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Norman Virgil Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 (July 1964) as the first and best-known incarnation of the Green Goblin. He has since endured as one of the superhero Spider-Man's most prominent and is regarded as one of his three Archenemy, alongside Doctor Octopus and Venom.
Norman Osborn is the amoral business magnate head of science conglomerate Oscorp and the father of Harry Osborn, the best friend of Spider-Man's alter ego Peter Parker. Osborn, in part due to the death of his wife, is obsessed with attaining as much power as possible and maintains a cold disposition towards Harry, openly favoring Peter for his intellect. In his origin story, Osborn is exposed to an experimental formula that enhances his physical abilities and intellect at the cost of his sanity. He becomes a criminal mastermind known as the Green Goblin and uses an arsenal of advanced, Halloween-themed equipment, including grenade-like Pumpkin Bombs, razor sharp bats, and a flying Goblin Glider, to terrorize New York City.
Osborn has been part of defining Spider-Man stories, including the murder of Gwen Stacy—Peter's love interest—in "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" (1973) and the orchestration of the "Clone Saga" (1994-1996). While his primary foe is Spider-Man, Osborn has often come into conflict with Iron Man, Captain America and other superheroes in the Marvel Universe. Although Osborn sometimes works with other supervillains such as Doctor Doom and Loki and groups like the Sinister Six and the Dark Avengers, these relationships often collapse due to his obsessive desire for unbridled power. Osborn's largest overarching story came during the line-wide "Dark Reign" and Siege comic book events, during which he originated the persona of the Iron Patriot. On being stripped of his "sins" by Kindred on the behalf of A.I. Harry Osborn as revenge for selling human Harry's soul to Mephisto, the forcibly-repentant Norman becomes the superhero Gold Goblin.
The character has been in various top villain lists as one of Spider-Man's greatest enemies and one of the greatest comic book villains of all time. The character's popularity has seen him appear on a variety of merchandise, inspire real-world structures (such as theme park attractions) and be referenced in a number of media. He has been adapted to serve as Spider-Man's adversary in live-action, animated, and video game incarnations. Willem Dafoe played the character in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film trilogy and reprised the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film (2021), while Chris Cooper played the character in the film The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014).
The Green Goblin debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #14. (2025). 9780756692360, Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 9780756692360 At this time his identity was unknown, but he proved popular and reappeared in later issues, which made a point of his secret identity. According to both Stan Lee and John Romita, Sr., who replaced Ditko as the title's artist, Stan Lee always wanted the Green Goblin to be someone Peter Parker knew, while Ditko wanted his civilian identity to be someone who had not yet been introduced.Ro, Ronin. Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution, p. 107 (Bloomsbury, 2004) Lee elaborated: "Steve wanted him to turn out to be just some character that we had never seen before. Because, he said, in real life, very often a villain turns out to be somebody that you never knew. And I felt that that would be wrong. I felt, in a sense, it would be like cheating the reader. ... if it's somebody you didn't know and had never seen, then what was the point of following all the clues? I think that frustrates the reader". However, Lee prefaced this statement by admitting that, due to his self-professed poor memory, he may have been confusing the Green Goblin with a different character, and in an earlier essay he had said that he could not remember whether Norman Osborn being the Green Goblin was his idea or Ditko's. Ditko has maintained that it was his idea, even claiming that he had decided on it before the first Green Goblin story was finished. Though Osborn would not be introduced by name until The Amazing Spider-Man #37, Ditko has said that a character he drew in the background of two panels in issue #23 was intended to be Osborn, seeded in advance of the reveal. Lending credence to Ditko's claim, this then-nameless character—a member of a businessmen's club and a friend of J. Jonah Jameson—reappeared in a scene in The Amazing Spider-Man #25, visiting Jameson at his office, then again in the businessman's club in #26 and #27, and when Norman was formally introduced in issue #37, he too was stated to be a member of the club and friend of Jameson's.
Ditko left the series with issue #38, just one issue after Norman Osborn was introduced as the father of Harry Osborn. The first issue without Ditko saw the Green Goblin unmasked. John Romita, Sr., who replaced Ditko as the title's artist, recalled:
In the landmark story "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" ( The Amazing Spider-Man #121-122), the Green Goblin kills Gwen Stacy and later dies in a fight against Spider-Man. However, the story's writer, Gerry Conway, had Harry Osborn adopt the Green Goblin identity in the aftermath of "The Night Gwen Stacy Died", later remarking that "I never had any intention of getting rid of the Green Goblin as a concept". Harry Osborn's becoming the Green Goblin was mostly well received, with fans remarking that Harry was more menacing than his father had ever been. Writer Roger Stern later introduced the Hobgoblin to replace the Green Goblin as Spider-Man's archenemy.
Gaunt was a late entry to the controversial storyline, created mainly as a plot device to return Harry to life; the plan for the character included Harry regaining his humanity, taking credit for tricking Peter into thinking he was a clone, and assuming his father's Green Goblin identity. However, this narrative was rejected by newly promoted editor in chief Bob Harras, and eventually Norman was chosen to be the mastermind. Following the Clone Saga, Green Goblin re-established himself as a supervillain and Spider-Man's nemesis, serving as the main antagonist of several arcs thereafter.
Osborn returns in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75 and is blown up at the end of the issue. It is shown in The Spectacular Spider-Man #250 that he has recovered, and he returns to his civilian life. Without the Green Goblin identity, Osborn would then go on to attack Spider-Man indirectly, through minions and via smear campaigns designed to portray him as a monster. However, Norman would still wear his Green Goblin costume when needed.
Writer Christos Gage took over for the Secret Invasion tie-in stories, Christos Gage: Taking The Thunderbolts Through The Invasion , Newsarama, March 25, 2008 Monsters and Marvels: Gage Talks "Thunderbolts", Comic Book Resources, April 25, 2008 which end with Osborn taking credit for the defeat of the after he kills the Skrull queen Veranke. This allowed the character to be placed into an influential position in the aftermath of Dark Reign. Although the dark turn at the end was always part of the plan for the storyline, Brian Michael Bendis, Secret Invasion's writer, says that Osborn was picked for the leading role because of the changes implemented by Ellis. Brian Bendis – Wrapping it All Up & Starting Dark Reign, Newsarama, December 5, 2008 THE OSBORN SUPREMACY: Dark Avengers, Comic Book Resources, January 22, 2008
Meanwhile, Andy Diggle took over the writing of Thunderbolts. SDCC '08 – Writer Andy Diggle Takes on the T-Bolts, Newsarama, July 26, 2008. He introduced new characters to serve as Osborn's black operation team, explaining:
He appeared as a regular character in the Dark Avengers series from issue #1 (March 2009) through issue #16 (June 2010), "The Osborn Supremacy: Dark Avengers", Comic Book Resources, January 22, 2008 as well as the mini-series "Siege", which saw Norman being arrested for his crimes, following the events of the Civil War storyline.
