Normie Osborn
Encyclopedia
Normie Osborn is the grandson of Norman Osborn
and the son of Harry Osborn
, the first and second Green Goblin
, respectively. As Harry Osborn and Peter Parker were best friends, he is also Spider-Man
's godson.
#263 (April 1985) when he was born to Liz Osborn.
He appeared in Green Goblin stories throughout the 1990s, generally portrayed as hating Spider-Man for hurting his father, but otherwise being surprisingly well-balanced. Normie is frighteningly loyal to his father, at one point when Liz is disgusted by Harry returning as the Green Goblin, Liz begs him to stop for Normie's sake if not for her own. Harry asks if Normie thinks Harry is crazy, and Normie says no, a moment that brings Liz to tears.
At one point, Harry organized an elaborate plan to detonate his own house with everyone he hated inside. Following a fight with Spider-Man, Harry realized that he had left Normie inside and rescued him. With the shock restoring his sanity, he then returned to rescue Peter, only to find the Goblin Formula was killing him. His last words were "You're my best friend". Normie was shown as overhearing this, possibly changing his view of Spider-Man.
In the storyline Legacy of Evil, a trio of robotic "Goblin women" (one of a number of failsafes prepared by Harry before his death) kidnap Normie, intending to turn him into the new Green Goblin. Spider-Man and the Molten Man
(Normie's uncle) defeated them before he was exposed to the Goblin Formula.
When Norman Osborn Sr. returned from the dead, he also used a robot Goblin to kidnap his heir. This version appeared as the standard Green Goblin, causing Normie to believe his father had returned. This was part of a complex ploy to increase Norman's visibility by playing the unfortunate grandfather.
Norman has dismissed the possibility of his grandson being the new Goblin, saying he has the same weaknesses as Harry.
Normie was recently seen in a Sensational Spider-Man issue playing baseball, being watched in the stands by the Molten Man and the Chameleon
, while Electro was in the shadows. No harm came to Normie, but the Chameleon used his safety as a bargaining chip to bring the Molten Man into his plan to attack Spider-Man after the recent unmasking.
Normie has recently reappeared after the One More Day
storyline. Now Normie hates his father for supposedly abandoning him when he was mistaken to be dead while being high on the Goblin Serum. His hatred for Spider-Man has also been reignited.
In the MC2 alternate future, little Normie Osborn is all grown up. A sensitive boy, he took his mother's remarrying hard, never getting along with his stepfather, Foggy Nelson
(until after her death when the two finally bonded), and he held Peter Parker responsible for the death of his father and grandfather. When his mother became ill and died, Normie broke down, accepting his father's and grandfather's mantle as the Green Goblin as his destiny. His appearance as the Green Goblin forced May Parker to adopt the mantle of Spider-Girl
. His first few appearances met with failure as he was continually defeated by Spider-Girl, Phil Urich
(as the "Golden Goblin"), and even in one instance by Mary Jane Parker
. Then one day, when May had temporarily lost her powers, Normie kidnapped her. Tied up and taunting her with a knife, May realized that Normie was hoping she would break free and kill him. At this time, May was able to convince him to go get help and to forsake the Goblin legacy.
Normie reformed, and even helped May continue on as Spider-Girl during her temporary power loss by lending her his goblin equipment (Normie also confided in her that he was actually acrophobic
). He later also helped Phil Urich return to costume as the good Green Goblin. For a time, Normie converted one of his grandfather's old Goblin hideouts into a kind of "batcave
" from which May and Phil could use as a base of operations, which he christened "the Website." However, the Website was later located and destroyed by Canis' people.
While in group therapy (for former supervillains), he began dating Brenda Drago
(the daughter of Blackie Drago, the second Vulture), much to the chagrin of May who had developed a crush on him. During the events of the Season of the Serpent storyline, May confessed her feelings to Normie, but Normie did not think it would be appropriate. However after he is shot in the chest by Mr. Nobody in the Marked For Death arc (who shot him to mess with May's head), Normie's true feelings are revealed in a coma vision where his grandfather taunts him, "All you had to do was kill the girl. But no you had to fall in love with her, and how's that working out for you, Normie?" The vision of Norman also taunts him that "you will never truly be rid of me."
