10 Things Marvel Wants You To Forget About Green Goblin

Is Norman Osborn basically Spider-Man's Joker?

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Marvel Comics

Spider-Man possesses potentially the greatest rogues gallery going over at Marvel, and the most famous individual to feature within it is the Green Goblin.

Norman Osborn first burst onto the scene in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 all the way back in 1964, and quickly carved out a reputation for himself as Spider-Man's most embittered rival, more-so than the likes of Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, and later Venom. He tormented Spidey for years, discovered his true identity, and was the principle antagonist during The Night Gwen Stacy Died, an arc that is commonly believed to have heralded the end of the Silver Age of comics, and opened up the floodgates to more mature storylines.

The Green Goblin thus boasts a formidable legacy, but there's a whole lot more to the character than his most iconic depictions let on. In fact, there are some aspects of the villain that Marvel would probably want you to just forget about completely, while there are others that, despite being pervasive across Osborn's history, most simply refuse to dwell on.

He's a great character, bones and all, but he's not perfect. That’s fine of course, and even though Gobby still remains Spidey’s greatest adversary, there are some things that could tarnish that perception...

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Content Producer/Presenter
Content Producer/Presenter

Resident movie guy at WhatCulture who used to be Comics Editor. Thinks John Carpenter is the best. Likes Hellboy a lot. Can usually be found talking about Dad Movies on his Twitter at @EwanRuinsThings.