The first was "Brand New Ways To Die" which featured Norman and the Thunderbolts versus Spider-Man and the original Venom. His second appearance explained that following Mephisto's alteration of Spider-Man's past, Norman's return was significantly altered. He had returned earlier than he had originally, and, due to concern for his son's mental wellbeing after once again being the Green Goblin, had arranged for Harry's death to be faked, with help from Mysterio. In his final appearance in the storyline, Norman attempts to convince Harry to become a super-hero so that Norman can kill his son off and exploit said demise. It is also revealed that he was sleeping with the supervillain Menace (Harry's ex-girlfriend), with Norman believing that the villain's child she was carrying was his.
A five issue mini-series followed, written by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Emma Rios. The mini-series would lead into a dual storyline running in the pages of The New Avengers #17–24 and The Avengers vol. 4 #18–24, in which the character formed a new version of the Dark Avengers and ultimately garnered new powers, having turned himself into a Super-Adaptoid.
In college, where he studied chemistry, business administration, and electrical engineering, Norman meets his Emily Osborn, who eventually marries him and has their son Harry Osborn. In his adulthood, with the help of his ESU/Empire State University college professor Mendel Stromm, he co-founds the chemical company Oscorp and establishes himself as CEO and President. The company was hugely successful, and Norman re-gained the wealth that he had lost during his childhood. However, his wife becomes ill and dies when Harry is barely a year old, the stress of which pushes Norman to work harder, leading him to emotionally neglect Harry.
Hoping to gain more control of Oscorp Industries, Osborn accused Stromm of embezzlement and has his partner arrested and shares in his company sold to him. Searching his former mentor's possessions, Norman discovers incomplete notes for an experimental strength/intelligence enhancement formula; a botched attempt to recreate Stromm's work results in an explosion that douses Norman with the imperfect formula. The accident greatly increases his intelligence and physical abilities as intended, but also has the side-effect of driving him into self-destructive insanity, just like his father from years ago.
In order to discover his nemesis's secret identity, Osborn secretly exposes Spider-Man to a gas that nullifies his spider-sense. This allows Osborn to stalk Spider-Man until he learns that his nemesis is Peter Parker, a college student and his son's classmate and best friend. While Parker is going about civilian life, Osborn surprises and knocks Parker out with an asphyxiation grenade, taking the youth to his waterfront base. After unmasking himself to Parker, the latter goads him into recounting how he became the Goblin, and uses the time to break free. In the ensuing battle, Spider-Man accidentally knocks Osborn into a mass of electrical wires, wiping out his memory. Feeling sorry for his nemesis, and wishing to avoid the shame that would befall the Osborn family (especially Parker's best friend Harry), Spider-Man destroys the Goblin costume in the resulting fire and tells the authorities that Osborn lost his memory while helping to defeat the Goblin.
Soon, Osborn is troubled by repressed memories of the Goblin and Spider-Man. After a presentation on supervillains by NYPD Captain George Stacy restores Osborn's memory, he experiences a brief return to his Goblin persona. While abducting Parker's friends and threatening Parker's Aunt May, he is exposed to one of his own "psychedelic bombs", causing a relapse of amnesia.
Later, Osborn stumbles upon an old Goblin hideout which, again, restores his memory. However, the shock of seeing Harry hospitalized after overdosing on drugs causes Osborn's amnesia to return once more. After the final restoration of his memories, the Goblin kidnaps and takes Gwen Stacy to a bridge.Saffel, p. 65, states, "In the battle that followed atop the Brooklyn Bridge (or was it the George Washington Bridge?)...." On page 66, Saffel reprints the panel of The Amazing Spider-Man #121, page 18, in which Spider-Man exclaims, "The George Washington Bridge! It figures Osborn would pick something named after his favorite president. He's got the same sort of hangup for dollar bills!" Saffel states, "The span portrayed...is the GW's more famous cousin, the Brooklyn Bridge. ... To address the contradiction in future reprints of the tale, though, Spider-Man's dialogue was altered so that he's referring to the Brooklyn Bridge. But the original snafu remains as one of the more visible errors in the history of comics".Sanderson, Marvel Universe, p. 84, notes, "While the script described the site of Gwen's demise as the George Washington Bridge, the art depicted the Brooklyn Bridge, and there is still no agreement as to where it actually took place". During Spider-Man's rescue attempt, Osborn knocks Gwen off the bridge, resulting in the girl's death. Spider-Man, traumatised and obsessed with revenge, confronts the villain at his lair and beats him near to death. A last-ditch attempt to ram Spider-Man with his glider ends with the Goblin being fatally impaled by its spikes.
Most significantly, however, he utilizes his fortune to build a vast network of criminals, spies, dupes and co-conspirators to help engineer what would be an Clone Saga to destroy Spider-Man's life. To achieve this, he becomes the leader of the Scrier cabal, taking as his pawns Seward Trainer, Judas Traveller, the Jackal and the cyborg Gaunt/Stromm, all of whom he utilizes to carry out revenge against Parker. It is this group of individuals who are crucial in duping Parker into believing that the youth is actually a clone of himself created by Jackal,Goletz, Andrew, and Glenn Greenberg. while claiming that the clone – who comes to be known as Ben Reilly – is actually the original. Frustrated by Parker's perseverance despite everything that's been inflicted, Osborn publicly reveals that he's alive on Halloween. During the battle that ensues between the two, Osborn attempts to kill Parker by impaling his nemesis with his goblin glider. When Reilly sacrifices himself to save Parker from Osborn (and immediately deteriorates upon death as all of the Jackal's clones do), Parker makes his discovery of actually being the original. During this same period, Osborn was also responsible for the murder or abduction of Peter & Mary Jane's newborn daughter, after one of his allies apparently caused the stillbirth of the baby.
