Bad Business

With the aid of the Green Goblin, the Hobgoblin has succeeded in incapacitating Spider-Man. However, the Green Goblin stops his reluctant ally from unmasking the webbed hero. The Goblin tells his counterpart that their job is to recover the journal that e stole from Norman Osborn and to do that they need to recover Roderick Kingsley's brother, Daniel.[1] They quickly rip down the door that Spider-Man webbed shut and recover Daniel Kingsley. The Hobgoblin insists on taking Spider-Man with them, and the Green Goblin relents. On the way, the Green Goblin tries to interrogate Daniel for the location of the Osborn Journal but discovers that Daniel — who is afraid of heights — has passed out. With no other choice, the two Goblins return to their hideout in the Multivex building.

Norman Osborn is not impressed that the two Goblin’s deviated from the original plan, however, Roderick insists the journal is in their grasp as soon as Daniel wakes up and as an added bonus, they also have Spider-Man prisoner. When Norman insists that their first priority is the journal, Roderick deduces that they are uninterested in unmasking Spider-Man because they already know who he is.[2] When Roderick points this out, all Norman Osborn does it grin.

Meanwhile, at the Daily Bugle, Flash Thompson has grown worried about how hard she is pushing herself on this Hobgoblin story but she dismisses his concerns.[3] She then calls Mary Jane and is annoyed when Mary Jane doesn’t know where her husband is.[4] Back at Multivex, Roderick continues to be impressed by Norman Osborn, who is growing impatient with Kingsley. While they are bickering, Spider-Man begins to come around. When Norman suggests they inject Daniel with a drug that will wake him up and force him to tell the truth, Roderick gets tense. Noticing this, Norman reveals that he knew Roderick was lying about the journal. While he wasn’t sure at first, he wanted to make sure that he was exonerated man before deciding what to do about Kingsley.[5]

While the two continue to argue, Spider-Man begins trying to muster the strength to break free from his bonds. Kingsley reminds Norman that he offered his businesses in exchange for a safe way out of the country. That’s when Norman tosses a stack of paperwork at Roderick, telling him that he already bought out all of Kingsley Limited. Realizing that he’s lost it all, the Hobgoblin tries to make his escape. When the Green Goblin tries to stop him, Norman insists on doing it himself. With his great strength and speel, Norman manages to grab the Hobgoblin and yank him off his Goblin Glider. However, Norman makes a mistake by tossing aside Hobgoblin’s bag of tricks since it apparently causes the pumpkin bombs to go off creating a fire and kicking on the sprinklers. While Norman is distracted, the Hobgoblin manages to grasp his neck. By this point, Spider-Man has managed to break free and tries to free Daniel. When the Green Goblin tries to stop him, Spider-Man removes his mast but cannot get a good look at his face and is forced to take Daniel and make a run for it as the fire continues to spread.[6]

After leaving Daniel with a cab driver, Spider-Man goes inside and tries to pull Norman and Hobgoblin apart to get them out of the blazing inferno. Hearing approaching police siren, Norman flees. Along the way, he comes across the discarded Green Goblin mask and uses it to mask his identity while he escapes on a Goblin Glider. Spider-Man continues to try to get the Hobgoblin out, but he refuses to go without a fight. That’s when firefighters enter the building to put out the flames. Suddenly, the roof begins to collapse, Spider-Man is too busy trying to cover the firemen as they make their retreat. The building collapses but Spider-Man manages to pull himself out of the rubble and learns that both Goblins managed to escape. When Betty Brant tries to question him, Spider-Man tells her that he is not in te mood and swings away.

Back at home, Peter Parker is down on himself as Mary Jane patches up his injuries. Although he is upset that the Goblins got away, Mary Jane points out that he did save Daniel Kingsley and the fighters and so he is not a failure. While at his penthouse apartment, Norman Osborn warns his Green Goblin not to lose his mask again otherwise he will lose something far more valuable. Still, he is pleased with how things went, now the Hobgoblin is a wanted fugitive and any threats of exposure have been removed. While on the Carribean Island of Isla Suerte, Roderick Kingsley has made his escape. Although he has lost his companies and is a wanted fugitive in America, he still had his Swiss bank accounts to draw on and was able to get to a country with no extradition treaty with the United States. He has enough money to live comfortably and retire but wonders if this is truly the end of the Hobgoblin.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, Flash Thompson, Betty Brant, Norman Osborn, Green Goblin, Hobgoblin, Daniel Kingsley

Continuity Notes

1. The Hobgoblin came into possession of Norman Osborn’s journals back in Amazing Spider-Man #238. While the majority were destroyed in Amazing Spider-Man #250-251, Roderick has claimed that one survived since Spectacular Spider-Man #259.

2. Norman Osborn has known Spider-Man’s secret identity since Amazing Spider-Man #39-40.

3. Flash recounts how Betty Brant’s late husband, Ned Leeds, was brainwashed and then murdered because of the Hobgoblin. Some facts:

   • Ned Leeds started investigating the Hobgoblin in Amazing Spider-Man #250.

   • As revealed in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #3, Roderick caught Ned snooping around his hideout and used a device to brainwash Leeds into being is proxy.

   • A flashback in Web of Spider-Man #33 shows that Ned Leeds “revealed” himself to be the Hobgoblin to the Rose.

   • This information was later leaked to the Kingpin who then gave it to Jason Macendale who then hired the Foreigner to murder Leeds in Spider-Man vs Wolverines #1/Amazing Spider-Man #289.

   • Everybody thought Leeds was the Hobgoblin until Betty uncovered the truth in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1-3.

4. 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 a result, they should be considered a common-law couple here.

5. There is a lot of unpack here. The facts

   • Norman Osborn was the original Green Goblin from Amazing Spider-Man #23 to 122 when he apparently died.

   • In reality, Norman survived as explained in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1 and went into hiding for years.

   • During this time, in Spider-Man: Legacy of Evil #1, Ben Urich published a book publicly outing Osborn as the original Green Goblin.

   • Norman resurfaced in Amazing Spider-Man #412 and since Spectacular Spider-Man #249 has been rebuilding his reputation and convince the public that he was never the Green Goblin with some success.

6. The true identity of this Green Goblin is not revealed until Peter Parker: Spider-Man #18