Top 10 Worst Things That The Green Goblin has Done

Why try to capture Spider-Man yourself when you could get others to do it for you? During the “Identity Crisis” story arc, the web-slinger gets framed by Osborn for the death of Joey-Z. But the villain doesn’t just stop there. Osborn also greases the wheels for his capture by enacting a propaganda campaign against him with the Daily Bugle and puts a $5 million bounty on his head. Throughout these setups, Spider-Man has to evade the likes of the Punisher, Overdrive, and Arthur Stacy. Peter has to take on several different hero monikers just to avoid capture. While he finds a way to prove his innocence, it was a clever tactic to completely ruin Spider-Man’s reputation and life.

During the “A Death in the Family” storyline, Norman Osborn finds Peter’s friend Flash coming out of an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. After a seemingly friendly chat, the villain forces the young man to get intoxicated. Green Goblin then ensures Flash is placed behind the wheel of an Osborn Industries truck. Unfortunately, the inebriated young man can’t stop the vehicle from crashing into the school where Peter now teaches. The resulting incident puts Flash in a coma. Watching Goblin torment and injure the young man just to get back at Peter proved how vicious this villain could get.

#8: Turning Carlie Cooper into a Monster

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Carlie Cooper didn’t have a particularly blessed life. Thinking her father was dead before learning he faked his death while working with Mysterio was just one of her life’s tragedies. Carlie’s life really started looking up when she met Peter and helped the hero out after learning he was Spider-Man. But then the Green Goblin came along and messed everything up. In an attempt to learn who was under Spider-Man’s mask, he tormented and injected her with the Goblin formula. Carlie was turned into a “Monster” that had to go through a painful process to become her normal self again. The experience was so harrowing that she had to get distance from Peter for a while in order to recover.

After Peter met a man who looked identical to him, the webhead started questioning if he was a clone or not. And for a time, it looked like the hero we followed for years was actually a copy of someone else. But it was eventually revealed that Ben Reilly was definitely a Peter Parker clone the whole time. Upon learning the truth, the two heroic men realize that the entire clone saga was orchestrated by Green Goblin. In a horrifying instant, the villain impales Ben with his glider. (xref) After spending years being emotionally manipulated by a villain, the Spider-man clone sadly disintegrates into nothing.

#6: Making Peter Believe His Parents Came Back to Life

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Peter always loved his Aunt May and Uncle Ben for raising him. But fans still questioned why his parents hadn’t been there for him. After everyone assumed that Richard and Mary Parker passed away in a bad plane crash, Peter had a shocking parental encounter. In “The Amazing Spider-Man #366”, his recently returned parents claimed they were stuck in various prisons for years. But the truth was far more sinister. It turns out that they were both robots known as life model decoys created by the dastardly Chameleon. And the main reason the villain did this was because, you guessed it, the Green Goblin told him to. Messing with Peter’s family life is a seriously low blow, Gobby.

Green Goblin has spent a ton of time trying to torment Spider-Man, slay the web slinger or try to make the hero embrace the darkside. The villain fully commits to making Peter evil in the “Revenge of the Green Goblin” arc. Goblin attempted to turn the hero through a combination of tremendous psychological and physical suffering. The villain messes with Peter's mind so much that the webhead nearly loses his grip on sanity. Eventually, Goblin imprisons Peter for a while and leaves the hero barely clinging to life. The webhead almost gives up before thankfully managing to escape. While Osborn might have failed, he takes solace in the fact that he almost fully broke the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Since losing a loved one is a dreadful event for anyone to go through, Norman Osborn naturally thought it would be a great way to hurt Peter. After spending some time in a coma, Aunt May woke up…only to die a short while later. Watching May tells Peter how proud she is of him with her final breath was incredibly emotional. So imagine Peter’s surprise when Osborn reveals that she’s actually alive. It turns out that the woman who “died” was a paid actress. When Spider-Man goes to rescue May, it’s revealed that the villain also put a bomb inside of her. We think it wasn’t a coincidence that Peter retired his hero identity for a while after this harrowing aunt incident.

#3: Kidnapping May Parker

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The sinister goblin really won’t pass up any opportunity to inflict pain and anguish on Peter Parker. When Mary Jane gave birth to her and Peter’s daughter May, it seemed like the child might not have made it. Unbeknownst to the new parents, this was part of a scheme where a nurse carried the baby away and delivered it to Norman Osborn. The most terrifying part of this story is that the final fate of Peter and M.J.’s daughter has remained unknown for years. As of January 2022, we still don't know what twisted plan Green Goblin had in store for May Parker. We just know for certain it’s one of his most despicable acts.

The death of Gwen Stacy is perhaps one of the most well known tragedies in Spider-Man’s history. During a clash with the Green Goblin, the villain throws her from a great height. Although Spider-Man attempts to catch her with his webbing before she hits the ground, something goes wrong during the rescue. Peter realizes too late that Gwen is already gone. Spider-Man is instantly full of guilt and regret that his actions may have directly led to the loss of his love. But at the end of the day, it’s undeniable that Gwen wouldn’t have been lifeless in Peter’s arms if Green Goblin weren’t such a terrible person.

#1: Lying About Gwen Stacy’s Kids

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After Gwen Stacy’s untimely demise, Peter meets up with twins who claim to be her children. They initially believe the hero is their dad before it appears that Norman Osborn is their true father. Peter is then forced to deal with confused twins, the realization that his lost love may have been with his worst enemy and that people like MJ kept this all a secret. But it turns out that all this anguish was basically for nothing. Years after the twins arrive, it’s revealed that Harry Osborn used clones and a few evil allies to set this all up. The amount of pain and strife this deception caused Peter and numerous grossed out fans is immeasurable. Green Goblin is truly a legendarily awful villain.