SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #798 by Dan Slott, Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, Marte Gracia and Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
Spider-Man and the Green Goblin; Peter Parker and Norman Osborn. Perhaps the greatest rivalry in the history of the Marvel Universe. You might say Reed Richards/Victor Von Doom, Charles Xavier/Magneto or Thor/Loki, but none of those pains have put each other through the torment, humiliation and grief that Spider-Man and the Green Goblin have.
It’s hard to properly and fully convey the history and the animosity these two share, and after a decade of working on Amazing Spider-Man, Dan Slott is bringing everything he has for both characters in what could be their final clash -- ever.
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Old Foes
Here’s an interesting fact about Dan Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man; this is the first proper Spider-Man vs Green Goblin story in his ten year run. Sure, Peter Parker and Norman Osborn have clashed a number of times, but this is the first time we’re getting a full-on, no-holds-barred Spider-Man vs Green Goblin fight.
In “New Ways To Die”, Osborn sent the Thunderbolts after Spider-Man in his capacity as the head of the Commission on Superhero Activities. During the “Dark Reign,” Spider-Man fought against Osborn’s Dark Avengers, and the pair did fight one-on-one, but Osborn was Iron Patriot at the time. Peter fought Osborn when he was The Goblin King, and fought alongside Silver Sable to defend Symkaria from a sane Norman Osborn free of the Goblin formula, but this is the first time that the pair have clashed in their most iconic identities.
This is a Norman Osborn that we’ve not seen in the Marvel Universe for a long time; for the better part of a decade, he tried suppressing his inner Goblin to present a respectable front to the world, but he’s finally realized that he’s never been better than when he gives into the mania and goes full Green Goblin. His bad jokes, constant narration and manic demeanour are a throwback to the Goblin of Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and John Romita, and it’s a welcome reminder of why Norman Osborn is Spider-Man’s greatest enemy.
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One Last Time
There’s another classic Spider-Man villain that Dan Slott hasn’t had a chance to really dig into during his decade-long run on Amazing Spider-Man, and that’s the key to Osborn’s victory in this issue. Just when Peter thinks Norman has been defeated once and for all, Osborn reveals the ace up his sleeve — or in this case, in his bloodstream: the Carnage symbiote.
Osborn's transformation into the Red Goblin sends Spider-Man into an uncharacteristic panic, forcing the hero to surrender. Osborn gives Peter an ultimatum, telling him he really doesn’t care about the man behind the mask, he just wants rid of Spider-Man. If Peter gives up his costumed identity, his friends, family and loved ones will be safe.
However, that may just be Osborn’s fatal mistake. In a nice callback to when Peter used nanomachines to remove the Goblin Formula from The Goblin King’s system, making him a mere man once again, Norman Osborn isn’t prepared for how dangerous the man behind the spider can really be.
Much of Slott’s run has been about proving Peter’s competence and allowing him to live up to his potential; his work at Horizon Labs, his time as head of Parker Industries, even his current job at the Daily Bugle, they’re all proof that Peter Parker is one of the smartest men in the Marvel Universe and when he really sets his mind to it, he can do anything. In many ways, being Spider-Man was the one thing always holding Peter back from being a Tony Stark or a Reed Richards, and Norman Osborn has just removed that burden from him. He may come to regret that as Dan Slott’s run on unmatched run on Amazing Spider-Man heads towards it conclusion.
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