Returning to his former seat of power, Osborn regains control of his business and also buys out the Daily Bugle, humiliating former friend and societal peer J. Jonah Jameson as the latter no longer has control over the newspaper. He also torments Ben Urich and demands a retraction over an exposé of his time as the Goblin, providing faked evidence that he never was the supervillain, despite Urich's extensive research. However, he saves his most sadistic treatment for Peter, acting not only as a constant reminder of all the pain he's inflicted on his nemesis over the years, but a looming threat that could strike at any time. This build-up of pressure eventually makes Spider-Man snap by savagely beating the civilian and non-resistant Osborn in front of the latter's CCTV, which, combined with Osborn convincing the Trapster to frame Spider-Man for murder, results in Spider-Man being a fugitive again. To get around this, Peter , using two of these identities to convince Trapster to expose Osborn's scheme, and provide fake evidence that the individual that beat up Osborn was an impostor.
For a time, Osborn retires his costumed persona and uses a stand-in so as not to be suspected of being the Green Goblin. This fifth Goblin kidnaps Norman's Normie Osborn and clashes with the wanted and injured Spider-Man. Norman also crosses paths with Roderick Kingsley and initiates a hostile takeover of Kingsley's corporate empire, in retaliation for raiding the Goblin's arsenal and identity. The Spectacular Spider-Man #259-263 (1998) While his Phil Urich is masquerading as the Goblin, Osborn joins a cult, hoping to receive great power from the 'Gathering of Five', which will grant the participants Power, Knowledge, Immortality, Madness or Death, but while he believes that he will receive Power, he is instead given Madness, which worsens his already mental instability, and threatens the world with genetic bombs. It is during this time that Peter learns May is alive and Osborn's actress died in May's place. Osborn's complete madness is evident, as he hallucinates unmasking and killing Peter; yet in reality Peter easily defeats him. He is rescued from custody thereafter by his cabal of henchmen.The "Final Chapter" storyline in; The Sensational Spider-Man #32–33, The Amazing Spider-Man #440–441, Spider-Man #97–98 and The Spectacular Spider-Man #262–263 (1998). Marvel Comics.
A few months later, the highly unstable Osborn has partially regained his sanity with the help of anti-psychotic drugs. He comes to see Parker as the son he had always wanted and attempts to have Parker take on the Green Goblin mantle using physiological torture, but ultimately fails. Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin #1–3, The Amazing Spider-Man #466, Peter Parker: Spider-Man vol. 2 #25 (2000). Marvel Comics. Osborn's next plan involves using Flash Thompson drive drunk a truck into Midtown High School, resulting in an accident that causes Thompson brain damage. This successfully enrages Parker into what Osborn anticipates will be a climactic battle. During this confrontation, the emotionally weary Parker tells Osborn of being tired of their constant battle, and declares a truce. Peter Parker: Spider-Man vol. 2 #44–47 (2002). Marvel Comics.
Osborn's Goblin identity is revealed to the public once again through an investigation by Jessica Jones, after Osborn murders one of the reporters from the Daily Bugle. After a battle with Spider-Man and Luke Cage, Osborn is arrested and sent to prison for the first time. However, things were far from over. From behind bars, Osborn again masterminded a plan against Spider-Man. This time, he has Mac Gargan as Scorpion kidnap May. The plan was for Spider-Man to break Osborn out of prison in exchange for Parker's aunt's life. Peter reluctantly agreed and with the help of the Black Cat proceeded to break Osborn out, only to have twelve of his greatest enemies waiting on the outside.
Osborn had assembled a Sinister Twelve. However, Mary Jane Watson had contacted S.H.I.E.L.D., and the villains were faced not only by Spider-Man, but the combined might of Captain America, Iron Man, Hank Pym, Daredevil and the Fantastic Four. During the fracas, the Goblin manages to escape and kidnap Mary Jane, taking Peter's love interest to the George Washington Bridge in order to replay the murder of the last love interest. However, Doctor Octopus intervenes, attacking the Goblin. Spider-Man is able to save Mary Jane after a bolt of lightning sends the two villains into the river. Following some verbal clues from the Goblin, Peter also discovers where he had hidden May, and rescues the latter as well. It is revealed that Osborn sent Peter a letter before the fight, thanking Peter for giving his life meaning and purpose, but Peter never received the letter due to moving to a different residence. Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #1–12 (2004-2005). Marvel Comics.
Years after Gwen's death, it is revealed that Osborn had a one-night stand with Gwen, which led to Gwen's pregnancy with his illegitimate twin children. Osborn thus has three motives for killing Gwen; revenge against Spider-Man, to prevent Gwen from talking of their affair and creating a scandal, and to take their children to raise by himself, thus being his ideal heirs. Mary Jane was the only person who knew of their encounter and their children's existence prior to Gwen's death, despising Osborn for his immoral behaviors long before discovering he's the villainous Goblin. Gabriel and Sarah (who rapidly aged to adulthood years because of the Goblin formula in their genes) return to attack Peter as Osborn has the twins believe that Peter is the twins' father who abandoned the two and responsible for Gwen's death to which Peter learned the details of Gwen's past with Osborn and the twins from Mary Jane. Peter is able to convince Sarah of Osborn's villainy, the truth of Sarah's paternity and circumstances of Gwen's death, and stabilized the Goblin physiology with a blood transfusion due to Peter's blood type matching Sarah's. Meanwhile, Gabriel personally learns the truth of his relation to Osborn after watching a video message at one of the Goblin lairs, aligning with his father to stabilize his own condition using a variation of the Goblin formula at the cost of sanity. The Amazing Spider-Man #509-514 (Aug. 2004–Jan. 2005). Marvel Comics. All of this was retconned during the Sinister War story-arc, when AI version of Harry Osborn's mind reveals that he masterminded a plan to get revenge of both his father and Spider-Man: he created the twins in a lab with the help of Mendel Stromm and he brainwashed Norman and Mary Jane Watson (thanks to Mysterio) into believing Gwen cheated on Peter with Osborn. The twins aged rapidly because of clonation issues (and not because of Osborn's Goblin Serum), but eventually got better just as Harry started to use them as soldiers for his war against Norman and Spider-Man. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #73. Marvel Comics. ^
During the "Secret Invasion" by shape-shifting extraterrestrials, the , Osborn shoots and kills the Skrull queen Veranke. He leverages this widely publicized success, positioning himself as the new director of the S.H.I.E.L.D.-like paramilitary force H.A.M.M.E.R. to advance his agenda, while using his public image to start his own Dark Avengers, substituting Karla Sofen for Carol Danvers, Bullseye for Hawkeye, Gargan for Spider-Man, Daken for Wolverine and Noh-Varr for Captain Marvel, as well as manipulating Ares and the Sentry into helping to further his cause. Osborn himself leads the Dark Avengers as the Iron Patriot, a suit of armor fashioned by himself after Iron Man's armor with Captain America's colors. Osborn simultaneously forms the Cabal alliance with Doctor Doom, Emma Frost, Namor, Loki and the Hood, but this 'alliance' quickly falls apart when Namor and Frost betray the Cabal to aid the X-Men. Quasimodo researches different villains for Norman Osborn to see if any of them are a threat, should be locked up, would be good use for him, or would be expendable. When researching Osborn himself, Quasimodo tells him that he looks forward to the changes that he will put through. Dark Reign Files #1. Marvel Comics. Norman's attempts to exert his authority are increasingly jeopardized by various superheroes. After the Superhuman Registration Act records are deleted so that Osborn has no access to the information recorded about heroes after it was implemented, Osborn attacked the brain-damaged Tony Stark, thus showing Osborn brutally assaulting a physically and mentally incapable individual that was not even attempting to strike back. After the New Avengers are forced to allow Osborn to capture Cage when needing medical treatment, the team uses a tracking device Osborn had planted in Luke to trick him into blowing up his own house after rescuing Cage from Osborn's custody.