His relationship with Brenda became rocky for a time when Élan DeJunae appeared to inform him of their betrothal which had been arranged by her father and Norman Osborn when Normie and Élan had just been children. Normie was not thrilled with the news, and Élan decided it was up to her to make sure that Normie was true to the family legacy. First, she attempted to expose him to the Goblin chemicals, but she was foiled by Spider-Girl. Normie was submerged in the chemicals for a long time, but he said the doctors gave him a clean bill of health. Next Élan objected to his wedding to Brenda by literally crashing it. She forcibly bonded the Venom
symbiote
to him as a "wedding gift." The new Venom went on a rampage until Normie with the help of Spider-Girl was able to gain control of the symbiote. May told him to cast it into the fire, but Normie could not bring himself to kill it. "I overcame the Goblin legacy, I should be able to control a simple alien symbiote." It looks as if Normie wishes to use the symbiote to be a hero. However, he is apparently afraid of a repeat of what happened on what was supposed to be his wedding day. He told his secretary Kristy Watson (Normie's nanny growing up, cousin of MJ
), that if the alien ever takes control of him again, to have Spider-Girl destroy him.
His superhero persona does not have a name yet. They object to being referred to as Venom (because Venom
was the symbiote with Eddie Brock
) or as Normie (he would like to keep his identity secret) while out patrolling but "all the good ones [names] are already taken." For a time he considered using the name Dusk
. When in control of the symbiote, Normie resembles Spider-Man
's black costume.
When the Avengers came to arrest him for harboring the Venom symbiote, the cyborgized-Jim Rhodes
short-circuited (claiming that Tony Stark
murdered him) and went on a rampage in New York City. In the end, Normie with the Venom symbiote saved the day because he was the only one who did not hold back—he snared Rhodes with the symbiote and then grabbed onto a live wire from inside a streetlight, electrocuting both himself and Rhodes, with the short-circuiting Rhodes falling first. Afterwards, he informed them that Raptor is a government agent and so "surrendered" to her custody. He voluntarily joined Kaine
's team of reformed supervillains on the condition that Raptor (who does not get along with Whedon, its director) may be allowed to quit.
When Brenda is viciously wounded in an attack by the Hobgoblin
, he joins Spider-Girl in the hunt for the Hobgoblin. They discover that the Hobgoblin's entire purpose is to lure Spider-Girl to a group of assassins known as the Scriers, and Spider-Girl is impaled by one of their swords. Osborn and the symbiote lash out, killing several of the Scriers with symbiote-constructed blades, causing the Scriers to momentarily retreat (this momentarily lapse would become his and Kaine's little secret). Then, Normie with the symbiote saves Spider-Girl when Osborn transfers the symbiote to her. It heals her wounds and removed the blade's poison from her system. While Spider-Girl with the symbiote go on to hunt down Hobgoblin, Kaine and Normie are besieged by more Scriers. They are later joined by Spider-Girl and Peter Parker (back in costume). The battle is halted however when the Scriers are called off by the Black Tarantula
, who had just assumed control of their organization.
The symbiote had been vulnerable when Peter Parker rejected it, and it was corrupted by the hate and anger of the second host (Eddie Brock
). When it bonded to Normie Osborn, it was changed by his loving nature. When the symbiote gives its life to protect Spider-Girl and her father from the Hobgoblin, Normie felt it die.
Normie and Brenda return, and Normie agrees to fund an operation to restore most of the hearing of May's baby brother, Benjamin Parker.
Normie summons Peter to an old Oscorp warehouse, and reveals a girl in a tank, discovered during his travels abroad, and says that SHE may be the real May Parker. In the next issue, Normie shows Peter his grandfather's journal, which states that he kidnapped May and arranged to have a clone of her returned to the Parkers. With the veracity of the journal in question, Normie and Peter attempt to discover the truth without informing May of their discovery and its possible implications. Normie visits Élan DeJunae and questions her without success; although her body language at the mention of "Project: Changeling" implies that she knows something, she is unwilling to talk. Later on at the warehouse, Peter (with Normie present) draws some fluid from the tank in order to run some tests on it. Peter realizes too late that the fluid has become unstable from exposure to air—it explodes in his face to Normie's distress.
The girl is later awoken by a recently-escaped Fury, and assaults Normie before making her escape.
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
and the son of Harry Osborn
Harry Osborn
Harry Osborn is a fictional character, a supporting character of Spider-Man in the . In addition to being Peter Parker's best friend, Harry was the second Green Goblin and is the son of Norman Osborn...
, the first and second Green Goblin
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
, respectively. As Harry Osborn and Peter Parker were best friends, he is also Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
's godson.
Fictional character biography
Normie Osborn first appeared in The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
#263 (April 1985) when he was born to Liz Osborn.
He appeared in Green Goblin stories throughout the 1990s, generally portrayed as hating Spider-Man for hurting his father, but otherwise being surprisingly well-balanced. Normie is frighteningly loyal to his father, at one point when Liz is disgusted by Harry returning as the Green Goblin, Liz begs him to stop for Normie's sake if not for her own. Harry asks if Normie thinks Harry is crazy, and Normie says no, a moment that brings Liz to tears.
