Norman Osborn

> **"I couldn't let that fool Max Modell destroy my legacy. You needed a true mentor, someone who could create what this city needed. A new hero for the younger generation. But then Spider-Man showed up. Stole the very job I envisioned for you!"**
>
> **-Norman to Harry, The Hobgoblin Part Two**

> **"Wrong! Peter Parker, Norman Osborn... These false identities mean nothing. There is only Spider-Man and Dark Goblin now."**
>
> **-Dark Goblin to Spider-Man, Generations**

## Norman Osborn

* Norman Osborn
* Dark Goblin
* DG Jackal Serum
* Season 1
* Stealth Spider
* Spider-King
* Partially cured
* Hobgoblin II

## Production Information

### Latest appearance:

The Hobgoblin Part Two (*alleged* death)
Generations

### Voiced by:

Josh Keaton
Max Mittelman (as Hobgoblin)

## Character Information

### Other names:

Dark Goblin
Spider-King
Hobgoblin
Green Goblin (in various non-canon material)

### Occupation:

Scientist
Businessman
Entrepreneur
Headmaster

### Affiliation:

Oscorp
Osborn Academy
Adrian Toomes (formerly)
Raymond Warren
Spencer Smythe (formerly)
Black Cat (hired to steal V-252 from Horizon)
Alistair Smythe (formerly)
Curt Connors (formerly)
Swarm
Chameleon

### Powers and abilities:

Genius level intelligence
Symbiote biology

### Gadgets:

Oscorp-brand Spider-SlayersGoblin gliders

Bombs

Hobgoblin suit

**Norman Osborn** is one of the main antagonists during the first season of *Marvel's Spider-Man*. He is a scientist, businessman, and father of Harry Osborn. Throughout season one his plans range from trying to defeat Horizon High and to destroy Spider-Man. He impersonated his son as the Hobgoblin in the season one finale and is presumed dead after the events of the episode.

Norman will make his return in the fifth episode of Marvel's Spider-Man: Maximum Venom, Generations as the Dark Goblin.

After his defeat in Generations, Norman is reverted from his Dark Goblin form to his human form, with his injuries recovered and is sent to prison alongside Jackal and the Chameleon.

## Appearance

### Physical appearance

Norman is a Caucasian man with brown-red hair and grey eyes. In Generations, Norman had burns across his face and was missing his left arm due to being trapped in that Oscorp lab and left in the fire from Hobgoblin Part Two.

### Civilian attire

Norman is always seen wearing a suit and tie. The only exception is when he was recovering from the make-shift Spider-Virus cure quickly made from Peter Parker's blood.

In Generations, his suit appears to have burnt up in the fire from Hobgoblin Part Two, leaving Norman only in a t-shirt and his pants (with one of the pants legs partially missing).

### As The Hobgoblin

As the Hobgoblin, despite the obvious difference in size between him and his son, Norman looked exactly the same as when Harry wears the armor. He used a voice modulator to mimic Harry's vocal disguise as the Hobgoblin.

### As The Dark Goblin

As the Dark Goblin, Norman becomes a demonic-looking goblin figure of tremendous height and stature. The symbiote covers Norman in this form is both green and black in color. When Norman reveals his human face in this form, his pupils are entirely green, lacking an iris.

When injecting himself with Jackal's animal serums, the Dark Goblin symbiotes grows body partrs of the animals from the serums (ex: a rhino's horn, spider legs).

## Personality

Despite his calm façade, Norman is very prideful and wants everything to go according to his plans. Whenever his plans to upstage (or to ruin) Horizon High and Max Modell fail because of Spider-Man or his employees he blames them rather than himself.

Norman also manipulates others to get what he wants, whether it be resources for Osborn Academy/Oscorp or to have people under his control such as his own son Harry.

Despite his true intentions, Norman does show his love for Harry throughout the series up until his death in The Hobgoblin Part Two.

## Relationships

### Harry Osborn

Norman cares deeply for Harry and only wants him to be strong enough to carry on the Osborn family legacy once he is gone. However, Norman's love for Harry has shown to be controlling, possessive even. Norman wanted to mold Harry into his image, having him expelled from Horizon High being the first step to his goal. Spider-Man's appearance would help push Harry and Norman's bond, for both Osborn's hated the wall-crawler.

During the aftermath of Spider-Island, with Osborn Academy destroyed Norman gave a Harry a *graduation present* in the form of his completed Hobgoblin equipment. Norman wanted to be the hero for the young generation, but Harry's knowledge of Spider-Man being Peter Parker, his best friend, removed all of his hatred for the hero. Norman took aware of Harry's friendship towards Spider-Man (unaware that he is Peter) and impersonated his son as the Hobgoblin to reforge that wedge between them. Nevertheless, Harry would not kill Spider-Man to please Norman, which he condemned Harry a failure before his *alleged* death.

