Harry Osborn
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| Harry Osborn | |
 Harry Osborn Art by Joe Quesada. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Amazing Spider-Man #31 (December 1965) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Steve Ditko |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Harold "Harry" Osborn |
| Notable aliases | Green Goblin, New Green Goblin, New Goblin |
| Abilities | Goblin serum grants Superhuman physical attributes and enhanced intelligence Goblin-themed weapons and paraphernalia |
Harry Osborn is a fictional character depicted as both friend and occasional foe to Spider-Man in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 (December 1965).
In the Spider-Man film series, he is portrayed by actor James Franco.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
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This comics-related article or section describes an element of the series in a primarily in-universe style. Please rewrite this article or section to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. |
Son of industrialist Norman Osborn (who is the supervillain "Green Goblin"), Harry becomes the unlikely friend and college roommate of the nerdy Peter Parker. After witnessing his father battle with Spider-Man and die, Harry swears vengeance on the hero. After discovering that Peter is Spider-Man, Harry becomes psychotic and takes on the mantle of the Green Goblin. Although Harry dies to save Peter, a change in reality undoes his death and he is Peter's friend again.
[edit] Early life
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Harry was born in New York City to industrialist Norman Osborn and his wife Emily. Unfortunately, the circumstances of Harry's birth weakened Emily, and she died after several years of illness. Heartbroken, Norman became a cold and unloving father, either dismissing Harry or lashing out at him in fury. Harry would spend the rest of his life trying desperately to earn his father's approval.
When Harry graduated high school, he enrolled in Empire State University. Among the wealthiest students in the school, Harry soon became one of the most popular faces in the school, despite his aloof manner. He soon formed a clique of rich, popular students around him. One of these students was the lovely Gwen Stacy. Gwen soon became intrigued with a new student, a bookish, studious fellow named Peter Parker. Harry took a dislike to Parker, as he resented the amount of attention he was getting from Gwen, and he assumed that the reason Peter was so standoffish was because of snobbery. After confronting Parker, however, Harry discovered that Peter was painfully shy and worried about his ailing aunt, May. Despite this rocky early start, Harry and Peter became friends, eventually sharing a luxury apartment.
What Harry didn't realize was that Peter was the superhero Spider-Man, and that he had twice battled his father, who had become the Green Goblin in an accident while attempting to create a super-serum. When the Goblin discovered Spider-Man's identity and captured him, he revealed his own identity to Peter. Horrified that his greatest enemy was his best friend's father, Peter's loyalties were torn during their battle. However, Osborn then fell onto an electric transformer and the resulting shock removed all memory of being the Green Goblin. Spider-Man removed the Goblin's costume and equipment, hoping it was the end of the Goblin menace.
However, Norman's memories would resurface from time to time and he would periodically battle Spider-Man, only to lose his memories again when the fight was over. These were difficult times for Harry. Having experimented with drugs since his teenage years, Harry gradually began experimenting with harder substances, which affected his mental stability and relationships with his friends. Spider-Man used this to his advantage on one occasion when, in battle with the Green Goblin, he was able to stop the fight by showing Norman his son's emaciated condition, brought on by an accidental cocaine overdose. The sight shocked Norman so much that it brought him back to sanity for what was to be the last time.
It wasn't long after, though, that stress caused Norman to become the Green Goblin again. Harry's life had fallen apart. His relationship with Peter's friend Mary Jane Watson had come to an end when she dumped him, fed up with his self-destructive lifestyle. A disconsolate Harry turned to drugs and suffered an LSD overdose. He survived, but this tragedy, compounded by imminent bankruptcy, drove the Green Goblin over the edge. He kidnapped Gwen as bait for Spider-Man, and then threw her off the George Washington Bridge. When Peter pulled her back up with his webbing, she was dead. A vicious battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin ensued, with Peter barely able to control himself from killing the villain. The Goblin then directed his goblin glider to impale Spider-Man, but the wall-crawler jumped out of the way, and the Goblin was impaled through the chest himself, and seemingly killed. Peter was wracked with guilt and sorrow, but took comfort in the fact that the Green Goblin was finally gone.
