Spider-Man’s Greatest Enemy Just Became the New Webslinger

Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, is Spider-Man archenemy. He’s caused the Webslinger more pain than any other villain, and is easily one of his most personal foes. Norman killed Gwen Stacy, drove his own son and Peter’s best friend to follow in his footsteps, and has repeatedly fought the hero to near death in Spidey’s most brutal fights to date. And yet, despite all of that, Norman has tried to redeem himself. After the villainous Sin-Eater cleansed Norman of his sins, and seemingly all the evil in his heart, the corrupt billionaire dedicated himself to helping Spider-Man however he could. Now, that oath has called him to take it a step further and become Spider-Man himself.

Peter is lost in deep space, and he won’t be coming back until he’s become stronger. New York still needs a Spider-Man, so Norman has taken it upon himself to serve the city in Peter’s stead. Not only is this a wildly unexpected move from the reformed supervillain, but it’s the perfect way to evolve his character. Norman Osborn is the substitute Spider-Man, and it is an incredible story waiting to be told.

Having Great Power, Learning Responsibility

Spider-Man has always been a hero defined by doing the right thing because it is his responsibility, and the responsibility of everyone who can, to do so. Norman has always had great power, both in money and technology, but has always used it for selfish reasons. Now, after so long, he can become the perfect example of Spider-Man’s core message. Norman rightly sees himself as having ruined Peter and countless other people’s lives, and now wants to make up for that. Unlike when Doctor Octopus became Spider-Man and had to learn how he misunderstood the hero, Norman knows this going in, and is willing to fully dedicate himself to doing whatever he can to live up to Peter’s ideal. This darkly mirrors Peter’s own journey of becoming Spider-Man, where he was inspired to do so after his selfishness led to Uncle Ben’s death. 

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At the same time, Norman is most definitely not Peter. He is far more brutal, openly admitting that he has a hard time controlling the hatred inside of him whenever he fights. Peter always fought his guilt and his enemies, but Norman’s biggest enemy is himself, and he will have to conquer that darkness in order to be the hero he has sworn to become. Norman’s journey from the worst of the worst to struggling to be better has the potential to be a deeply impactful story about the nature of bearing responsibility, even when no one wants you to, because who in their right mind in the Marvel Universe would want Norman Osborn to be Spider-Man? It also gives credence to Spider-Man’s mission to save everyone, showing that even someone as deranged and horrible as Norman can be better and do the right thing if given the chance and the right motivation.

Obviously, there are plenty of people in the Marvel Universe who are nowhere near ready to just let Norman do what he wants. In fact, someone has been gunning for his head since the start of this run, but Norman is going to have to push through it all to be the new Spider-Man. This is the perfect set up for a brutal battle for the title of Spider-Man, because it’s only a matter of time before the Wall-Crawler’s closest allies start to get suspicious with his edgy, hyper-violent new attitude. If the lack of quips hasn’t already alerted them, punching people through walls definitely will, especially when Norman has to go up against Hobgoblin, a villain who only exists because of his own past mistakes. Everything about this character arc screams that it is building towards some beautifully tragic confrontations rife with emotional pain for Norman, all the while getting fans hungry for Peter’s inevitable return to reclaim the mantle.

Spider-Man is more than just a hero. What he stands for has inspired countless people, both fictional and very real, so watching someone with a past as dyed red as Norman wear the suit seems wrong, but it also gives Marvel the chance to really hammer in the fact that everyone can be like Spider-Man. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done, if you have the power to help people, then you have the responsibility to do so, and that’s all there is to it. This story has all the potential to be magnificent, and I cannot wait to see how it goes down.

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