Harry is approached by Norman with the offer of a job within the Dark Avengers. Norman welcomes Harry into Avengers Tower, wanting to make his son into the American Son. When Harry finds a cure for Lily Hollister's Goblin condition for their baby's safety, Lily reveals that it is a ruse to coerce Harry into taking the American Son armor, whom Norman had plotted would die in a tragedy to increase sympathy for Norman and his Dark Avengers. When Lily also reveals that the baby is not Harry's but in fact Norman's, Harry dons his American Son armor, and fights Norman in his Iron Patriot armor. During the battle, Norman declares that Harry is no longer his son, and that he has bred a better child to replace the 'failure' of Harry. After further taunts from Norman, Harry lashes out and defeats his father, declaring "I was never your son!". When Harry has the option of killing Norman, Spider-Man says to decapitate him, since Norman's healing factor may repair a blow to the head. Spider-Man also cautions Harry that killing Norman will cause Harry to "become the son Norman always wanted". Harry instead backs down, and turns away from his father forever.
At Loki's suggestion, Osborn creates a rationale to invade Asgard, claiming the world (which was, at the time, positioned at the outskirts of Broxton, Oklahoma) poses a national security threat, by sending the U-Foes to attack Volstagg in Chicago, leading to the destruction of Soldier Field. During a pitched battle with several superheroes, Sentry causes Thor's world to fall to Earth. Osborn fights with the recently resurrected Steve Rogers, however, Stark removes Osborn's Iron Patriot armor remotely, revealing Osborn used green facepaint to create a goblin-like look. Osborn screams that the Avengers do not know what they have done, only for Spider-Man to knock him down. He tells them they are all dead as the Void is released.Bendis, Brian Michael. Siege #1-4. Marvel Comics. Osborn knocks out Rogers and tries to escape, but is captured by Volstagg. Incarcerated in the Raft penitentiary, he blames his Goblin alter-ego for ruining his chance to protect the world.
When transferred to a secret underwater government base, Osborn takes steps to ensure his release from prison. He uses a group of followers known as the "Green Goblin Cult" to break out with the aid of corrupt senators; he plans to turn himself in after killing his fellow escapees, setting him up as a 'champion' of the judicial system. Osborn #1-5. Marvel Comics. After the breakout, he awaits his trial in a new prison, this one controlled by his cult members. Using his staged persona as a voice for the 'disenfranchised', Osborn plans to regain the Iron Patriot armor and creates a new team of Dark Avengers, this time substituting June Covington for Scarlet Witch, Ai Apaec for Spider-Man, Barney Barton for Hawkeye, Skaar for Hulk, Superia for Ms. Marvel, Gorgon for Wolverine and the A.I.M.-rebuilt Ragnarok for Thor. In the team's first fight with the New Avengers, Osborn reveals himself as the Super-Adaptoid, declares himself the head of world security, and orders that the Avengers be arrested for war crimes. However, double agent Skaar betrays Osborn, allowing the Avengers to dogpile Osborn's body, overloading him with superpowers and sending him into a coma. A.I.M. and Hydra pick up Osborn's leftover resources, and H.A.M.M.E.R. is disbanded. The New Avengers vol. 2 #20-24, The Avengers vol. 4 #22 After the Hobgoblin returns to New York, a nurse and doctor are called to Norman's hospital room, only to find him gone.
As he builds this army to attack Superior Spider-Man, he takes on the new alias of the Goblin King. The Hand ninjas who evaded capture arrive at the sewers and join up with the Goblin Nation. The group reveals in the news that, thanks to Superior Spider-Man's assault, Osborn now owns over half of New York's organized crime. He claims he now owns New York City as the Goblin Kingpin of Crime. With Menace's help, Osborn later releases Phil Urich from a prison transport and upgrades Urich's Goblin armor and weapons, asking in return only that Urich's only identity from here on shall be Goblin Knight. Osborn trains Goblin Knight, anxious to confront Superior Spider-Man. Osborn later poses as the Hobgoblin and is sighted by some of the Spiderlings.
Upon Carlie Cooper being brought to his lair by Menace, he receives Carlie's journal from Menace which reveals to him that Otto's mind is in Spider-Man's body. Osborn douses Carlie with the Goblin formula, causing the woman to mutate into the new superhuman villain Monster. He demands to know Spider-Man's identity, but Monster first asks the Goblin to reveal his own identity. He assures Monster that he is Norman, but refuses to remove his Goblin mask until Carlie has proven a loyal follower and dispatches Monster and Menace on a mission. Osborn battles and kills Hobgoblin, although it is revealed to be a servant with Kingsley still in hiding abroad which Goblin Knight discovers.