[edit] The Second Goblin
However, Harry had secretly witnessed the battle. Wanting to protect his father's identity, he stripped Norman's body of the Green Goblin costume and hid it. Blaming Spider-Man for his father's "murder," Harry swore vengeance. Having inherited his father's company, Harry managed to get the business back in shape as he planned his revenge. One day, to his shock, he found a Spider-Man costume in Peter's apartment, and realized that his best friend was the man he blamed for his father's death. Using his father's old equipment, Harry confronted Peter as the new Green Goblin.[1]
Not wanting to hurt Harry, Peter avoided fighting his old friend. Eventually Harry was knocked unconscious and taken into police custody. There he raved that he was the true Green Goblin and Peter Parker was Spider-Man, but was dismissed as a lunatic. He was put in the care of criminal psychologist Dr. Bart Hamilton, who extracted the secrets of the Green Goblin from Harry through hypnosis, and buried the knowledge deep with Harry's mind. However, this was not altruistic on Hamilton's part - he then raided one of Harry's hideouts and became the third Green Goblin, hoping to become the new boss of the underworld. However, his power was no match for his enthusiasm - he never even bothered to use the strength-enhancing formulas on himself, seemingly believing that just being the Green Goblin would enable him to defeat Spider-Man, and, despite an elaborate plot to kill Silvermane, the power-mad psychologist was killed by a bomb he had planted for Spider-Man. Although he suffered a brief setback during the confrontation with Hamilton, Harry was released and considered cured, sustaining a concussion that made him forget his knowledge of Spider-Man's identity, and he and Peter rekindled their friendship.
For a while, Harry's life seemed back on track; His company began turning profits once more, and he developed a romance with Liz Allan, whom he met at the wedding of Betty Brant and Ned Leeds. Not long after, the two were married, and eventually they had a son, whom Harry named Normie in memory of the boy's grandfather. Harry also gave his blessing to the marriage of Peter and Mary Jane. However, Harry started regaining his memories when he was being blackmailed by the original Hobgoblin, who mailed him a package which contained evidence that his father was the original Green Goblin. When the Hobgoblin learned he had raided all of Norman's hideouts, he left Harry alone, knowing he had nothing more to offer him. Later Harry was forced to act as the Green Goblin a few times, once to defeat Jason Macendale, the second Hobgoblin. Macendale sought the Goblin formula that gave the Green Goblin superhuman strength; Harry was able to defeat Macendale by doubling back during an aerial chase and emptying his entire supply of pumpkin bombs onto the Hobgoblin. Harry even wondered if he could use the Goblin persona for a career as a superhero, but Peter convinced him that the Goblin had too much baggage for such a role, and Harry buried the Goblin menace within his mind once more, and focused on his business and family.
[edit] Death
This tranquility was shattered when the aftereffects of the Inferno crisis sundered the barrier between Harry's conscious and subconscious minds. Once again, he remembered being the Green Goblin - and his irrational hatred of Spider-Man (Harry had now convinced himself that Peter resented the Osborns' 'stable family life' due to never having been wanted by his own parents or guardians, when in fact it was the complete opposite). His sanity shattered, he declared that their next confrontation would be their final one, and only one of them would be alive at the end. To ensure that he was the victor, Harry researched his father's chemical notes, hoping to recreate the original Goblin's superhuman strength. Harry made his own modifications to the formula, and upon ingesting it, it proved better than he had dreamed. The Green Goblin II Formula had made him stronger than both Spider-Man and his father. Now a physical match for Spider-Man, Harry planned his final revenge.
Harry took to stalking Peter Parker on his Goblin Glider, claiming that there was no law against just soaring around town in a colorful costume, and taunting Peter that someday he would destroy him, but he relished keeping Peter in suspense in the meantime. After weeks of this, Peter finally lost his nerve and struck at Harry, only to be sent flying when Harry hit back, demonstrating his new strength. He then rocketed away, taunting Spider-Man's inability to stop him.
Not long after, Harry held a prestigious dinner at his townhouse, inviting many of his father's old business associates. However, it was actually a trap, and Harry had planted explosives throughout the townhouse, which he planned to detonate, thus destroying everybody who had slighted the Osborns.
Spider-Man, worrying the most, dropped in to investigate, only to be confronted by Harry as the Goblin. The two former friends engaged in a dangerous battle, which ended when Harry injected Peter with a drug that left him immobile but still alive. However, even as he celebrated over his victory, he realized that Mary Jane and his son Normie were also in the townhouse, and that the explosives would detonate in thirty seconds. Despite protestations that he was not a hero, Peter convinced Harry to use his damaged glider to get the two to safety. After rescuing Normie and Mary Jane, Harry finally returns to his senses and realized that he had left Peter to die. Harry rescued Peter from the explosion just in time. However, as his friends thanked him, he suddenly collapsed. The Goblin Formula was damaged by the explosion, and while it had increased his strength, it was also lethally poisoning him. Paramedics were called, but Harry died en route to the hospital. With his final words, he apologized to Peter, and confirmed that despite everything, they were still, and would always be, best friends.
