Spider-Man has confronted several adversaries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War, but none of them have been goblins. The Goblins, one of the most prevalent adversary groups Peter Parker faced in every prior Spider-Man series, have been completely absent from the MCU. So far, there hasn't been a mention of Oscorp, the Osborns, or any variation of the Goblin name.

However, there is one exception to this: Peter Parker's friend Ned Leeds. The lovable, dorky, self-proclaimed "man in the chair" has been at Peter's side throughout the entire series, but he might also be a very subtle set-up to the Hobgoblin, an iconic villain from the comics. Though there's not much evidence for this in the MCU films so far, the comics provide a lot of information on Ned/Hobgoblin that just might make it into the movies.

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Need Leeds in the Comics

The comic version of Ned Leeds is quite different from the film version. Ned was a Daily Bugle reporter investigating the true Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley. The villain intercepted Ned and turned him into a brainwashed puppet, making him commit crimes in his place from time to time. Ned would intermittently believe himself to be the Hobgoblin, working alongside Richard Fisk (the Rose) to destabilize the Kingpin's empire.

Meanwhile, Leeds became a disciple of Baron Mordo. During the events of Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality, a modern mini series taking place in the past, Leeds stole Doctor Strange's Word of God, a magic book that allowed them to reshape reality. In the process, Leeds ravaged Peter's reality, distorting and twisting events in Peter's life until Strange and Peter aligned together to undo the damages Ned did. Ultimately, this left Leeds without any memory of the incident. That did not help him too much, however, since Kingsley, eager to abandon the Hobgoblin identity, faked his death by putting all the blame for his crimes on Ned, which led to him being murdered.

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Ned: Unwilling Monster?

Ned Leeds Jacob Batalon Spider-Man Homecoming

It is unlikely that Roderick Kingsley exists in the MCU at this point; however, it is possible that, much like Kinglsey, another villain could use Ned as a scapegoat for his own crimes. This could put Ned into a dangerous situation, pitting him against Spider-Man. Despite this, it is incredibly unlikely that he'll become a villain willingly -- or even could become a villain. The film version of Ned Leeds has nearly nothing in common with his comic book counterpart.

However, there are several indications that the upcoming Marvel film might follow the events of Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality. Baron Mordo is currently an active threat in the MCU, though there is no guarantee he will appear in the upcoming Spider-Man film. But Doctor Strange will be making an appearance, so this could open the possibility of Ned discovering the Word of God or some equivalent magical tome. This might allow Ned to rewrite reality, turning Spider-Man's world into a nightmare and transforming himself into a Hobgoblin-like figure. This would turn Ned into a monster that Peter needs to stop, putting him a position where he may need to fight his closest friend.

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