In Generations, Norman, as the Dark Goblin, once again attempted to persuade Harry to join him in destroying Spider-Man. At this point Harry has stepped out of his father's influence, finding it humorous that Norman is still trying to manipulate him, and claimed that Norman is no longer his father. At this revelation Norman claimed Harry was still a disappointment and continued his battle against him and Spider-Man.

### Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Before knowing Peter was going to Horizon High, Norman respected him as Harry's best friend and even offered him a place at Osborn Academy. In Stark Expo, however, Norman considered Peter an enemy and stopped Harry from revealing information about the Oscorp glider to him.

As Spider-Man, he and Norman are (were) archenemies. Not only was this because of Spider-Man being an ally of Max Modell and Horizon High but because of Spider-Man technically being the first spider-solider from Raymond Warren's experimental spiders.

In Generations, Norman reveals that he knew Peter was Spider-Man, though he doesn't reveal if he found out from having watched Horizon High surveillance footage from when he was recuperating or if Connor's told him after the doctor eavesdropped on Gwen, Anya, and Miles in Spider-Man Unmasked. Nevertheless, as the Dark Goblin, Norman was pleased he could fight Peter on equal, if not superior, ground. Dark Goblin even claimed that Peter Parker was just a false identity for Spider-Man, as Norman was the same for Dark Goblin.

### Max Modell

Norman and Max are business rivals due to both being well known in the same profession. Despite speaking in a calm and with the utmost respect when around Max and his students from Horizon, Norman heavily criticizes the school, it's students, and Modell when to himself and at Osborn Academy.

While Max doesn't hold any grudges against Norman, he does not agree with his teaching methods.

It is revealed in Generations that Norman was the one who orchestrated Connor's getting Max Modell fired in order for himself (Norman) to claim Horizon High for himself.

### Adrian Toomes/Vulture

While Norman hired Toomes because he was a qualified scientist, it was his knowledge of Horizon High that led to the businessman to pay for his release from prison. While Toomes and Osborn shared snide remarks towards each throughout the beginning of the series, it was revealed during the Goblin Wars that Toomes loathed Osborn for claiming his Vulture gear and his giant mech as property of Oscorp. In a twist of fate Toomes would mass-produce all of Oscorp's Hobgoblin gear and claim it for his Goblin Army, hiding it all under Norman's tomb.

### Spencer Smythe

Norman hired Smythe to get Harry kicked out of Horizon High so he could enroll him into Osborn Academy. Norman promised Smythe a teaching position at Oscorp, but either he changed his mind or the entire deal was a lie. Nevertheless, this made Smythe turn against him, reclaim the designs for his Spider-Slayers, and ally with Raymond Warren.

### Alistair Smythe

Unlike his father, Norman appreciated Alistair's work on his own Spider-Slayers and the boy's eagerness to help him in goals to ruin Horizon High and Max Modell. It is worth noting that unlike others Norman had working for him Alistair did everything willing and Norman was never angry with his results.

### Raymond Warren/The Jackle

Raymond was a former employee of Norman who had to let go because of his erratic behavior and his idea to create a spider-powered army. Norman considered letting Raymond return to Oscorp after explaining to Norman about how a student from Horizon would undergo a transformation with one of his formulas. However, after Raymond was arrested Norman declined ever letting him back into Oscorp.

This is what escalated their feud, for Raymond made it his goal to regain his spider experiment and to make Norman and Oscorp fall in the process.

Despite their hatred toward each other, Norman recruited Jackal to help him fight Spider-Man and the Web-Warriors, specifically Gwen, Generations.

### Otto Octavius

While Norman approached Otto as a friend, he was actually attempting (and succeeding) to drive him away from Horizon High and into the ranks of Osborn Academy. While successful, Norman overlooked Otto's own ego and ended up loosing his Osborn Commandos (and almost his life) to Otto and the Jackle.

### Miles Morales/Spy-D

As the second Spider-Man, Norman considers Miles an enemy and proof of the possibility of Raymond Warren's spider-soldier experiment. He did attempt to persuade Miles to join him and Vulture and not aid Spider-Man, which Miles declined.

As a Horizon High student, Norman most likely holds him in the same category as Max Modell and the school.

### Anya Corazon

Despite having partially cured of the spider-virus with her prototype cure, Norman considered Anya (and her fellow students at Horizon) inferior to Osborn Academy.

### Gwen Stacy

As a Horizon High student, Norman most likely holds Gwen in the same category as Max Modell and the school. When being attacked by the Jackle and the Sinister Five in the Jackle's lab underneath Midtown High, Norman only cared for Harry's safety and not the safety of Gwen and Peter.

### Jefferson Davis/Swarm

Norman and Jackal turned Jefferson into Swarm, hired him to join their team against Spider-Man, and run the Underground Monster League. Despite Jefferson not really being evil, he joined the group to defeat Spy-D (oblivious to the fact that he was his son Miles), who he hated for attracting the attention of Spencer and Alistair Smythe to his neighborhood. and putting his son in danger.

