Name: Norman Osborn
Gender: Male
Place of Birth: Hartford, Connecticut
In every work of fiction and even for some of us in the real world, people need an arch-nemesis. that one person that inhabits our world solely for the purpose of tormenting the hell out of us day and night for no real reason.
For Sherlock Holmes it's Moriarty, for Batman it's the Joker, For Superman it's Lex Luthor, for me it was Peter Sales and for Peter Parker/Spider-Man it's The Green Goblin.
The creation of Spider-Man writing team Stan Lee and Steve Ditko The Goblin made his first appearance within the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #14 volume 1.
It was the summer of 1964 where readers for the first time got a look at the character that was to become the biggest and most dangerous comic book villain since the Joker made his debut in April 1940.
Since his creation there have been four versions of the character with the most deadly and terrifying and most well-known being the maniacal Megalomaniac Norman Osborn. A power hungry business-man, who as a result of an failed experiment using a formula stolen from his former business partner Mendel Stromm. The experiment resulted in an explosion and through inhaling the noxious gasses whilst unconcious from the explosion Osborn gained enhanced abilities such as super-strength, speed, agility and stamina his intellect was also ehanced to genius level enabling him the abilities to create and develop the Goblin's vast array of weaponry and armour. Due to his insatiable appetite for power Norman creates the "Green Goblin" persona as he begins his quest to become the head of all the organized crime rings in New York city. Since there was a power vacum after Spider-Man took down the previous incumbant "The Big Man" as few months prior. Norman decides the ultimate way to prove his credentials would be to take down Spider-Man
The true identity of the Goblin would remain a mystery until issue #39 of The Amazing Spider-Man when new writing team Stan Lee and John Romita Snr (who had replaced Steve Ditko) revealed that Norman Osborn had been the face behind The Green Goblin mask. It was also this issue that The Green Goblin revealed himself to a prone Peter Parker whom the Goblin had previously discovered was in fact Spider-ManDuring the ensuing encounter Spider-Man defeats the Goblin who falls uncontrollably into a set of electrical wires rendering him unconcious. Spider-Man ponders what to do with the Goblin worried that his nemesis could reveal his identity when he awoke, However once Osborn awakens he seemingly is suffering from amnesia.
Throughout the years The Green Goblin's status has risen and is now thought in some quarters to be as important to the Spider-Man ethos as The Joker is to Bat-Man.As stated before everyone needs and nemesis and by the early 1970's The Green Goblin had easily surpassed all other Spider-Villains.
The event that cemented forever the Goblin as the chief tormentor of Spider-Man was one that shook the comic book world to the core.For the first time a long term supporting character was killed off by the antagonist not just any supporting character though. They killed Peter Parker's long term girlfriend and the character it was widely expected that he would eventually marry, Gwen Stacy.
Amazing Spider-Man #121 is now seen as an all time classic written by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Gil Kane, "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" has recently been adapted and portrayed on the big screen in Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Marvel Comics Later found themselves in a hole as their flag ship character's arch nemesis has now apparently been killed off a character that had for over 100 issues had been regarded as the chief tormentor not only of Spider-Man but also of Peter Parker as well.
For a time the Green Goblin sized hole was filled by Roger Stern's creation the Hobgoblin until Marvel decided in the late 1990's that Norman Osborn was to be revealed as the mastermind behind the fall out of the "Clone saga" and re-instating The Goblin as Spider-Man's tormentor in chief once again. However this had a slight negative impact and many felt the revelation cheaped his death in 1973 and the death of Aunt May in Amazing Spider-Man #400, as her death was revealed to be an actress hired by Osborn whilst the real Aunt May had been held captive in a ploy to drive Peter out of his mind. it was also at this time that Osborn had also arranged for the abduction of Peter and Mary Jane's daughter whilst leading them to believe that the child had been still-born
Norman Osborn since his return has not only seen him regain what many to consider is his rightful place as the curator of Spidey's rogues gallery but he's also been established as a Marvel Universe wide threat now becoming a Government agent following the "Civil War" Norman rose through the ranks and became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D deposing Tony Stark.
However since these events and the actions of Amazing Spider-Man #544-~#545 One More Day. The Green Goblin no longer has knowledge of Spider-Man's true identity and during his time as head of S.H.I.E.L.D he formed a team to kill Spider-Man.
More recently Norman Osborn has once more reverted to his Green Goblin alter-ego after a failed plot to attack Asgard claiming it to be a threat to National security resulted in Norman Osborn being placed into "The Raft" however he quickly escaped and once more returned to the shadows using the to manipulate others to do his bidding before completely going back to basics and revealing himself to be the face behind the face behind the mask during Goblin Nation in the pages of Superior Spider-Man, where Norman somehow is aware that Otto Octavius is the mind if not the body behind the Spider's mask.
Although defeated and humbled by Osborn Doc Ock gives up control of Spider-Man's mind back to Peter Parker. who quickly defeats the Green Goblin although Norman manages to flee and escape. vowing revenge.
It would now seem that Norman Osborn has recovered from his delusions of grandeur in his attempts to become the most powerful villain in the Marvel Universe and the writers and character have settled on a back to basics approach for the first time since his return in 1997 it would appear that Peter Parker's Moriarty. has finally returned.
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