At one point, Harry organized an elaborate plan to detonate his own house with everyone he hated inside. Following a fight with Spider-Man, Harry realized that he had left Normie inside and rescued him. With the shock restoring his sanity, he then returned to rescue Peter, only to find the Goblin Formula was killing him. His last words were "You're my best friend". Normie was shown as overhearing this, possibly changing his view of Spider-Man.
In the storyline Legacy of Evil, a trio of robotic "Goblin women" (one of a number of failsafes prepared by Harry before his death) kidnap Normie, intending to turn him into the new Green Goblin. Spider-Man and the Molten Man
Molten Man
Molten Man is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #28 .-Fictional character biography:...
(Normie's uncle) defeated them before he was exposed to the Goblin Formula.
When Norman Osborn Sr. returned from the dead, he also used a robot Goblin to kidnap his heir. This version appeared as the standard Green Goblin, causing Normie to believe his father had returned. This was part of a complex ploy to increase Norman's visibility by playing the unfortunate grandfather.
Norman has dismissed the possibility of his grandson being the new Goblin, saying he has the same weaknesses as Harry.
Normie was recently seen in a Sensational Spider-Man issue playing baseball, being watched in the stands by the Molten Man and the Chameleon
Chameleon (comics)
The Chameleon is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko; the Chameleon is the first member of Spider-Man's rogues' gallery, based on issue...
, while Electro was in the shadows. No harm came to Normie, but the Chameleon used his safety as a bargaining chip to bring the Molten Man into his plan to attack Spider-Man after the recent unmasking.
Normie has recently reappeared after the One More Day
Spider-Man: One More Day
"One More Day" is a four-part, 2007 comic book crossover storyline, connecting the six main Spider-Man series concurrently published by Marvel Comics at the time. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada, with art by Quesada, this story arc concludes the fallout of Spider-Man's actions...
storyline. Now Normie hates his father for supposedly abandoning him when he was mistaken to be dead while being high on the Goblin Serum. His hatred for Spider-Man has also been reignited.
MC2
Foggy Nelson
Franklin P. "Foggy" Nelson is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, part of the supporting cast of Daredevil ; Foggy is Matt's best friend. The character was created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett....
(until after her death when the two finally bonded), and he held Peter Parker responsible for the death of his father and grandfather. When his mother became ill and died, Normie broke down, accepting his father's and grandfather's mantle as the Green Goblin as his destiny. His appearance as the Green Goblin forced May Parker to adopt the mantle of Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl is a superheroine in Marvel Comics' MC2 universe. The character was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as the teenage daughter of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, and first appeared in What If #105...
. His first few appearances met with failure as he was continually defeated by Spider-Girl, Phil Urich
Phil Urich
Philip Benjamin "Phil" Urich is a Marvel Comics character whose first appearance was in Web of Spider-Man #125. He once was the second person to use the Green Goblin identity as a superhero instead of a supervillain...
(as the "Golden Goblin"), and even in one instance by Mary Jane Parker
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
. Then one day, when May had temporarily lost her powers, Normie kidnapped her. Tied up and taunting her with a knife, May realized that Normie was hoping she would break free and kill him. At this time, May was able to convince him to go get help and to forsake the Goblin legacy.
Normie reformed, and even helped May continue on as Spider-Girl during her temporary power loss by lending her his goblin equipment (Normie also confided in her that he was actually acrophobic
Acrophobia
Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little...
). He later also helped Phil Urich return to costume as the good Green Goblin. For a time, Normie converted one of his grandfather's old Goblin hideouts into a kind of "batcave
Batcave
The Batcave is the secret headquarters of fictional DC Comics superhero Batman, the alternate identity of playboy Bruce Wayne, consisting of a series of subterranean caves beneath his residence, Wayne Manor.-Publication history:...
" from which May and Phil could use as a base of operations, which he christened "the Website." However, the Website was later located and destroyed by Canis' people.
While in group therapy (for former supervillains), he began dating Brenda Drago
Raptor (comics)
Raptor is the name of two fictional characters in the Marvel Comics' universe.The first Raptor appeared in the Spider-Girl series in the alternative future MC2 universe. She is the daughter of the criminal Blackie Drago .The second Raptor appears in the The Amazing Spider-Man...
(the daughter of Blackie Drago, the second Vulture), much to the chagrin of May who had developed a crush on him. During the events of the Season of the Serpent storyline, May confessed her feelings to Normie, but Normie did not think it would be appropriate. However after he is shot in the chest by Mr. Nobody in the Marked For Death arc (who shot him to mess with May's head), Normie's true feelings are revealed in a coma vision where his grandfather taunts him, "All you had to do was kill the girl. But no you had to fall in love with her, and how's that working out for you, Normie?" The vision of Norman also taunts him that "you will never truly be rid of me."