Having staged a coup of New York after spreading his resources by exploiting Otto's reliance on technology, the Goblin King directly confronts Superior Spider-Man, angry that he was cheated out of the opportunity to defeat his enemy, but offering Otto the chance to join him and Otto rejects the offer. When Otto finds being unable to win against Goblin's resources, having had various allies abandoned, and with faith in his own abilities gone, Otto sacrifices himself to restore the original Spider-Man's mind in order to save Anna Maria Marconi. When Spider-Man arrives for the final confrontation, the Goblin King quickly realizes that Parker is back in control when Spider-Man responds to his nemesis' taunts with his own Joke. In the duel that follows, Spider-Man unmasks Osborn, learning that he has undergone plastic surgery to change his appearance, acting as Alchemax's CEO and intending to re-establish himself as businessman Mason Banks, now that his true likeness is too publicly known as a supervillain during his stint as Director of H.A.M.M.E.R. and the Iron Patriot. Spider-Man defeats and strips the villain's powers with Octavius' nanite serum, but Norman manages to escape through Liz Allan's discreet aid. In hiding once again, he reflects that the various heroes will be unprepared for him when he returns with a new identity and approach as a businessman, seemingly no longer afflicted by the bombastic mental illness associated with the Goblin Serum that he surmises wasted time on theatrics at the cost of practicality and thus less effective villainy. The Superior Spider-Man #31. Marvel Comics. However, Osborn's Goblin King position was quickly usurped by Phil Urich.
During the 2015 "Secret Wars" storyline, the Kingpin hosts a viewing party for the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610 where his guests include Absorbing Man, Bullseye, Norman Osborn, Sandman, and Scorpion. Festivities are interrupted by the arrival of Punisher who reveals that since he cannot take them with him, he has to put his large supply of bullets somewhere; the Punisher then kills them all. Secret Wars #1 (2015). Marvel Comics.
However, in his final confrontation with Spider-Man, despite exposing his foe to a series of gases to temporarily neutralize all of his powers, and triggering an EMP to shut down all the gadgetry within his new Spider-armor, Spider-Man is still able to defeat Osborn as the two clash. Managing to escape while Peter is distracted, Osborn resolves to find a means of restoring his powers and resume his mantle of the Green Goblin, concluding that he has only ever held the edge against the webhead when allowing himself to draw on his inner demons.
Normie goes after May but she gets some unexpected help in the form of Superior Octopus and J. Jonah Jameson who uses an old Spider-Slayer, however, both are defeated by Norman. Soon afterward, Normie watches as his grandfather throws Liz through a window only to be rescued by Spider-Man which causes Normie to turn on Norman. Norman reveals to Spider-Man he infected some of Peter's friends and family with slivers of the Carnage symbiote which he could send to their brain to kill them. However, it turns out that Flash has figured out Spider-Man's secret identity too and went to May and Mary Jane in order to remove those ticking time bombs. Flash then takes the fight to Norman and while it appears as if he's gaining the upper hand, it turns out that Norman still has some Green Goblin tech beneath the Carnage symbiote and he uses that to electrocute Flash. Flash's injuries prove to be fatal and he dies in Peter's arms. Spider-Man confronts Norman at Times Square as Red Goblin gains the upper hand. Peter manages to hold him off by pointing out that it's not the Goblin killing the Spider, but rather Carnage and Cletus Kasady, a vestige of whose consciousness still resides within his symbiote. The villain is enraged by this and when Peter removes the Venom symbiote and to challenge him, Norman takes off the Carnage symbiote to reveal his old Green Goblin persona. Spider-Man manages to take his foe down and when the villain begs the Carnage symbiote to help him, the wall-crawler seemingly destroys it by hitting it with an exploding gas tank. However, the Carnage symbiote was attached to Norman when Peter destroyed it, which causes a psychic backlash from the trauma of dying that devastates Osborn's own psyche and finally defeats him. Norman is last seen incarcerated at Ravencroft, where due to the mental trauma from his defeat, he now believes that Spider-Man is Osborn while he himself is Kasady, with the latter's consciousness seemingly having overridden Osborn's own. The Amazing Spider-Man #800. Marvel Comics.
At some point, Norman's mind recovered and he joined the Power Elite. Free Comic Book Day 2018 #Avengers. Marvel Comics.
In the pages of "Ravencroft", Norman Osborn regained his sanity by blaming his actions on the Carnage symbiote to J.A.N.U.S. and became a consultant at Ravencroft at the behest of Mayor Wilson Fisk during its rebuilding. One of his assignments is to help John Jameson regain the ability to become Man-Wolf so that he can become an asset ranging from having Mister Hyde attack him to creating a clone of Ashley Kafka. In addition, Norman stole the Journal of Jonas Ravencroft to give to J.A.N.U.S. to use. When the Unwanted who lived beneath Ravencroft for years attacked, Norman succeeded in his goal to have John Jameson turn into Man-Wolf in order to fight the Unwanted. J.A.N.U.S.' leaders were pleased with Osborn's success enabling them to use the items in the basement. Ravencroft #1-5. Marvel Comics.
At the start of the "Last Remains" arc, Sin-Eater catches up to Norman Osborn and uses his gun to purge him of his sins. When Norman Osborn recovered, he was found by Kafka as most of Sin-Eater's followers are arrested. While mentioning that Ravencroft is in bad shape, Kafka is told by a remorseful Norman his suspicion that Kindred is Harry Osborn. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #50. Marvel Comics. Not wanting to give him to the police, Kafka brings Norman to her office where he confessed every bad thing that he has done in his life. When Norman still claims that Harry is Kindred and that he must find a way to stop him before he goes further down the path to vengeance, Kafka suggests to Norman that he should enlist someone who Harry would still listen to. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #50.LR. Marvel Comics. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #52.LR. Marvel Comics. When Mary Jane catches up to Norman Osborn and attacks him, Norman expressed his remorse for his sins that Sin-Eater purged him of which Ashley Kafka corroborated on. He claims to Mary Jane that Harry Osborn is Kindred to which Mary Jane claimed that she just saw Harry Osborn alive. It turns out that Norman Osborn faked being purged of his sins as seen when he meets up with Mayor Wilson Fisk and his men. Norman and Mayor Fisk work on a plan to dispose of Kindred for what he did to them. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #54.LR. Marvel Comics. Norman Osborn contacts Mayor Wilson Fisk stating that Mary Jane Watson got through to Kindred. As Mary Jane offers her life in exchange for Kindred not killing the Order of the Web, Norman Osborn in his Green Goblin attire crashes the confrontation where he throws a Pumpkin Bomb near Mary Jane stating that the choice is not Kindred's choice. Then Green Goblin gives Mayor Fisk the signal to activate the trap which causes the tomb to be engulfed by a supernatural darkness. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #55. Marvel Comics. Prior to the confrontation with Kindred, Norman Osborn spoke to Mayor Wilson Fisk about Project Blank which was inspired by the Darkforce Dome that Hydra used during their takeover of the United States. They enlisted Spot to power it. Back in the present, Mary Jane revealed to Spider-Man that the Pumpkin Bomb that was thrown was a flash bomb version as Green Goblin secretly quotes to Spider-Man to evacuated his allies while wearing his mask so that Mayor Fisk will not know his true identity. At Ravencroft, Kindred's Darkforce casing is being kept together by magic while monitored by Ravencroft's staff. After some persuasion to Mayor Fisk, Norman Osborn speaks to Kindred while mentioned that he was actually cleansed by Sin-Eater while voicing regret having birthed the sickness in Harry's mind. Planning to redeem the Osborn name, Norman states to Kindred that he will find the truth that he talked about. Spider-Man arrives stating to Norman that he would like to talk to him. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #56. Marvel Comics. Spider-Man states to Norman Osborn that whenever he is cured or rebounds, somebody always dies. Norman agrees with the question and states that he wants Spider-Man to help him keep Kindred from being harmed by Mayor Wilson Fisk. When Norman continues to ask for Spider-Man and Mary Jane's help, Spider-Man beats him up and then walks out. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #57. Marvel Comics.
