Peter Parker meets with Victoria Hand, who arranged the meeting through Harry Osborn. She asks him how Peter felt when he first found out that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin. He recalls the day that he learned this secret and tells her that he felt like he was tied up and dragged across half the city, which is actually the truth.[1] He asks Victoria why he has agreed to meet with him. She explains that Norman since Norman has just been named the head of HAMMER and now leads the Avengers,[2] the public revelation that he used to be the Green Goblin could be a problem.[3]

She ignores Peter’s sarcasm and tells him that he can help if he can tell her everything he knows about Osborn. Without mincing words, Peter tells her that Osborn is ruthless, relentless, and self-centered. She already knows this and insists he tell her something new. He tells her that Norman will relentlessly pursue whatever goal he wishes to achieve and that nobody can tell when he’ll cross the line between genius and madman. This is all he has to say, but Victoria has one last question: Before he found out Osborn was the Goblin, was there any hint to his double life. Peter admits that he believes that learning that Norman Osborn was actually the Green Goblin was about as likely as him being Spider-Man.

As he says this, Peter Parker’s mind drifts back over the years to the very day he learned Norman Osborn was actually the Green Goblin.[4]

What Follows is a reprint of Amazing Spider-Man #29 and 30

Avengers Tower, Later

Victoria Hand has returned to her office and suspects that there was something that Peter Parker wasn’t telling her and decides to pull up the old files on the Green Goblin to see if she can connect the dots.[5]

Norman catches her working late and tells her that he has handled the Goblin situation and that it won’t come back to haunt them. He picks up the file she had been reading and tosses it in the trash, followed by a lit match. As the paper burns, Norman has a brief flash of memory of when Spider-Man burned his costume on the night his identity was first exposed. Seeing Norman wave, Victoria asks him what’s wrong. And he tells he just remembered a dream or something, but says its not important for what he is planning next.

Recurring Characters

Peter Parker, Norman Osborn, Victoria Hand

Continuity Notes

1. Peter first learned Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin during the events of Amazing Spider-Man #39 and 40 (which are reprinted in this story). Although Norman also learned Peter Parker’s secret identity in those stories as well he, like virtually everyone else, had their memories of Peter Parker’s secret identity erased when Mephisto altered reality in Amazing Spider-Man #545.

2. Norman Osborn was deemed a hero when he slew Veranke, the leader of a Skrull invasion of Earth in Secret Invasion #8 and was given control of SHIELD (which he renamed HAMMER) and formed his own team of Avengers in Dark Avengers #1.

3. Norman Osborn has had his double identity exposed on a number of occasions only to get the genie back in the bottle these times are:

   • Reporter Ben Urich uncovered the truth during a period when everyone thought Norman Osborn was dead in Spider-Man: Legacy of Evil #1. However, when Osborn resurfaced alive and well one of the first things he did was buy part ownership of the Daily Bugle in Spectacular Spider-Man #249 for the sole purpose of retracting that revelation.

   • Later, Osborn was revealed to be the Goblin a second time in The Pulse #1-5. He later had Dexter Bennett, current owner of the Daily Bugle retract that second revelation in Amazing Spider-Man #568.

   • More recently (and the reason for Victoria doing damage control here) is when Ronin of the Avengers publicly renounced Norman Osborn and his team of Avengers in New Avengers #50.

4. Per the Sliding Timescale it’s been about 11 years between Amazing Spider-Man #39-40 and this issue.

5. The file on Norman Osborn covers a great deal of Osborn history. This includes

   • Norman Osborn’s early business troubles, namely the embezzlement of company funds by his partner Mendel Stromm were first detailed in Amazing Spider-Man #40. This is the first time mention of Obadiah Stane interfering with his business is ever mentioned.

   • The creation of the Proto-Goblin was detailed in Spider-Man #-1.

   • The Goblin Formula explosion that first gave Norman his powers was also detailed in Amazing Spider-Man #40.

   • Norman Osborn’s use of costumed operatives started in Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1.

   • He first became the Green Goblin and acted on his own in Amazing Spider-Man #14.

   • The revelation that he was the Goblin and suffering selective amnesia is, again, from Amazing Spider-Man #39-40.

   • The time he saved Gwen Stacy happened in Amazing Spider-Man #61.

   • The return of Norman Osborn’s Goblin persona, the murder of Gwen Stacy and his alleged death happened in Amazing Spider-Man #121-122.

   • There is mention of Norman’s various successors. Other Green Goblins included his son Harry (Amazing Spider-Man #136), Bart Hamilton (Amazing Spider-Man #176), and the heroic Goblin, Phil Urich (Green Goblin #1). It also references the Hobgoblins including Roderick Kingsley (Amazing Spider-Man #238), Ned Leeds (Amazing Spider-Man #257), and Jason Macendale (Amazing Spider-Man #289). It also mentions the Demogoblin (Web of Spider-Man #86) and the robot goblins seen in Spider-Man: Legacy of Evil #1.

   • It talks about how Norman Osborn moved to Europe to hide out and joined the Brotherhood of Scriers. This was deatiled in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1.

   • It also mentions the alleged death of Harry Osborn who seemingly died in Spectacular Spider-Man #200. However, he survived and resurfaced in Amazing Spider-Man #545. His survival is expained in Amazing Spider-Man #581-582.

   • It also talks about his returned and subsequent attempts to destroy Spider-Man’s life, Norman resurfaced in Amazing Spider-Man #413 but didn’t make his return known to Parker until Spider-Man #75.

   • Osborn’s attempt to kill Jessica Jones was in The Pulse #1-5.

   • Mention is made of his formation of the Sinister Twelve. That was a conspiracy that ran from Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #1-12.

   • Norman Osborn being used by the government during the Superhero Civil War happened in Civil War: Front Line #2-11.

   • Osborn was subsequently put in charge of the Thunderbolts #110-121

   • His killing of Vernake in Secret Invasion #7

   • Forming the Cabal happened in Dark Reign: The Cabal #1.

   • Lastly, his formation of the Dark Avengers in Dark Avengers #1.