norman's new ability to transform into his demon form at will. It also seems that he is no longer under the influence of the hallucinogenic "plasmids", with Norman stating that he has been undergoing a "transitioning stage" during his last confrontation with Peter; furthermore, his speech is more coherent in his Goblin form, suggesting that he is no longer hallucinating as a result of the Oz formula. They kidnap Spider-Man and force him to join them. The Goblin 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 trigger-happy 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. At the end of the issue, he is revealed to be in cryogenic suspension, with half of his face in Goblin form on account of Iron Man's reckless genetic-disordering shooting.

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. The Goblin rampages around New York city but is stopped by Spider-Man after a confrontation in the UN Conference Building.

In "Ultimate Spider-Man" #112, Norman Osborn is again in semblance of a human, and is kept in a high-security cell with other superhuman prisoners. When contacted by Carol Danvers, Norman states that he will answer only to Fury; he then transforms into the Goblin, and breaks away from security measures, the OZ in his system having re-worked his body in a further process of what he refers to as 'Evolution'. In #113, the reader is given a look into his state of mind. Though no longer haunted by 'Plasmids', the Goblin has given in to severe paranoia, believing everyone save him to be insane, and Nick Fury a tyrant, imprisoning anyone with the power to stand up to him.

In his breakout, he enlists the promised help of Electro as payback for freeing him; other Supervillains that escape include Omega Red, Kraven the Hunter, and what appears to be Gwen Stacy, the new Carnage. The Goblin's stratagem upon escape is simple; he resumes as Norman, then appears on a talk show, claiming that Nick Fury held him in a prison against his will, just as he was on the brink of creating a drug to solve America's military problems.

In issue #117, the Goblin goes into an explosive rage when confronted with a TV broadcast of a (staged) S.H.I.E.L.D. press conference Harry declaring that Norman was evil and killed Harry's mother (the press conference in fact was held aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier and only transmitted to the TV Norman was watching), and ended up assaulting the helicarrier; Harry manifests a form similar to Norman's, but loses the resultant melee and is beaten to death when he returns back to his human form. With both the S.H.I.E.L.D. troops and Norman horrified at what he's done, he reverts to his own human form, turns around and asks to be killed -- Carol Danvers, in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. while Nick Fury is away, simply says "Gladly," before obliging.

References