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Norman Osborn: The Evolution of Spider-Man’s Nemesis, from Green Goblin to Reformed Man

In the world of superhero comics, so many villains are just coming back, barely evolving as the decades pass. Still, some took on prominent roles and were forced to grow with the times as their continuing existence became so tightly connected to one of the superheroes that they couldn’t stop fighting. They may not be legion, but Norman Osborn is certainly one of them.

As one of Marvel Comics’ most complex and enduring antagonists, he is known primarily as the original Green Goblin. A personal nemesis to Spider-Man, Osborn’s career of villainy has led to some of the most impactful moments in Peter Parker’s life, but also in the Marvel Universe as a whole. 

The following article lists notable issues and storylines dedicated to Norman Osborn, which are available in multiple collected editions. You can find them in our complete reading order to Spider-Man and the Spider-Man Omnibus guide.

Norman Osborn, The Original Green Goblin

Norman Virgil Osborn first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #23 (1965)–even though he was not named or identified until The Amazing Spider-Man #37. His alter ego, the Green Goblin, debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 (1964), created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Harry Osborn’s father, Norman, was the head of Oscorp, a chemical corporation, who was driven by ambition and a need for power. Those specific traits pushed him to experiment on himself with a strength-enhancing serum that boosts his intelligence and physical prowess. The other, more dramatic effect of the drug was its impact on his mind.

“The Night Gwen Stacy Died”

Changed by the serum, Norman Osborn transformed into the highly unstable and violent Green Goblin. His madness put him on Spider-Man’s path, the two became enemies, and, upon discovering that Peter Parker is the man behind the mask, their fight became personal on a new level. This led to what is still today the Green Goblin’s most infamous act.

In The Amazing Spider-Man #121 (1973), Osborn kidnapped Gwen Stacy and threw her from the George Washington Bridge (later retconned as the Brooklyn Bridge). Spider-Man caught her with a webline, but the sudden stop caused her neck to snap, killing her. This is one of the most impactful deaths in comic book history (next to Batman’s parents’). This moment forever changed the way superhero stories were perceived.

But the story didn’t end here. In the following issue (ASM #122), Osborn attempts to kill Spider-Man with his glider, but Peter evades the attack, causing the Goblin to be impaled by his own weapon. Norman Osborn died.

The key comics to read to familiarize yourself with Norman Osborn’s first era

Norman Osborn Resurrected: The Comeback of a True Mastermind

While the Green Goblin identity was used by others, with the writers toying with the idea that he might be back, Norman Osborn remained dead for over two decades. However, unlike Uncle Ben, Osborn was finally brought back in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75 during the 1990s Clone Saga. In The Spectacular Spider-Man #250 (1997), his death was retconned, and it was revealed that he had survived due to the healing properties of the Goblin serum. But what did he do during all these years? 

It turned out that Norman Osborn was more than a brilliant and rich scientist who became insane. He was also a master manipulator who spent years manipulating events from far away in Europe. It was a major evolution for the character, going from a crazy and deadly villain to a criminal mastermind, a man who was pulling strings from the shadows for a long time. Now officially alive, he continued to fight Spider-Man by manipulating others or as the Green Goblin.

The comics to read to learn about Norman Osborn’s return:

Norman Osborn’s Dark Reign

In the wake of Civil War, the U.S. government enacts the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), requiring all superhumans to register their identities and serve under official oversight. Norman Osborn is then imprisoned for his crimes as the Green Goblin. But this didn’t last. Not only did Norman Osborn get his freedom back, but he also took charge of the new government-backed version of the Thunderbolts.

Osborn used this role to clean his public image, presenting himself as a reformed patriot. Behind the scenes, however, he was still the same manipulative and at times sadistic monster. Using the media to present the Thunderbolts (a team of supervillains forced into compliance to hunt down unregistered heroes) as an adequate solution to superhuman threats, Osborn came from a criminal mastermind into a state-sanctioned authority figure.

Things went even further after the Secret Invasion when Osborn became a national hero by killing the Skrull Queen on live television. Capitalizing on this moment, he is appointed director of H.A.M.M.E.R. (replacing S.H.I.E.L.D.) and forms his own Dark Avengers—using villains who posed as heroes. He also started wearing the Iron Patriot armor (a mash-up of Iron Man tech and Captain America’s symbolism).

This was his “Dark Reign,” an era marked by his signature psychological instability, but masked by bureaucratic control. His eventual breakdown occurs during Siege (2010), when he leads an unsanctioned invasion of Asgard, resulting in his arrest and the restoration of Steve Rogers and S.H.I.E.L.D.

We have a complete guide to reading the Dark Reign era, but here are key comics about Norman Osborn’s Dark Reign, before, during, and after:

Norman Osborn: From Red Goblin to a Magical Redemption

After Siege, Osborn was institutionalized but eventually escaped and resumed attempts to regain power. He became the Goblin King to fight the Superior Spider-Man, and later, following the Secret Wars relaunch, he came back with a maniacal plot to use the Goblin formula to create soldiers. However, his most notable attempt came when he bonds with the Carnage symbiote to become the Red Goblin, a hybrid of Goblin insanity and symbiote brutality. This led to a major showdown with Peter Parker and most of the spider-themed heroes of New York. Once again, Norman Osborn became responsible for the death of one of Peter’s close friends (one that didn’t stick, though).

At that point, Norman Osborn is put in the maximum security prison for the criminally insane, Ravencroft. He stayed there for a time, until the Sin-Eater storyline that addressed the most notable problem concerning Harry’s father, his insanity. During that story, the Sin-Eater purged him of his sins. This was the most important change introduced to the character since his resurrection. Major revelations concerning Norman Osborn were also made during the “Sinister War” arc. It was exposed that he was another victim of a deal with Mephisto that led him to become a villain, and Harry also paid the price for that.

Cured, Norman sought to make amends and started aiding Spider-Man by designing tech for the wall-crawler, giving a job to Peter, and became the Gold Goblin to fight criminals. Even with enemies trying to make him go back to being the Green Goblin, Norman fought the good fight.

Key Comics:

Norman Osborn’s crimes are numerous, and he has now decided to atone for them. While so many comic book characters are constantly sent back to where they started, including Peter Parker, Osborn has continued to evolve through insanity and now through sanity. He was another enemy of Spider-Man and became one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel Comics Universe before eventually falling into his old habit and being changed into a man seeking redemption.

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