SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #800 by Dan Slott, Nick Bradshaw, Humberto Ramos, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stuart Immonen, Marcos Martin, Victor Olazaba, Cam Smith, Wade von Grawbadger, Edgar Delgado, Java Tartaglia, Marte Gracia, Muntsa Vicente and VC’s Joe Caramagna, on sale now.


After a gripping build up, the 80-page Amazing Spider-Man #800 brought the escalating conflict between the hellish Red Goblin and Spider-Man to a climactic conclusion. For a moment, it seemed as though Osborn would win. He possessed none of his old physical weaknesses and he had Spider-Man in his grasp, literally. Still, Spidey escaped by turning Osborn against the Carnage symbiote, persuading him that whatever victory Norman might manage to attain wouldn't be his. The glory of that victory would belong to the symbiote.

That was enough to persuade Norman to abandon the Red Goblin persona and go toe to toe with long time adversary, Green Goblin versus Spider-Man. As Goblin neared defeat, his symbiote leapt back into the fray. Just as the two made contact, Spidey ignited a gas tank and caused an explosion that destroyed the Carnage symbiote. It was finally gone (for the most part) -- but not before it seemingly twisted Norman's mind, causing him to believe that he was the Carnage symbiote's former host, Cletus Kasaday. Norman has lost his identity and his ego, both of which were arguably the reasons he was able to remain such a persistently powerful villain for so many years.

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Since his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #14 (written by Stan Lee, artwork by Steve Ditko), the Green Goblin has killed, traumatized and injured almost everyone around him; a fact Amazing Spider-Man #800 reminds us of quite a few times. The Goblin kidnapped and murdered Gwen Stacy just to hurt Peter, he made Mary Jane believe she miscarried, he recently infected his own grandson with the Carnage symbiote and, of course, he traumatized his son, Harry, in more ways than one.

Where we're pretty much left guessing at how other characters are able to cope with their experiences concerning the Green Goblin, Harry's life seems to be driven solely by his coping process. In other words, Harry's life as shown to us throughout his many appearances, seems to reflect the ways in which each character would have tried to come to terms with their hurt, from addictions to distancing to denial. He may have forgotten ever being the Green Goblin after the events of "One More Day," but that doesn't mean he has ever been free from it.

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Many of the tragedies that have plagued Harry's life since his return from rehab in Europe can be traced back to Norman Osborn's career as the Green Goblin, starting with Lily Hollister. Hollister (formerly the villain, Menace) had reappeared after escaping prison, this time carrying a child. That was the reason why Harry accepted his father's request to join the Dark Avengers, only to discover in Amazing Spider-Man #598 (written by Joe Kelly, illustrated by Paulo Siqueira, Marco Checchetto and others) that he was not the father of the child. It was Norman. This revelation (though false, as would later be revealed) eventually pushed him back into a drug addiction.

The birth of Hollister's child in Amazing Spider-Man #642 (written by Mark Waid, artwork by Paul Azaceta and others) was the first step in Harry's recovery from his old life as the experience and Spider-Man, inspired him to embrace fatherhood, which has clearly been a means for Harry to separate himself further from his own father, something Harry has been trying to do for a long time, going so far as to change his name from Osborn to Lyman, the latter of which was his mother's maiden name. Until the events of "Go Down Swinging," Harry had been doing his best to pretend that that part of his life was far away. He focused on being a parent and mending his relationship with Liz Allen. It seemed to be working... until Norman returned with the Carnage symbiote.

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Harry has tried everything to repair the damage his father has caused. He tried drugs, he tried forcibly being different and he tried to pretend that he wasn't attached to the Goblin, but none of it worked.

Amazing-Spider-Man-800-Harry-Osborn

It's why the ending of Amazing Spider-Man #800 is so unique, as it provided a way for Harry to find true catharsis. He proved that he and his father are two very different people, as evidenced by the way he held on to his son, Goblin Childe, even when the latter was physically hurting him. All he did was assure his son that he loved him and that he would never let go, which is something Norman would never have done. Harry didn't have to pretend that he was different, which is why he decided to take the Osborn name once again, promising to try and make that "mean something good."

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It's a huge step for Harry and a sign that there's hope for all of Norman's victims. No matter the trauma, they can overcome it and move on with their lives, eventually finding a way to largely forget that the Green Goblin existed. That's not something you see with a lot of villains. They lose a fight, they go to jail or perish but the consequences of their actions remain and continue to affect different characters, which you could argue is still a victory, however small.

Now that Norman Osborn himself seems to have lost his identity and that of the Green Goblin, replaced by Cletus Kasady and Carnage, it appears the most dangerous member of Spider-Man's rogues gallery, after decades of horrifying crimes, has been well and truly defeated. His life may not have ended, but the Goblin is for all intents and purposes dead -- at least... for now.