[edit] Post-mortem
Sometime before his death, Harry had created a computer system with copies of his and Norman Osborn's minds programmed into it; after Harry's death, the computer system activates and abducts Normie Osborn with the intent of subjecting him to the Goblin serum (the same one that that caused Harry's death) and making him the newest Green Goblin. This computer facsimile of Harry and its robotic drones (which resemble female versions of the Green Goblin) are all destroyed by Spider-Man and the Molten Man, who manage to save Normie from it. [2]
However, Harry had one last trick up his sleeve. Sometime before his final confrontation with Spider-Man, Harry had employed the Chameleon to construct Life Model Decoys of Peter's parents to play with his emotions. The plot ended with both constructs revealed to be fake when both "died," shattering Peter's mind. After nearly killing the Chameleon, Peter found a tape Harry had left before he died, revealing his role in the plot and mocking Peter. Peter went temporarily insane from the shock, which proved that Harry could be as manipulative and cruel as his father ever was when gripped by insanity; Peter even briefly rejected his identity as Peter Parker, until the return of his clone Ben Reilly snapped him out of his "mood".
[edit] Brand New Day
Following the events of One More Day, Peter and Mary Jane's decision to accept Mephisto's offer to erase their marriage from history (and all knowledge of it) in exchange for Aunt May's life, has seemingly resulted in the alteration of the timeline to an undetermined degree. The now altered reality is told in Brand New Day, where Harry is now alive and is seen celebrating his birthday party with his previously-unseen girlfriend Lily Hollister, Peter, Flash, and other friends. Due to this change, his status as the Green Goblin, or his knowledge his father was the Green Goblin and is alive, is unknown (as of December 2007).
Harry no longer remembers his time as the Green Goblin, but Peter still does. Harry also apparently still has hostile feelings about Spider-Man.[3]
Harry has parts of his character changed during the retcon also. Osborn is now far more of a womanizer having already married more than three times according to Peter. Harry also wastes his money in order to help out his friends and to impress Lily. Harry is still as arrogant as he was during the seventies as clearly shown during his appearances.
[edit] Powers and abilities
For most of his life, Harry Osborn had no superhuman abilities. When he exposed himself to the experimental Goblin Formula, his strength was perhaps augmented beyond that of either Spider-Man or the Green Goblin. His durability, agility, and intelligence likewise increased, but the extent of these augmentations is unknown.
Harry had all of the Green Goblin's equipment, including the explosive "pumpkin bombs" and the razor-edged boomerang blades. He also rode on a modified version of the Goblin Glider that was even faster and more mobile than the original.
[edit] Other versions
[edit] Ultimate Harry Osborn
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In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Harry Osborn is a rich kid who meets Peter Parker in public school. Despite the difference between them, the two bond; Harry improves Peter's social status, and Peter helps Harry with his homework. He also had a brief romantic relationship with Peter's soon-to-be girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson.
Harry's father, Norman Osborn, is an industrialist who creates the Oz Formula, an experimental solution intended to turn ordinary humans into superhumans. When a spider injected with the Oz Formula bites Peter, he gains superhuman strength and agility and secretly becomes Spider-Man. Under the pretense of fearing for Peter's health, Norman takes a sample of Peter's blood, and realizes that Oz has made him stronger. Norman then subjects himself to the Oz Formula, becoming a hideous demonic monster: the Green Goblin.
Insane, Norman attacks his family and destroys his house, killing his wife and almost killing his son. The next day, the Goblin attacks the school but is stopped by Spider-Man. Peter believes that the Goblin had come for him, but Harry says that his father had come to kill him. Harry is then taken into custody and sent to live with his uncle.
When Harry later comes back, he is once again living with his father and is brainwashed by Miles Warren into believing that his mother had died in a freak accident. He later walks in on a fight between the Green Goblin and Spider-Man, and literally stabs his own father in the back with a shard of glass from a shattered window pane, reverting the creature back into his father. Harry is taken into custody again, but this time by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Later, during the events of Ultimate Six in which Norman once again escapes and teams up with Spider-Man's old rogues to siege the White House, Harry is used by Nick Fury to negotiate with his father. It almost works as Harry reaches out to his father, but a trigger-happy Iron Man blasts Osborn with his DNA cannon. His genetic structure now rapidly out of control, Norman lashes out in blind fury only to be gunned down by soldiers right in front of Harry.
Traumatized, Harry vengefully promises to Peter, "All of You. I'll kill all of you for this" (referring to everyone Harry knows to be involved in the incident). Harry returns to school, seemingly back to normal, but Peter is suspicious. Harry blames Peter for stealing his girlfriend Mary Jane and later tells her that Peter killed his father.
Through the hypnotic therapy he had Harry under for years, Norman Osborn had planted a post-hypnotic suggestion in the form of his henchman, Shaw. 'Shaw' takes Harry to an OsCorp bunker in New Jersey, where there are reserves of the Oz Serum (the bunker also appears to have a copy of Doctor Octopus' mechanical arms and, in an inside joke, all three versions of the Green Goblin face: the classic, the movie version, and the Ultimate one).
