As Spider-Man’s greatest villain, Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin has become an iconic part of the franchise. Now, he has a stylish new look as the main character of a new spin-off.
The Green Goblin is maniacal billionaire Norman Osborn, debuting in 1964, but never more memorable than in Willem Dafoe’s depiction in 2002’s Spider-Man and 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.
willem dafoe’s green goblin in sam raimi’s spider-man movie
Dafoe nailed Osborn’s manic cruelty, but also the tragedy of a brilliant mind subsumed by a demonic persona that can be suppressed but never destroyed.
However, Marvel is now ready to try something new, with TWO major transformation on the cards for Norman Osborn.
Norman Osborn Wears a Custom Suit for Spider-Versity Spin-Off…
norman osborn storms into spider-versity in new costume, spider-man spinoff image
Norman Osborn’s new costume recently debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity #1, from Jordan Morris, Joe Kelly, Pere Pérez, Guru-eFX and Joe Sabino. The issue sees him become the mentor for a group of Spider-Verse heroes including Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen.
SPIDER-MAN SPIDER-VERSITY HEROES INCLUDING MILES MORALES AND SPIDER-WOMAN 2
In 2020, Norman Osborn was literally purged of his sins, conquering the madness of the Green Goblin as a result. Since then, he’s been searching for redemption, working alongside Peter Parker and even attempting to adopt the vigilante life.
However, after a recent clash with Spider-Man’s allies, Norman realized that if the Green Goblin ever reappears, these young heroes won’t stand a chance against him. As a result, he’s recruited them into his Spider-Versity, beginning their training with an ‘attack’ that sees six heroes fall to his skills.
norman osborn storms into spider-versity in new costume, spider-man spinoff image 2
Norman’s new role as mentor comes with a redesign, as Osborn sports a stylish suit over a green shirt and purple tie – echoing the colors of the Green Goblin. Osborn notes the new look cost a fortune, and it even comes with reflective sunglasses to stop Spider-Girl from stealing his superstrength (which she can do via eye contact.)
norman osborn storms into spider-versity in new costume, spider-man spinoff image 3
What’s notable about this new look is that Norman is leaning into his Green Goblin persona for the first time since he was purged of his sins. That’s because Norman’s biggest fear is that the Goblin will reclaim him and kill these young heroes – his suit is intended to remind them of the threat he could become. However, he’ll also be sporting a much more extreme new look.
…But We’re Also Getting the Return of the Red Goblin
Red Goblin #1 cover.
In recently released solicit information for issue 4, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero and Edgar Delgado depict Norman once again becoming the Red Goblin.
amazing spider-man spider-versity spinoff showing red goblin norman osborn
That’s because the Spider-Versity’s first threat will be Carnage, who is seeking a new host following the ‘Amazing Spider-Man/Venom: Death Spiral’ event. In the past, Norman has taken the persona of the Red Goblin when bonded to Carnage, though that was back when the Green Goblin persona was still alive and well.
VENOM CARNAGE RED GOBLIN SPIDER-MAN
Norman has an incredible store of willpower, but will even he be able to escape Carnage or – more importantly – stop the serial killer symbiote from slaughtering his young charges?
The Last Few Years Have Transformed the Green Goblin Like Never Before
Harry Osborn’s Ultimate Green Goblin costume.
When the Green Goblin was purged from Norman Osborn, fans assumed it would be a short amount of time until its return. However, it’s now been six years, and Marvel keeps finding interesting ways to utilize this new status quo.
First, Osborn tried to become Spider-Man’s man in the chair, creating gadgets for the Wall-Crawler. When Peter refused the hi-tech upgrades, Norman used them himself, becoming the Gold Goblin – a name handed to him by the media, much to his chagrin. Meanwhile, in the Ultimate Universe, Harry Osborn became a new, heroic rebel Green Goblin (design above.)
norman osborn’s gold goblin
More recently, while Peter was off-planet, Norman took his place as the Resolute Spider-Man, handing out brutal justice to the criminals of New York, and making a major enemy of mob leader Tombstone. Trying to take the Spider-Man mantle is what brought Osborn into conflict with the Spider-Heroes, and gave him the idea to train them.
RESOLUTE SPIDER-MAN COSTUME
The Green Goblin persona is still out there in the Marvel Universe, separated from Osborn and capable of being passed from person to person (indeed, Peter was recently forced to play host to it as the Spider-Goblin.) Every Spider-Man fan knows that eventually, Norman Osborn’s sin will return and his heroic ideals will be destroyed.
peter parker’s spider-man becomes the spider-goblin
With his new Spider-Versity design invoking the Goblin’s green and purple, does this new look herald the upcoming return of Spider-Man’s nemesis, or will Osborn enjoy a few more years of transformative heroism before his dark destiny returns?
The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
First Appearance
Amazing Fantasy
Alias
Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
Alliance
Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
Race
Human