Survivor of the Big Lie

Spider-Man is swinging through Times Square and is annoyed to see Norman Osborn’s face on the giant display screen televising his appearance on the Reggie and Katie Mae show to promote his new biography, which the wall-crawler knows is just to whitewash over the fact that he was the original Green Goblin.[1] When asked what he was doing during the years he was believed to be “dead”, Norman explains that he fled to Europe to escape persecution from Spider-Man. Listening to all of these lies has Peter thinking back to his past conflicts with the Green Goblin in the past. How Norman was the first foe to discover his secret identity,[2] later killed his girlfriend Gwen Stacy,[3] and seemed to perish himself[4] However, he learned that Norman somehow survived and has been making his life a living hell ever since. When a crowd notices Spider-Man hanging over Times Square they begin to heckle him and toss garbage at the hero prompting him to leave.

Also watching this interview from his cell at Great Neck Maximum Security Prison is Roderick Kingsley, the original Hobgoblin.[5] He also knows Norman Osborn is full of it as he obtained some of Norman’s original journals which detailed his criminal career and also provided him with the Goblin Formula that gives him his powers.[6] Furious, Kinglsey tries to grab the bars of his cell and is given an electric jolt. When security warns him against touching the bars again, Roderick tells them to get his lawyer.

Later, at the Daily Bugle, Norman Osborn announces to the staff that his book has become a number one bestseller and its sales have helped pull the Bugle out of the financial trouble its been in for a while.[7] As a way of thanking his staff, he is giving everybody a raise. He also apologizes to Ben Urich for disproving his own book, “Dynasty of Evil” but points out his continued employment at the Bugle is proof that Norman is confident of Ben’s abilities as a reporter. He also thanks J. Jonah Jameson for giving a glowing review of the book. When Norman asks Peter what he thought of the book, Parker sarcastically states he’s going to wait for the movie. He then chastises Jameson for promoting such a farce, but Jameson brushes off Peter’s rebukes and tells him to go out and photograph something,[9] Peter is further disheartened when he hears both Flash Thompson and Betty Brant singing Norman’s praises. While in the privacy of his own office, Jonah thinks about how Peter is right. He hates himself for being forced into complying with Norman and noticed that there is some kind of conflict going on between Osborn and Parker. Lastly, he misses Joe Robertson, his faithful editor who quit not long after Norman took over. [10] Opening his desk drawer, Jameson looks at the gun inside and contemplates doing something about this mess that he got himself into.

While back at Great Neck, Roderick Kingsley finally meets with his lawyer and tells him that he has absolute proof that Norman Osborn is the Green Goblin. He explains that he got access to Osborn’s journals and although most were destroyed, he has one stashed away and will reveal its location once they negotiate a deal with the District Attorney. Kingsley’s lawyer cautions Roderick to keep quiet from here on out since Osborn has ears everywhere and will contact him once talk of a deal has been brokered. Outside the prison, the lawyer contacts the district attorney, unaware that the lines have been tapped and the information ultimately gets back to Norman Osborn.

Later, Peter and his wife Mary Jane are having coffee at the Daily Grind.[11] Peter is glum about how Norman Osborn has managed to convince everyone that he is not the Green Goblin and worries about what to do next, particularly since Norman knows his double-identity as well. Mary Jane is concerned Peter is fine, pointing out how many other of his foes know his secret identity.[12] They are soon joined by Jill Stacy who has just recently gotten out of the hospital after suffering a gunshot wound.[13] Jill brings up the Norman Osborn interview and admits that she doesn’t trust Osborn, thinking that there is something he is hiding. Her suspicions come from the fact that her father used to work security for Osborn and it had ended badly,[14] and so she hasn’t trusted Osborn since. Hearing this really delights Peter and Mary Jane.

The next day at Great Neck, Kingsley meets with his lawyer again and is told that the district attorney is interested in making a deal. Roderick hopes his information will allow leverage to get parole. After his meeting with his lawyer is over, one of the guards goes to the form to report what he has overheard.[15] That evening, Peter and Mary Jane are finishing dinner and are about to spend their alone time for some romance when there is a knock at the door.[16] Unfortunately, they are interrupted when Betty Brant comes knocking at the door. She tells Peter to grab his camera because she got a huge lead over at the Great Neck Penitentiary. Arriving at the scene, Betty informs Peter that she was tipped off about Roderick Kingsley being moved from the prison to meet with the District Attorney. As they watch from the distance, Peter’s spider-sense begins going off and he tells Betty that he’s going to try and get closer and then manages to slip away before she can follow him. Just then, the prisoner transport is ambushed by a barrage of pumpkin bombs. In swoops the Green Goblin who tells Kingsley that they need to talk. Before they can get away, Spider-Man arrives on the scene to stop them from making an escape.[17]