Later, Peter (as Spider-Man) confronts Harry, demanding to know why he had told Mary Jane that he killed his father. Shaw then provokes Harry to unleash his hidden abilities. Harry bursts into flame, transforming into the Ultimate version of the Hobgoblin. 'Shaw' goads the mutated Harry to battle Spider-Man, but after a lengthy battle the Hobgoblin breaks down and begs Peter to kill him. Peter tries to help Harry, when the 'Shaw' persona takes over once again and attacks Peter.
S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives and Harry attacks them, trying to provoke a lethal counterattack. He is promptly shot down, to Peter's horror. Spider-Man then attacks Nick Fury before leaving. It later turns out that Harry is not dead, just seriously wounded.
It is later revealed that Harry was caught in the same accident that created both The Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus, with Norman grabbing him by the throat. Whether this or the Oz bunker later caused the transformation is uncertain.
He reappears in the wake of his father's escape and returns to the public spotlight. Carol Danvers (acting as head of S.H.I.E.L.D.) uses him as a tool broadcasting a staged press conference to Peter's house, where his father currently is, where he states that his father is a cruel, vicious monster, and a murderer to which Norman is not pleased. Norman changes into the Green Goblin and makes his way to the Triskelion before Harry can be taken to safety. He is followed by Peter. Harry changes into the Hobgoblin to protect himself and the S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives. He viciously fights his father, but is cruelly beaten, reverting him to human form. Norman does not notice this, however, and promptly beats him to death. Shocked by what he has done, Norman changes back to human form and shakes the lifeless body of his son. He then asks the S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers to kill him, which they gladly do.
In the aftermath, Peter honors Harry with a speech about him being a good friend and person to his class.
Like the mainstream version, the Ultimate Hobgoblin conceived his powers via an acquaintance showing him the Green Goblin's 'Hideout', and he is marginally less insane than the Green Goblin. Also, he has shown a remarkable healing factor - regrowing teeth and skin within minutes - and bullet-proof skin. He is also able to immolate himself in flame, and possesses tremendous strength.
[edit] In other media
[edit] Television
Harry is first mentioned 1981 Spider-Man cartoon as Peter's friend and roommate. Harry, voiced by Gary Imhoff, later appears in the 1994 series, He meets Peter and the two become close friends. His father, as the Green Goblin, becomes trapped in the Negative Zone and appears to Harry. Harry then becomes the Green Goblin under a promise to see his father again, though after many failures to kill Spider-Man, he learns that his father is the Green Goblin. This soon leads to Harry slowly becoming insane. After continuing his villainy, he attempts to ruin the wedding of Peter and Mary Jane, though Liz Allen is able to calm him down, allowing him to leave peacefully and seek help in a hospital.
Harry, voiced by Ian Ziering, also appears in the Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, loosely based after the first Spider-Man movie, constantly blaming Spider-Man for his father's death. Most recently, he has appeared in the The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by James Arnold Taylor. While constantly trying to appease his father, he takes a the "Globulin Green" serum to boost his physical abilities, but this causes the development of a second personality, the Green Goblin. He is voiced by Steven Blum and symbolizes Harry's notion of "the man his father wanted to be". After various battles with Spider-Man, his identity is revealed, and his father takes him away on a European tour to help him forget about the serum.
[edit] Films
In the Spider-Man film series, Harry, played by James Franco, is Peter Parker's closest friend. He constantly tries to appeal to his father, who very invested in his work, and he is jealous of Peter's intelligence. He dates Mary Jane Watson during the first film, though she eventually falls for Peter, and he manages to somewhat reconcile his feelings with his father. After his father's death as the Green Goblin, Harry believes that his father was murdered by Spider-Man and seeks revenge. Harry takes over Oscorp in Spider-Man 2, forming an alliance with Doctor Octopus to get his revenge. Though it fails, he learns that Peter is Spider-Man. Afterwards, he begins to hallucinate, seeing his father's image in a mirror, demanding that Harry avenge him. He finds a hidden room with the Green Goblin equipment and serum. Becoming the New Goblin in Spider-Man 3, he attempts to take revenge, which eventually leads to a bomb scarring the right side of his face. After learning the truth of his father's death, he helps Spider-Man save Mary Jane, an act which ultimately leads to his death.
[edit] Video games
Harry makes several appearances as either the Green Goblin or the New Gobin in various video games. The Spider-Man: The Movie video game features a bonus story mode where Harry takes on the role of the Green Goblin and investigates a plan to take over Oscorp. He also appears as a playable character in Spider-Man 3 and Spider-Man: Friend or Foe.
[edit] External links
- Harry Osborn at the Internet Movie Database
- Spider-Man 3: The Spider & The Goblin: Peter Parker and Harry Osborn - A retrospective at Marvel.com
- Harry's Profile at Spiderfan.org
- Harry Osborn on the Spider-Man Wiki
