The 10 Best Green Goblin Storylines in Marvel Comics, Ranked by Impact

No Spider-Man villain has rewritten his own role in Marvel Comics more than Norman Osborn, and the best Green Goblin comic book stories are some of the most significant in Marvel history. Norman Osborn began his criminal career thanks to a deal he made with Mephisto, giving up the soul of his son Harry for success and fortune. However, with that success came even greater ambition, which led him to develop the Goblin Formula. This gave him superhuman abilities but also damaged his mind, leading him down a path of darkness. Today, Norman is no longer a villain, and he is working to find redemption for his past sins. However, his journey to this point has resulted in some of Marvel’s best stories.

From his classic battles with Spider-Man, including one of the most hated stories ever told, to his time at the top in “Dark Reign,” here are the best Green Goblin stories in Marvel Comics, ranked.

10) Sins Past (JMS run)

“Sins Past” (2004) by J. Michael Straczynski and Mike Deodato Jr. ran in Amazing Spider-Man #509-514, and remains one of the most controversial Spider-Man stories of all time. Before her death, Gwen Stacy had twins, Gabriel and Sarah, with Norman Osborn as the father. The kids aged rapidly thanks to the Goblin Formula, and Norman raised them to hate Peter Parker. Gabriel took on the role of the Gray Goblin to fight Spider-Man. Nick Spencer retconned it during “Sinister War” (2021). Marvel undoing “Sins Past” almost two decades later shows how much it damaged the Green Goblin and Gwen Stacy’s legacy.

9) Best of Enemies (Spectacular Spider-Man #200)

“Best of Enemies” gets a special mention here because this is not a Norman Osborn story. Norman was believed to be dead at this time, and his son Harry blamed Spider-Man. When Harry learned that Spider-Man was his best friend Peter Parker, it sent Harry over the edge, and he spent much of the late 1980s and early 1990s as one of Spider-Man’s most complex enemies. This all culminated in The Spectacular Spider-Man #200 (1993), where the two had their final fight, one that resulted in Harry’s death. This death remained in place for almost two decades before “Brand New Day” resurrected him, cementing this as one of the most tragic character arcs in Marvel history.

8) Dark Reign (2008-2009)

“Dark Reign” was a major crossover event that elevated Norman Osborn to the top of the Marvel Comics food chain. This all started after Norman finished the war with the Skrulls in Secret Invasion when he shot and killed the Skrull Queen Veranke. Of all the heroes involved, it seemed shocking that it was the former Green Goblin who stole the kill shot. This was also a way for Marvel to pull off a huge twist at the end. Norman was given control of SHIELD, and he rebranded it as HAMMER. With the new power, he set his sights on heroes like Iron Man and Spider-Man. He created the Dark Avengers, a team of villains pretending to be the real Avengers, and even became a hero himself, called the Iron Patriot. Norman became the big bad of the entire Marvel Universe until the “Siege” event in 2010.

7) The Osborn Journal (1997)

Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal was a one-shot from the creative team of Glenn Greenberg and Kyle Hotz. This goes back and looks at everything Norman Osborn did after his apparent death in Amazing Spider-Man #122, and goes through to the “Revelations” storyline. The story is told from Norman’s personal journal and documents him in Europe running the Cabal of Scrier. This storyline also revealed that he was the architect for the “Clone Saga’s” later developments, returning him to the status of Spider-Man’s deadliest villain.

6) American Son (Amazing Spider-Man #595-599)

“American Son” is a storyline that takes place during “Dark Reign,” but it is one that deserves to stand on its own. Running from Amazing Spider-Man #595-599 (2009), this sees Norman manipulate Harry Osborn to join the Dark Avengers, put on new armor, and become the American Son. To accomplish this, Norman also doses him with a hybrid of the Super-Soldier and Goblin Formula. While Harry did this to ensure he could finally escape Norman’s control, it led to Harry fighting Norman in a moment that finally helped reestablish him as a hero and started to repair his relationship with Peter.

5) Goblin Nation (Superior Spider-Man #27-31)

“Goblin Nation” was the end of the Superior Spider-Man story run, with Norman Osborn as the Green Goblin and Otto Octavius as Spider-Man finally going to war. Norman had built a giant criminal empire called Goblin Nation, while he renamed himself the Goblin King. Ironically, it was Superior Spider-Man’s violent authoritarian actions that drove New York City’s underworld to seek help from Norman, allowing him to rise to power. This was a hugely important event because it was where Otto realized he couldn’t stop Norman. He finally surrendered the body back to Peter to stop him, bringing the real Spider-Man back to the Marvel Universe.

4) Amazing Spider-Man #39-40

Amazing Spider-Man #39-40 finally revealed that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin, a shocking moment that also led to Norman figuring out that Spider-Man was Peter Parker. From the creative team of Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., this was Romita’s debut on the title after Steve Ditko’s shocking departure from Marvel. This was one of the first times in Marvel Comics that a superhero’s identity was revealed to a major villain. This was also where the long-running family drama between Norman and Harry Osborn began.

3) Red Goblin (Amazing Spider-Man #794-801)

“Red Goblin” was a storyline that ran from Amazing Spider-Man #794-801 as well as Annual #42 (2018). This saw two of Spider-Man’s deadliest villains merge into one as Norman Osborn bonded with the Carnage symbiote, which was retrieved from a deep-sea Lockbox facility. This combined the Green Goblin’s cruel nature with the symbiote’s power. This was arguably the most powerful version of Carnage since it eliminated the symbiote’s weaknesses to sound and fire and greatly enhanced Norman’s strength. This battle required Spider-Man’s extended cast of heroes to help him fight the Red Goblin, and it changed everything about Norman Osborn for the years to come.

2) Revenge of the Green Goblin (2000)

Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin was a three-issue limited series from 2000 by Roger Stern and Lee Weeks. This storyline took place after Mary Jane Watson seemingly died, and Peter Parker was in an emotional downward spiral. It was the perfect time for a villain to attack, and the fact that it was the Green Goblin made it even more dangerous. This sees Norman at his most dangerous, as Norman secretly drugged Peter and then watched as Spider-Man began to spiral out of control. Norman’s overall goal was to turn Peter into the new Green Goblin. This might be the most psychologically intense Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin battle in comic book history.

1) The Night Gwen Stacy Died (Amazing Spider-Man #121–122)

The most famous of all Green Goblin storylines in Marvel Comics is “The Night Gwen Stacy Died,” which also led to “The Green Goblin’s Last Stand.” This two-part story played out in Amazing Spider-Man #121-122. The first issue had the Green Goblin throw Gwen off the top of a bridge, and Spider-Man couldn’t save her, holding her in his arms after she died. This then led to Spider-Man hunting down the Goblin to kill him. Spider-Man backed off at the last minute, but an accident caused Norman to impale himself on his own glider. This was one of the comics credited with ending the Silver Age and ushering in a darker, more consequential storytelling era at Marvel.

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