A Death in the Family Part 2

After his recent encounter with the Green Goblin, Peter is reminded how he can’t get the image out of the Goblin out of his mind and how he sees it every day. It also leads to him remembering how the Green Goblin had murdered Gwen Stacy.[1] After that tragic day, Peter was always thinking about Norman Osborn and what he had done to his life. He then recalls their previous battle where the Osborn tried to break Spider-Man and makes him drink the Goblin Formula and become the next Green Goblin.[2] Sent a video from the Green Goblin, Peter reluctantly presses play to see what it is about.[3]

In the video, the Green Goblin asks viewers to think back to the day he fought Spider-Man on the Brooklyn Bridge.[4] Showing footage of the battle, the Goblin claims that it was Spider-Man’s fault for Gwen’s death due to his unpredictable temper and sudden attack caught the Goblin off guard. He regrets that the death of Stacy was a terrible tragedy. He then details how Gwen was knocked over the side of the bridge and claims to have tried to save her when Spider-Man foolishly tried to catch her with his web, snapping her neck when he fall was abruptly stopped. The Green Goblin then muses that the girl’s boyfriend or husband should be furious and never forgive Spider-Man for what he has done. Having heard enough, Peter throws his remote control into the television, shattering the screen.

Elsewhere in the city, Flash Thompson is leaving an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting when he is greeted by Norman Osborn. Osborn says he has been thinking a lot about his son,[5] and recalls how Flash and Harry were friends and how both have had their struggles with addictions.[6] In the spirit of his son’s friendship with Flash, Norman tells Flash that he has come with a job offer. Meanwhile, the video created by the Green Goblin has been distributed to the media is all talking about it. On one talk show, the host speaks with Doctor Andrew McCullough, a renowned criminal psychologist, who warns the audience that the Green Goblin is a self-confessed murderer and what he is claiming should be taken with a grain of salt.[7] However, he can only speculate why the Goblin is choosing to make this statement now and what his motivations are for. Watching this interview is Aunt May, who worries how her nephew Peter Parker is handling this news.

Later that evening, Norman Osborn is having a dinner meeting with his associates at the Tanaka Corporation and as he is proposing a toast to the relationship between his company and theirs, Peter Parker crashes the dinner. Norman orders his security detail to stand down and excuses everyone so he can talk to Peter in private.[8] Once alone, Norman demands to know what Peter thinks he is doing. Parker says he’s bringing the fight right back to Norman, who warns Peter that he is playing a dangerous game. Unafraid of his mortal enemy, Peter dares Osborn to bring it on. Norman says that he’s already started and then explains that he sent out the video to encourage Peter to make better decisions for himself. However, Peter refuses to become Norman’s heir, and Osborn says that the only other choice then is for one of them to die. That’s when one of the men from the Tanaka Corporation interrupts to suggest that Peter join them for dinner. Norman declines that suggestion, telling them that Peter was just leaving as he has a class to teach the next morning.As Peter leaves, Norman asks him to send his regards to his Aunt May and his wife.[9]

Soon after his encounter with Norman Osborn, Spider-Man catches J. Jonah Jameson as he is walking home in the rain. He has come to confront him over the Daily Bugle printing a front-page story about the Green Goblin’s accusations. Despite their past history, Spider-Man knows that Jameson is perpetuating a lie by giving Osborn this kind of attention. However, Jonah refuses to retract his editorial unless Spider-Man takes off his mask right then and there. Spider-Man can’t do this and seeing that he’s not getting through to Jonah decides to leave. At that same moment, the Green Goblin has his bodyguards forcing Flash Thompson to drink bottle after bottle of whiskey, much to the Goblin’s delight. Needing to initiate the next phase of his plan, the Goblin tells his men to keep on forcing Flash to drink. Flying above the city on his Goblin Glider, the Green Goblin muses that this will all be over very soon. Sometime later, Peter Parker is trying to sleep but is being plagued by the same nightmare that has been haunting him recently. At the same time, Norman Osborn’s men put Flash behind the wheel of a car. Blackout drunk, Flash wakes up too late to stop his speeding vehicle from getting into an accident. Peter is then woken up with a phone call about what happened early that morning. He rushes to the scene of the accident where a fuel truck had crashed through the front of Midtown High. The classroom that was hit the worst from the crash was Peter’s class. Looking at the damage, Peter is unsurprised to see that the fuel truck belongs to Osborn Industries. Asking the officer how this happened, Peter is told that the accident was caused by a drunk driver who just happened to go to the school once upon a time. Peter is shocked to discover that the drunk driver was Flash Thompson and he’s in bad shape. As the officer finishes telling Peter that doctors don’t think he’s going to make it, he rushes from the scene.

Changing into Spider-Man, the wall-crawler races to County Hospital where Flash was taken following his accident. Listening through the window he overhears Liz Osborn trying to get the message out to friends and family. That’s when one of the OR doctors comes out and tells Liz that Flash survived, but he fears that Flash may have suffered permanent brain damage.[10] Spider-Man knows that this is a message from Norman Osborn and he has received it loud and clear.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Green Goblin, Flash Thompson, J. Jonah Jameson, Aunt May, Liz Osborn, Doctor Andrew McCullough

Continuity Notes

1. Gwen Stacy was murdered by the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #121.

2. Norman attempted to make Peter the next Goblin was detailed in Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin #1-3, Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #25 and Peter Parker: Spider-Man #25.

3. This video is depicted as being on a VHS tape. That should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 because that technology is now obsolete.

4. The Goblin states that this event happened “a few years ago”. Per the Sliding Timescale, Gwen Stacy was murdered roughly 8 years prior to this story.

5. Everyone thinks Harry died due to complications from the Goblin formula in Spectacular Spider-Man #200. In reality, he survived and is currently in Europe going through rehab and will return in Amazing Spider-Man #545. Norman was responsible for sneaking Harry out of the country and is only pretending that his son is dead to maintain the illusion as explained in Amazing Spider-Man #581-582.

6. Harry struggled with drug addiction in the past, suffering an overdose in Amazing Spider-Man #96-98 and having a relapse in Amazing Spider-Man #119-120. Flash, on the other hand, has struggled with alcoholism since Spider-Man: Redemption #1. After a drunk driving accident in Spectacular Spider-Man #249, Flash has been trying to been struggling with sobriety.

7. The interview show is depicted as CNN’s Larry King Live with host Larry King. This should be considered a topical reference as Larry King Live ended it’s run in December of 2010.

8. Norman mentions how Peter teaches high school at the same school he himself attended. Peter started teaching science at Midtown HIgh in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #31. He attended Midtown High from Amazing Fantasy #15 until he graduated in Amazing Spider-Man #28.

9. Norman asks if Peter is still married to Mary Jane. This is a dig at Peter as Mary Jane had recently left Peter in Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2001 in order to sort out her life after being held prisoner by a deranged stalker for months. She is referred to as Peter’s wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As a result, Norman would be calling her Peter’s fiancee instead of his wife.

10. Following this accident, Flash will remain in a vegetative state until he miraculously recovers in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4.