### Chameleon

Norman and Connors hired the Chameleon to impersonate Anya's sister, Maria Corazon, for there was no close to Anya who was a villain that Norman could have recruited into his team to fight against her specifically.

## Abilities

### Swordsmanship

As the Stealth Spider, Hobgoblin, and Dark Goblin, Norman was shown to be capable of wielding Harry's flame sword just as well as him.

## Former powers

### Spider Physiology

When being exposed to the Spider-Island gas after destroying Raymond Warren's experimental spiders, Norman developed an off-shoot of Spider-Man's powers. He was capable of doing everything Spider-Man can do with the addition of organic webbing. He, like Ghost-Spider, Spider-Girl, and everyone who had powers from the virus lacked the spider-sense ability.

### Organic Web-shooters

During Spider-Island, spinnerets formed on Norman's wrists allowing him to shoot organic webbing from his body.

### Symbiote Physiology

As the Dark Goblin, Norman had abilities similar to those of Venom, Carnage, and the Synthetic-Symbiote. Norman even had the ability to pull of a piece of his bio-mass and turn it into sword at will.

## Equipment

### Hobgoblin suit

The Hobgoblin suit is equipped with Adrian Toomes' sonic scream device, Harry's flame sword, an electrical glove, and Oscorp bombs.

### Oscorp glider (original)

A project Harry worked, hoping he could present at the Stark Expo, but his father declined, wanting to save it for a greater purpose. Norman reused the original glider as the Dark Goblin.

### Dark Goblin Synthetic-Symbiote

A symbiote mass extracted from the Venom seed that turned Norman into the Dark Goblin.

## Trivia

* This is the first Spider-Man series where Norman Osborn becomes The Hobgoblin instead of the Green Goblin.
	+ Norman did however, become the *Dark Goblin*. A form based on his time as the *Red Goblin* during the Spider-Man storyline *Going Down Swinging* in the Marvel Comics.
* This is the first time Norman doesn't become the Green Goblin. Though Norman's behavior as Dark Goblin is reminiscent of his personality as Green Goblin from the Marvel Comics and other Spider-Man media.
	+ It's possible this wasn't the plan before season 2; for multiple toys, promotional material, and even a few promos for the show's first season feature Norman's version of the Green Goblin/Goblin King.
	+ Ironically, Norman's version of the Green Goblin is featured in the Lego Spider-Man Special ***Vexed by Venom*.** Josh Keaton also provided the voice of the Green Goblin in the special.
	+ The design of Norman's version of the Green Goblin is based on his appearance from the *Marvel Knights* comic series, but with a color scheme similar to the *Marvel Adventures* version.
	+ If Norman did become Green Goblin/Goblin King in this series, it would have most likely been the first time he lacked superhuman physiology, for none of the other Goblins in the series demonstrated any form of superhuman abilities.
* It's most likely that Black Cat was hired by Norman Osborn to steal the V-252 from Horizon High in *A Day in the Life*, for he was the only person interested and aware of the V-252 symbiote aside from Horizon and Adrian Toomes.
* Norman having created the Hobgoblin identity in this series is most likely a nod to the 1994 *Spider-Man* animated series, which also had Norman create the Hobgoblin.
* Norman's voice actor, Josh Keaton, previously did the voice of Spider-Man in *The Spectacular Spider-Man* and various other media.
	+ Keaton had also voiced Harry Osborn in the first two *Spider-Man* video games based on the Raimi film series, and the 2007 Raimi-based video game *Spider-Man: Friend or Foe*.
* A wax statue of the Green Goblin from *Ultimate Spider-Man* appeared in the non-canon motion comic, *Spider-Geddon: Spider-Man*.
* Despite Norman's death, many characters believe(d) that he may still be alive.
	+ This turns out to be true, for Norman returns in the episode *Generations* during season 3.
* Despite characters having called Norman the Stealth Spider, the first Spider-Monster's outfit being Norman's tuxedo ripped apart, and Norman's hand reaching up from the rubble of from the Rise of Doc-Ock Part Four, many fans claim that the Stealth Spider was not Norman because it wouldn't make sense as to why he would want to poison the city or why he would go after Peter's Stealth Suit in the first place.
	+ Many fans also consider it a plot hole that his time as the Stealth Spider was never brought up again after the conclusion of Spider-Island.
* The design for Dark Goblin appears to be a combination of Norman's Red Goblin and Ultimate Goblin forms from the comics.
	+ Dark Goblin's posture and size also gives him a slight resemblance to the characters Frieza (2nd form) and Cooler (final form) from the popular anime franchise [Dragon Ball (Dragon Ball Z).
* One synopsis for Generations says that Norman uses Venom to become the Dark Goblin, but it is actually symbiote mass extracted from the Seed and every character working for Norman calls Norman's symbiote another synthetic one.
* Unlike Norman's usual portrayal in other media, he doesn't consider Harry an disappoint because of grades or Peter more worthy of son then him in this series because of Harry being a science prodigy.