10 Amazing Comic Storylines Derailed By Editorial Politics
3. Hobgoblin Saga
The reveal of the secret identity of the Spider-Man villain Hobgoblin is considered one of the most poorly executed storylines in company history. Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. first introduced the character in Amazing Spider-Man #238, and planned to keep his identity a secret for a handful of issues before revealing him as wealthy businessman (with a lookalike brother) Roderick Kingsley. But Stern and JRJR left the book before getting a chance to finish out the story, handing over the series to Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz.
DeFalco and Frenz wanted to take the Hobgoblin in a different direction. According to interviews, DeFalco wanted to reveal Richard Fisk, son of Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of crime, as the Hobgoblin and Kingsley was slated to be another criminal, the Rose. The only problem was that DeFalco and Frenz clashed with Spider-book editor Jim Owsley (now Christopher Priest).
At one point, Owsley demanded that DeFalco reveal the Hobgoblin's identity to the press, so the writer told the reporters it was mild-mannered Daily Bugle reporter Ned Leeds to throw them off the scent. Owsley eventually fired DeFalco and Frenz from Amazing Spider-Man and then laid waste to what he thought were their plans for the Hobgoblin. In the Spider-Man vs. Wolverine one-shot that Oswley wrote, he killed off Leeds. Then he asked upstart writer Peter David to pen the Hobgoblin reveal with someone else under the mask.
David, thrust into a situation he couldn't win, decided to write the story based on the information presented in the comics. David concluded that Leeds was the Hobgoblin, despite the fact that he had been killed by Owsley to piss off Tom DeFalco. The story was met with scorn and disappointment from fans who at one point thought the Hobgoblin was one of the best villains ever created in the Spider-Man universe.
About 10 years later, Stern retconned the awful decision, revealing that Kingsley had brainwashed Leeds into thinking he was the Hobgoblin. Still, the damage was done to the character.