When Spider-Man tries to stop the Goblin from escaping with Kingsley, he is shocked when Roderick reveals that he wants to go with the Goblin. Stunned by a Goblin blast and in the gut by Kingsley, the wall-crawler is stunned long enough for the two to getaway. Slipping away to chang back into Peter Parker, the wall-crawler wonders if the two Goblins will go after him or if they will be too busy trying to kill each other. Not far away, the Green Goblin drops Kingsley off before Norman Osborn. Seeing both Osborn and the Goblin standing side-by-side causes Kingsley to laugh as he considers this whole set up to be brilliant.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson, Ben Urich, Flash Thompson, Betty Brant, Mary Jane Watson, Jill Stacy, Norman Osborn, Hobgoblin, Green Goblin

Continuity Notes

1. The world at large learned that Osborn was really the Green Goblin in Spider-Man: Legacy of Evil #1 when Ben Urich published a tell-all book about the Osborn family. This happened at a time when Norman was believed dead for years following the events of Amazing Spider-Man #122. However, Norman turned up alive again in Amazing Spider-Man #412. In order to rebuild his reputation, Norman bought the Daily Bugle in Spectacular Spider-Man #249 and forcing Ben Urich to ghostwrite his new book.

2. Norman learned Spider-Man’s secret identity way back in Amazing Spider-Man #39-40.

3. Norman killed Gwen Stacy in Amazing Spider-Man #121.

4. As mentioned above, Norman appeared to die when he was impaled by his own Goblin Glider in Amazing Spider-Man #122.

5. Roderick has been imprisoned since he was defeated by Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #3.

6. However, Norman survived thanks to the extreme healing properties of his Goblin Formula as seen in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1. Spider-Man learned Norman has survived in Spider-Man #75.

7. Roderick found some of Norman’s old journals in Amazing Spider-Man #238, he later used the journals to recreate the Goblin Formula to empower himself in Spectacular Spider-Man #85. These journals were all seemingly destroyed in Amazing Spider-Man #250-251.

8. The Daily Bugle had been in financial trouble since Amazing Spider-Man #416 allowing Norman Osborn to buy up ownership in the company in Spectacular Spider-Man #249.

9. The reason why Jameson is going along with whatever Norman Osborn is saying is that Norman had been secretly using Jack O’Lantern/Mad Jack to threaten Jonah’s family since Spectacular Spider-Man #241.

10. Joe Robertson quit the Daily Bugle to try so he could independently investigate Norman Osborn in Amazing Spider-Man #431.

11. Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545, As such, they should be considered a common-law couple here.

12. Mary Jane points out numerous villains who, at the time, knew Spider-Man’s secret identity.

    • Venom: As explained in Amazing Spider-Man #300, Eddie Brock learned Spider-Man’s secret identity after bonding with the alien symbiote which knew all of Spider-Man’s secrets when it was bonded to him from Secret Wars #8 until Web of Spider-Man #1. Incidentally, Venom will forget Peter’s true identity after a blow to the head in Spider-Man: The Venom Agenda #1.

    • The Jackal: The Jackal learned of Peter’s double identity when he obtained a sample of Peter’s DNA and first cloned him, as seen in a flashback from Amazing Spider-Man #148. Although most everyone who knew Spider-Man’s secret identity had that memory erased from their minds following Amazing Spider-Man #545, the Jackal still persisted in knowing the truth. As revealed in Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 4) #22, Warren continued to clone and re-clone Ben Reilly after his death and these continued cloning experiments allowed him to retain this memory.

    • Doctor Octopus: It’s true that Doctor Octopus learned Peter’s identity during the Web of Death story arc. However, Otto was killed shortly after learning the truth in Spectacular Spider-Man #221. When Otto was resurrected in Amazing Spider-Man #427, the Master Programmer’s data was used to restore Otto’s mind. Luckily for Peter, the last time Octavius had backed up his mind into the Master Programmer database was prior to learning Spider-Man’s double identity.

    • The Chameleon learned of Peter’s double identity during the events of Spectacular Spider-Man #243-245. That story ends with the Chameleon being shot by Kraven the Hunter. Although there is no way for Peter and Mary Jane to know this because they weren’t present. Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #11 reveals that Peter assumed that the Chameleon was dead for no apparent reason other than he hadn’t heard from him again. It would seem that the Chameleon lost the memory of Spider-Man’s identity after he took a noser off the George Washington Bridge in that same story.

13. Jill Stacy was shot in Spider-Man #87.

14. Arthur Stacy served as head of security at Osborn Industries in Spider-Man #-1. He quit after an encounter with the Proto-Goblin, an early recipient of the Goblin Formula.

15. This is the same prison guard Betty Brant befriended in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #3.

16. Mary Jane states that tonight’s episode of “Party of Five” is a rerun. She is referring to the original series which ran from 1994 to 2000. This should be considered a topical reference (Yes, even though there is a 2020 reboot. That show will eventually end also still making it a topical reference. Keep up you dummies)

17. Spider-Man wonders who is in the Goblin costume here. He’s certain that it’s not Norman Osborn (it isn’t) but can’t believe it is the same Goblin who seemingly perished during the Spiderhunt event. Peter isn’t aware that this Goblin survived as seen in Spectacular Spider-Man #255. The identity of this Goblin is not revealed until Peter Parker: Spider-Man #18.