The "Sinister War" arc reveals just like Peter Parker, Amazing Spider-Man #537–545 after Civil War I, but before him, Norman was also a victim of a devil's deal with Mephisto, and Osborn's descent into villainy is caused by his past deal with the latter at the cost of the original Harry's soul. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #72. Marvel Comics. The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #74. Marvel Comics.
Following his confrontation with the returned Spider-Man after his campaign against Otto Octavius in Spider-Man's body, Osborn has been rid of the Goblin formula from his system and thus has lost his superhuman abilities, forcing him to rely on his intellect and other natural abilities. Otto's anti-serum also prevents Osborn's attempts of restoring his powers; ultimately he seeks to rid himself of it in hopes of having them again despite risking his health and sanity. Norman bonded to the Carnage symbiote to expel the anti-serum from his body, which restores his former powers at the cost of his mind. In addition, the Carnage symbiote eliminates his physical scars.
He has since claimed to have 'perfected' the formula so that it will grant the subjects powers while also reverting those he chooses to a more basic mentality where they will accept his orders.
He is known to have absorbed the abilities of Luke Cage, Vision, Thunderbolt Ross and Protector, and it is suggested that he also absorbed the abilities of his current Dark Avengers. In his final form, his body grew to the Hulk's size, and like Hulk he was capable of creating shockwaves by hitting the ground or smashing his hands together. His durability was sufficient to withstand the combined attacks of all the Avengers, and he demonstrated remarkable healing abilities, recovering in seconds after Daisy Johnson used her powers to make his heart explode. He could also turn intangible by manipulating his density, as the Vision does.
However, Osborn had no control over his Super-Adaptoid abilities; he would automatically absorb the powers of any superhuman he touched, even if he did not consciously want to. He was also limited in how many powers his body could hold, as the A.I.M. scientists warned him that absorbing too many powers at once could overload his systems. In the end, he inadvertently absorbed the abilities of all the Avengers and New Avengers when they all touched him at once, and the unstable combination of their multiple different powers caused significant damage to his body chemistry, resulting in him going into a coma. After he regained consciousness, these powers were apparently burnt out, returning him to his Goblin-level strength instead.
Norman Osborn is shown to be severely manic depressive. This has been referenced several times in a myriad of Spider-Man stories. When he is not under the direction of a psychiatrist and taking medication, he has dangerous mood swings. At the apex of his mania, he is paranoid, delusional, and suffers from visual and auditory hallucinations, including hearing the voice of his Green Goblin persona and seeing its face in the mirror rather than his own. Previously, Osborn's arrogance caused him to refuse to submit to psychiatric treatment unless forced to; he viewed mental illness as an imperfection and therefore would not admit that he is mentally ill. In later conversations with the Sentry, Osborn revealed that he had come to accept his own mental illness. After having rid of his powers after the confrontation with the Superior Spider-Man (Doctor Octopus), Osborn's sanity apparently restored but remains a villain.
Superhuman psychiatrist Doc Samson says of Osborn: "In clinical terms, the words psychotic and psychopathic are far from synonymous... but in Norman Osborn's case, both apply. I'd characterise him as a bipolar psychotic with concurrent aspects of psychopathic megalomania and malignant narcissism. In layman's terms, a lethal cocktail of intersecting personality disorders that makes him one of the most dangerous human beings on the planet". There are many examples of Osborn's pronounced superiority complex, to the point that he will rarely, if ever, admit that he has made mistakes. He often transfers blame for his shortcomings to others or claims that he was better than he was; even before his accident, he spent more time providing Harry with gifts or outings rather than actually being there for his son or trying to listen to his problems, and nevertheless claims that he was still a good father, likely due to the abusive nature of his own father.
Having become the Goblin, he generally views other people as dim-witted pests, lacking in creative vision, unworthy to be graced by his presence. He goes out of his way to remind others of their personal failures and shortcomings and to remind those in close relationships with him, such as his son, that they are incapable of measuring up to his achievements. When he first learned Spider-Man's identity, he claimed that, when Spider-Man had defeated him in their previous battles, none of those victories counted because Spider-Man had only beaten his lackeys, or been rescued by the intervention of other super powered beings such as the Human Torch, despite the fact that he always departed the battles after Spider-Man's victories rather than trying to defeat his foe himself.
He also missed the opportunity to lead the original Sinister Six because he felt that joining the group would mean admitting he needed the help of others to rid himself of Spider-Man. Although he later formed the 'Sinister Twelve' when Spider-Man sent him to prison, he expressed anger at Mac Gargan for acquiring the Venom symbiote rather than using the new Scorpion suit provided for him simply because Gargan was not doing what he wanted, despite Venom being more powerful than the Scorpion. When he participated in the mystical ritual known as the Gathering of Five, he appeared convinced that he would automatically receive the gift of power from the ritual– which would bestow upon the participants power, immortality, knowledge, madness and death, respectively– only to receive the gift of madness instead, subsequently requiring an elaborate cocktail of drugs to restore himself to a semblance of sanity. During his time in charge of H.A.M.M.E.R. he was provoked into attacking Asgard by his Goblin side because his ego could not allow himself to consider the possibility that the Asgardians wouldn't threaten his power. Later events revealed that Loki at least slightly influenced Osborn's decision to further Loki's own goals. During his attempted takeover of Earth's superhuman security defenses, he was shown reflecting that humans are all barbarians who require the strong like him to control them, dismissing the Avengers as no better than him despite the obvious distinction between Osborn's demands for power and the straightforward respect that the general public have for the Avengers.
