Norman Osborn

The Green Goblin is the main antagonist of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark with his role varying.

## History

### Version 1.0

Norman Osborn was a famed scientist who received government funding to work on crossspecies genetics in a story created by the Geek Chorus, a group of teens hoping to present a new story about Spider-Man. Osborn believed that the human race needed to mutate into something that could withstand the impending threat of climate change, and worked on research to advance his cause along with his wife and lab partner, Emily. One day, a group of students from Queens High School visited Osborn's lab on a field trip. Arachne, thought to be the world's first spider, selected student Peter Parker to be bit, giving him super powers. Osborn believed the spider to be stolen by a student. Osborn started to suspect the superhero Spider-Man was created by one of his employees who left due to a lack of funding. Pressured by evil government group Viper, Osborn fast tracked his human mutation experiments, and transformed into a giant green mutation with green scales enhanced strength, as well as the ability to fly, dubbed "the Green Goblin" by the media. The experiment also killed Emily, something Osborn always blamed Spider-Man. Osborn began killing a number of former employees, blaming them for his transformation into the Green Goblin. The world believed Osborn to be dead for a time, as Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson drafted Osborn's obituary. Osborn kidnapped Spider-Man and unmasked him, learning he was actually Parker all along. Parker was brought to the top of the Chrysler Building, where he found Osborn playing a villainous version of I'll Take Manhattan atop the Chrysler Building. Osborn revealed his plans to mutate the world, and revealed he'd kidnapped Parker's girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson and tied to a rope on the building 1000 feet above ground, that was ready to snap. The Green Goblin sprouted wings, and fought Spider-Man to the death across the city. Eventually, the Green Goblin was webbed to the piano he was playing and fell to his death. The Geek Chorus believed the Green Goblin to be Spider-Man's "ultimate enemy" and wanted to end the story after his demise, but Miss Arrow convinced them the ultimate villain would be the one Spider-Man couldn't defeat. When Parker gave up his powers, Arachne grew furious, and created illusions of Osborn and other villains Spider-Man had defeated before, such Electro, the Lizard, Carnage, Swiss Miss, Swarm, and Kraven the Hunter, all of which were apart of the thought dead Sinister Six. Together, Arachne made it appear as though the Goblin was apart of the newly formed Sinister Seven. Arachne's illusions made it appear as though Osborn and the Six were destroying the city, causing a worldwide power outage, and kidnapping Watson. One of Arachne's illusions made it appear Goblin had dropped Watson off of a bridge, with a helpless and powerless Spider-Man unable to save her before it was revealed the Green Goblin was indeed a trick of the mind.

### Version 2.0

Here, Osborn follows a similar path until becoming the Green Goblin. Going insane, Osborn sees delusions of his dead wife, Emily, and a chorus of mutated dancers. He kidnaps the scientists who wronged him, Cassidy, Connors, Kravenoff, von Meyer, Dillion and Lee, turning them into the supervillains Carnage, Lizard, Kraven the Hunter, Swarm, and Swiss Miss. He declares them to be his new surrogate family, the Sinister Six and sends them to cause havoc. Osborn invaded the Daily Bugle, claimed Spider-Man to be his son, and invited him to join him. Upon learning of this, Spider-Man defeated the Sinister Six, leading to the Green Goblin threatening Spider-Man. Osborn threatened to harm the citizens of New York if Spider-Man didn't meet him at the Chrysler Building. When he did, Osborn deduced that Parker was Spider-Man based on his photography for the Daily Bugle. He also revealed that Mary Jane Watson had been kidnapped and was dangling off the side. Spider-Man and the Green Goblin fought in the air. The battle ended with Green Goblin tossing a piano he had been playing off the building. Spider-Man had webbed him to a piano in hopes that he wouldn't kill himself. Despite this, Osborn accidentally caused his own death.

## Powers and abilities

As the Green Goblin, Osborn's skin is green and bulkier like an armor. He has enhanced strength, and the ability to grow wings that allow him to fly.

## Trivia

-In the musical, the Green Goblin has the ability to grow wings that allow him to fly, a change from the comics and movies, where the character needs a glider to fly. Marvel had to give director Julie Taymor permission to make this change, since it would be far less safe to have an actor sit on a glider that was flying around connected to wires.

-Osborn's backstory in the musical is more similar to that of Doctor Octopus' backstory in the movie *Spider-Man 2 (2004)* in that Osborn's experiments lead to his wife dying and turning him into a supervillain. As a result of this change, Osborn's son, Harry Osborn, who regularly appears in most Spider-Man media with the Green Goblin, is completely absent.

-Tony Award winner Alan Cumming, who had previously worked with Taymor on her movie *Titus (1999)* signed on originally to play the character, however his work on the TV series *The Good Wife* forced him to exit the production. Taymor instead tagged Patrick Page, whom she had worked with on the Tony Award winning Broadway adaption of *The Lion King*. Cumming later said he was happy he never got to be in the show.