2. The Green Goblin is Back
That's right; the man who is widely considered to be Spider-Man's greatest, deadliest and most bat-shit crazy villain has returned in 'Superior Spider-Man'. After a teaser shot in 'Amazing Spider-Man' #697 that showed Norman Osborn's hospital bed unoccupied, the return of the Goblin was something many Spider-fans expected would take place in the series' 700th and final issue. Evidently, of course, this was not the case and it initially seemed that Osborn's escape may have been part of an abandoned storyline. A few issues into 'Superior', though, the return of the Goblin was confirmed as a reality. At the end of issue 4 the Green Goblin appears before a few of the Vulture's terrified followers and offers them a sanctuary, instructing them that he would soon be the person to crush their nemesis the Spider-Man. Then, during issue 10, a huge, underworld gang is seen being formed beneath the city. This seemingly minor activity is missed by Otto's Spider-Man, who professes to be focusing on "bigger things". The end of this issue reveals that the gang has been amassing under the rule of the 'Goblin King' and that Otto currently has no idea. Not 0nly is this story intriguing as it poses serious questions about whether Otto's Spider-methods are truly 'superior' to Peter's, but it also opens up the possibility for what I truly believe would be one of the greatest showdowns in Marvel history. Octavius and the Green Goblin are two of Spider-Man's most ruthless enemies. Even after the Goblin was responsible for the death of Gwen Stacy, Peter's Spider-Man still stopped short of ever actually retaliating in kind. We know that Otto will not make that 'mistake'. Despite this, though, Otto will no longer have Peter's burning hatred of the Goblin to call upon (after banishing his memory from his own body) and may find himself overwhelmed by the true maniacal evil of the man. A showdown between these two could be fatal for either one, and will no doubt be a story that will capture the attention of any comic fan.