It has been shown that since having suppressed the rampaging Green Goblin personality and becoming the more dominant personality, Osborn has proven to be just as (if not more) evil and cruel. Osborn has demonstrated a high degree of sadism: while in prison, a guard once asked him for his advice in helping his critically ill wife; Osborn's advice led her to a quicker and more agonizing death. As director of H.A.M.M.E.R., he directed his officers to shoot down an airplane full of innocent people just to see whether his enemy Pepper Potts was powerful enough to rescue the passengers with her Rescue armor. His Goblin persona vied for control of his body, as depicted in the January 2010 issue of Dark Avengers, where he is shown writhing on the floor and imploring, apparently to himself, "Why won't this face come off...?", and finally took over when Osborn's Iron Patriot armor was defeated by Captain America and Iron Man at the end of the "Siege" arc. Since being cured of the Goblin formula, Osborn claims that his sanity has also been restored. However, he has expressed satisfaction at plastic surgery that 'restored' him to a twisted version of his original features, and intended to use a modified version of the formula to essentially 'infect' the entire country of Symkaria to become goblin-level soldiers without the intellectual capacity to defy him.
At the time when Robbie Reyes and his Deathlok companion were apprehended by Black Skull's forces on Earth-818, Ghost Goblin visited Black Skull where they mentioned that they never saw a Ghost Rider ride a car before. This led to Black Skull's latest torture by having him kill whatever Robbie Reyes variants they can apprehend. Avengers: Forever Vol. 2 #2. Marvel Comics.
Ghost Goblin was present when the Multiversal Masters of Evil take over another world while planning to return to Earth-616. Just then, Ghost Rider shows up where he subdues Black Skull and King Killmonger. Ghost Goblin engages Ghost Rider next as his noggin bombs identify him as the All-Rider. Ghost Goblin is defeated. After Deathlok sacrifices his life so that Ant-Man of Earth-818 can get away, Doom Supreme states to the Multiversal Masters of Evil that he knows where they are going and that they should regroup. Ghost Goblin states that he should work on regaining his original size. Doom Supreme then states to the Multiversal Masters of Evil that they will commit one more slaughter at the specific location before they return to Earth-616 as Doom Supreme vows to them that "No Avenger gets out alive". Avengers: Forever Vol. 2 #11. Marvel Comics.
Ghost Goblin was with the Multiversal Masters of Evil when they returned to Earth-616. Avengers Assemble Alpha #1. Marvel Comics. He fights against Nighthawk and the Prehistoric Ghost Rider. During the fight, Ghost Goblin is depowered by the Prehistoric Ghost Rider who then kills him. Avengers Vol. 8 #63. Marvel Comics.
In Spider-Man: 1602, Osborne has been released from the stocks, and is now harbormaster of Roanoke. When Peter Parquagh and Virginia Dare find evidence he is plotting against the natives again, he kills Virginia and exposes Peter's secret identity as The Spider. He is sentenced to be sent back to England, where capital punishment is still practiced. When the Mayflower is attacked by the pirate Wilson Fisk, Osborne's cell is hit by a cannonball. Covered in gangrenous wounds, his sentence is abandoned since he is not expected to live long enough to stand trial in England. He contacts the natural philosopher Hank Pym, asking to be cured in return for helping Pym acquire some of Peter's blood for his experiments.
Le Pym's attempts to cure Osborne mutate him into a winged, green-skinned creature, and he uses these powers to capture Parquagh. During his final battle with Parquagh (in which Osborne uses exploding spherical vials as projectiles in combat) he is killed by a crossbow bolt fired by Fisk's first mate, the Bull's Eye, who has also been hunting Parquagh. Spider-Man 1602 #1-5. Marvel Comics.
As the Galactic Goblin, Norman Osborn fought Spider-Man 2099, Valkyrie 2099, and X-Men 2099 at the sight of the Celestial Guard. After Spider-Man 2099 defeated Galactic Goblin, his Black Cards were destroyed by Nostromos and Ghost Rider destroyed Galactic Goblin's cards as the authorities finally arrest Galactic Goblin.
The Goblin's reputation earned him as a freelancer from among New York City's politicians and businessmen in hired to commit illegal acts such as suppressing public protests and even acts of assassinations on public objectors. These actions eventually caused him to come into conflict with Spider-Man after he order The Vulture to kill the vigilante's Uncle Ben. Later, reporter Ben Urich became a problem for Norman, so the mob boss sent The Chameleon dressed as J. Jonah Jameson to kill him as Osborn kidnapped the real one. After murdering Urich, the Chameleon was killed by Felicia Hardy. Spider-Man Noir #3
The Goblin then took Felicia to one of his hideouts, only for Spider-Man track him down. Norman escaped to the sewers with Hardy as Spider-Man was fighting Osborn's thugs. During the battle, Kraven (one of the thugs) hit a glass full of spiders, causing the animals to fall on him. Spider-Man then saved Jameson and went after Osborn. New York City's vigilante and its main mob boss fought until each one of them got unmasked, Spider-Man was revealed to be Peter Parker and Osborn reveals his green and scaled skin to him. Parker decides not to kill Norman, however a spider-infested Kraven then shows up and attacks Osborn, apparently killing him. Spider-Man Noir #4
Two years later, Norman would attempt 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. Spider-Girl #49. Marvel Comics.
May would later become a hero in her own right named Spider-Girl. Spider-Girl #0. Marvel Comics.
After discovering a living twin of May Parker (kept in suspended animation) among his grandfather's possessions, Normie Osborn 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 benefactor, then she released the clone May on to the world and towards the original May. She also had Peter Parker kidnapped and brainwashed into thinking he was Norman Osborn. The Amazing Spider-Girl #27. Marvel Comics. The brainwashed Peter joins with the May clone, who is half symbiote, and becomes the Goblin God. The Amazing Spider-Girl #29. Marvel Comics. It is through this brainwashing that Norman Osborn's consciousness resurfaces.
In a psychic duel, Peter, Mayday, the clone and the spirit of Aunt May defeated Norman's psychic representation, which in turn cured Peter of his condition, ending Osborn's threat yet again. The Amazing Spider-Girl #30. Marvel Comics.
A later story showing Harry Osborn as the Hobgoblin flashed back to Norman Osborn's death in a battle against Spider-Man and showed Harry's realization that his father was the murderous Green Goblin.
