The real Spider-Man might not be on Earth right now, but one of his most underrated villains has just made a surprising return to prominence. In the book’s current run, Amazing Spider-Man #14 returned to Earth as the series flips between Spider-Man’s journey in the far reaches of space and the people he left behind. While Spidey is stuck in space with Rocket Raccoon, the heroes on Earth are struggling without him. Norman Osborn has been impersonating Spider-Man, much to the chagrin of Spidey’s allies. However, while Spider-Man is off planet, one of his most underrated villains just showed up, and he just so happens to be targeting Norman Osborn.

While Hobgbolin showed back up earlier this year with some new and frightening technological weapons, he was also recently brushed off by Tombstone. However, he took center stage in the latest issue, and there is hope that he will be elevated into the main-level villain he has always deserved to be.

Hopgoblin is Back in Spider-Man Comics

Hobgoblin in Marvel ComicsImage Courtesy of Marvel Comics

In Amazing Spider-Man #14, Norman Osborn agreed to stop fighting crime as Spider-Man since his overly violent actions were hurting the reputation of the real Spider-Man. However, he couldn’t keep this promise because he was attacked after trying to talk to Ben Reilly, who is still pretending to be Peter Parker while the actual Peter is off-planet. This mysterious villain attacked Norman in a public restaurant and put everyone there in danger.

Norman had to put his Spider-Man costume back on and fight this robotically controlled villain that looked more like a Spider-Slayer than anything else. However, after Norman worked with a young hero named Kintsugi to stop the robot and take it down, the story showed who was behind this, and it opened up a new mystery. Roderick Kingsley was with the people controlling the robot, and he is finally back in the spotlight. Hobgoblin might be ready to step back into a role as an A-list villain.

Why Hobgoblin Deserves to be More Respected

Hobgoblin ripping Spider-Man costume in halfImage Courtesy of Marvel Comics

Hobgoblin returned earlier this year with an upgrade, and it made fans wonder what was going to happen with the classic Spider-Man villain. He had a flaming sword and looked very deranged. However, as it showed this issue, that was all a mask, and it seems like the technology is all part of a group that Roderick is working with. While he showed up as Hobgoblin a couple of issues earlier to talk to Tombstone, it seems he wanted to use a different face to attack Osborn, whom he claimed to want revenge against.

Hobgoblin even made it clear that he had no desire to come after Spider-Man at all, as he only wanted to take down Norman Osborn. While the group he was working with said they were out of money and couldn’t afford any more, Roderick Kingsley told them that the “experiment” was a success and they needed more expertise and style. This is a good start to rebuild a character damaged by time.

When Hobgoblin first showed up in Marvel Comics, no one knew who he was. This made him one of the most exciting new villains for fans reading Amazing Spider-Man at the time. When the revelation came that it was Peter’s close friend, Ned Leeds, it was a shocking moment. However, things got complicated when it was revealed to be a man named Roderick Kingsley, who brainwashed Ben to think he was Hobgoblin. Marvel then kept twisting the storyline until fans finally lost interest.

This was disappointing since Hobgoblin had so much promise. With Norman Osborn now a hero, and the idea that he won’t stop acting as Spider-Man, Hobgoblin is the perfect villain. He is the other side of the coin for someone like Norman, and this could really help elevate the hero back to where he should have always been. Hobgoblin was a massively successful villain when he debuted, and there is no reason Marvel can’t redeem him if they go back to what made him so interesting in the beginning.

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