In the pages of "Old Man Logan" that takes place on Earth-21923, the illusion of Norman Osborn remains intact and that he also fought Spider-Man during the Battle of New York. Old Man Logan Vol. 2 #8. Marvel Comics. In the pages of "Avengers of the Wastelands", it was revealed that Green Goblin rules a location in Ohio called Osborn City. When Danielle Cage's group arrive in Osborn Country, Green Goblin led Absorbing Man, Enchantress, MODOK, Shocker, and Wild Child in attacking them. While Viv Vision killed MODOK, Dwight Barrett used his Ant-Man helmet to summon a swarm of insects that kill Green Goblin and the villains with him. Avengers of the Wastelands #4. Marvel Comics.
In 1977, the still imprisoned Norman convinces Harry to suit up as the Black Goblin to steal "The Gemini Project" from Miles Warren, which is revealed to be a clone of himself. Harry discovers that Miles also cloned Peter and Gwen Stacy and deduces that Norman cloned Peter because he still considered Peter the more worthy heir. After Peter convinces Harry of his father's manipulations, Harry blows up the containment tubes the clones were in, killing all of them except for Peter's clone. However, Miles reveals that the Gwen in the containment tube was actually the real Gwen.
Norman is eventually released from prison and feigns his old age affecting his mental state before disappearing from the public. In 1995, he reveals Spider-Man's secret identity and information about his clone Ben Reilly to Doctor Octopus, who kidnaps them and threatens Harry into using Oscorp technology to study a way to clone himself. In the process, he discovers that Peter is supposedly the clone while Ben is the original. In the ensuing chaos, Doctor Octopus kills Harry after attempting to kill Peter and Ben. Peter allows Ben to take over his life in New York before tracking down Norman to an industrial area in New Jersey with Jessica Jones' help. Peter reveals he kept tabs on Norman after he was released from prison and knew Norman rigged the machines to trick Peter into thinking he was the clone. After learning of Harry's death from Peter, Norman blames Peter for the incident and tries to attack him, but then dies of a heart attack cursing Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Life Story #1-4. Marvel Comics
IGN ranked Norman as the thirteenth greatest comic book villain of all time being the seventh highest Marvel Comics supervillain on the list. They referenced storylines such as "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" and "Dark Reign" saga as one of his most prominent roles. While an ongoing comic book storyline during the time of the list, they praised his depiction in the "Dark Reign" saga stating that while he was once a great villain in his Green Goblin persona, he evolved past that when briefly being successful taking over S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Dark Avengers on his own without the Green Goblin persona. Norman Osborn is number 13 IGN. IGN then ranked Osborn as the 13th greatest Marvel Comics supervillain in 2014. Stating that "no villain has taken so much from Spider-Man or left such a lasting impact on his life". IGN also ranked him as twenty fourth on their top 100 villains list in 2016 being the third highest Marvel Comics supervillain on the list after Magneto and Doctor Doom and the fifth highest comic book supervillain with DC Comics supervillains Joker and Lex Luthor being the only other higher ranked. IGN ranked him as the second greatest Spider-Man villain in 2014 only behind Doctor Octopus. His rivalry with Spider-Man is listed as the second greatest archenemies in comics.
Wizard magazine also ranked Norman's Green Goblin persona as the nineteenth greatest villain of all time with Galactus, Magneto and Doctor Doom being the only Marvel Comics characters higher on the list. They also placed him twenty eighth on the greatest comic book character list being the fifth highest supervillain only lower than Doctor Doom, Magneto, Joker and Luthor. Newsarama placed the Green Goblin as the second greatest Spider-Man villain of all time in 2017 behind Doctor Octopus. CollegeHumor ranked him as the fourteenth greatest comic book villain of all time. Complex ranked him as seventh in the 100 greatest comic book villains of all time. WhatCulture named him as the seventeenth greatest comic book villains of all time. Screen Rant named him as the second best Spider-Man villain of all time. Comicbook.com placed the character debut in the third place as the best Spider-Man villain. GamesRadar ranked him as the third in the top 50 greatest Spider-Man villains. ComicsAlliance ranked him as the number one greatest Spider-Man villain.
In 2020, CBR.com included Red Goblin in their "Spider-Man: The Best New Villains of the Century" list.
In 2020, CBR.com ranked Norman Osborn 1st in their "Marvel: Dark Spider-Man Villains, Ranked From Lamest To Coolest" list.
In 2022, Screen Rant ranked Red Goblin in their "10 Most Powerful Silk Villains In Marvel Comics" list.
In 2022, Screen Rant ranked Green Goblin 3rd in their "10 Most Powerful Silk Villains In Marvel Comics" list.
In television, he first was featured in the ABC animated series Spider-Man (1967–1970) and later on other animated series featuring the superhero include the syndicated Spider-Man (1981–1982), Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981–1983), Fox Kids' (1994–1998), Spider-Man Unlimited (1999–2000), (2003), The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008–2009), Ultimate Spider-Man (2012–2017), (2014–2015), Spider-Man (2017–2020), and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2025–present), which is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise.
Norman was featured in a trilogy of live-action films directed by Sam Raimi and played by Willem Dafoe. He was the main antagonist in the first film (2002), and later made cameo appearances in Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007) as a hallucination. Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man film reboot (2012) featured many references to the character who appeared in the sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) portrayed by Chris Cooper. Dafoe reprised the role, again as the main antagonist, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film (2021).
Osborn was one of the characters portrayed in the 1987 live adaptation of Spider-Man's wedding at Shea Stadium. Osborn appeared as the main antagonist in the Broadway musical , began previews on November 14, 2010, at the Foxwoods Theatre on Broadway theatre, with the official opening night on June 14, 2011.Lustig, Jay. " Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark". New Jersey On-Line. January 18, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011.Gans, Andrew. "Reeve Carney, Jennifer Damiano, Patrick Page to Star in Spider-Man; Performances Begin in November" . Playbill.com, August 10, 2010 He also appears in the 2014 Marvel Universe Live! stage show.
| + !Title !Material collected !Date Published !ISBN | |||
| Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin | Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin #1-3 and Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #20-29, Annual 2001; Peter Parker: Spider-Man #25, 29 | September 12, 2017 | |
| Osborn: Evil Incarcerated | Osborn #1-5 | June 15, 2011 | |
| Amazing Spider-Man By Nick Spencer Vol. 6: Absolute Carnage | Red Goblin: Red Death and Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #29-31 | January 30, 2020 | |
| Gold Goblin | Gold Goblin #1-5 | June 20, 2023 |
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