His relationship with Brenda became rocky for a time when Élan DeJunae appeared to inform him of their betrothal which had been arranged by her father and Norman Osborn when Normie and Élan had just been children. Normie was not thrilled with the news, and Élan decided it was up to her to make sure that Normie was true to the family legacy. First, she attempted to expose him to the Goblin chemicals, but she was foiled by Spider-Girl. Normie was submerged in the chemicals for a long time, but he said the doctors gave him a clean bill of health. Next Élan objected to his wedding to Brenda by literally crashing it. She forcibly bonded the Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
symbiote
Symbiote (comics)
In the Marvel Comics universe, The Symbiote is a specific parasitic species of extraterrestrial organism...
to him as a "wedding gift." The new Venom went on a rampage until Normie with the help of Spider-Girl was able to gain control of the symbiote. May told him to cast it into the fire, but Normie could not bring himself to kill it. "I overcame the Goblin legacy, I should be able to control a simple alien symbiote." It looks as if Normie wishes to use the symbiote to be a hero. However, he is apparently afraid of a repeat of what happened on what was supposed to be his wedding day. He told his secretary Kristy Watson (Normie's nanny growing up, cousin of MJ
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
), that if the alien ever takes control of him again, to have Spider-Girl destroy him.
His superhero persona does not have a name yet. They object to being referred to as Venom (because Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
was the symbiote with Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
) or as Normie (he would like to keep his identity secret) while out patrolling but "all the good ones [names] are already taken." For a time he considered using the name Dusk
Dusk (comics)
Dusk was an identity used by several fictional superheroes in the Marvel Universe. It was eventually adopted by college student Cassie St. Commons, who appeared in the Marvel Comics' series, Slingers.-Negative Zone:...
. When in control of the symbiote, Normie resembles Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
's black costume.
When the Avengers came to arrest him for harboring the Venom symbiote, the cyborgized-Jim Rhodes
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
short-circuited (claiming that Tony Stark
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
murdered him) and went on a rampage in New York City. In the end, Normie with the Venom symbiote saved the day because he was the only one who did not hold back—he snared Rhodes with the symbiote and then grabbed onto a live wire from inside a streetlight, electrocuting both himself and Rhodes, with the short-circuiting Rhodes falling first. Afterwards, he informed them that Raptor is a government agent and so "surrendered" to her custody. He voluntarily joined Kaine
Kaine
Kaine is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and antihero who serves as both an ally and an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #119, and is the Jackal's first failed attempt at cloning Peter Parker...
's team of reformed supervillains on the condition that Raptor (who does not get along with Whedon, its director) may be allowed to quit.
When Brenda is viciously wounded in an attack by the Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin (comics)
The Hobgoblin is the alias of several fictional characters that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known Hobgoblin is Roderick Kingsley. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #238, and was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Sr...
, he joins Spider-Girl in the hunt for the Hobgoblin. They discover that the Hobgoblin's entire purpose is to lure Spider-Girl to a group of assassins known as the Scriers, and Spider-Girl is impaled by one of their swords. Osborn and the symbiote lash out, killing several of the Scriers with symbiote-constructed blades, causing the Scriers to momentarily retreat (this momentarily lapse would become his and Kaine's little secret). Then, Normie with the symbiote saves Spider-Girl when Osborn transfers the symbiote to her. It heals her wounds and removed the blade's poison from her system. While Spider-Girl with the symbiote go on to hunt down Hobgoblin, Kaine and Normie are besieged by more Scriers. They are later joined by Spider-Girl and Peter Parker (back in costume). The battle is halted however when the Scriers are called off by the Black Tarantula
Black Tarantula
Black Tarantula is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears as an unseen character in The Amazing Spider-Man #419 , and makes his first full appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #432...
, who had just assumed control of their organization.
The symbiote had been vulnerable when Peter Parker rejected it, and it was corrupted by the hate and anger of the second host (Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
). When it bonded to Normie Osborn, it was changed by his loving nature. When the symbiote gives its life to protect Spider-Girl and her father from the Hobgoblin, Normie felt it die.
Normie and Brenda return, and Normie agrees to fund an operation to restore most of the hearing of May's baby brother, Benjamin Parker.
Normie summons Peter to an old Oscorp warehouse, and reveals a girl in a tank, discovered during his travels abroad, and says that SHE may be the real May Parker. In the next issue, Normie shows Peter his grandfather's journal, which states that he kidnapped May and arranged to have a clone of her returned to the Parkers. With the veracity of the journal in question, Normie and Peter attempt to discover the truth without informing May of their discovery and its possible implications. Normie visits Élan DeJunae and questions her without success; although her body language at the mention of "Project: Changeling" implies that she knows something, she is unwilling to talk. Later on at the warehouse, Peter (with Normie present) draws some fluid from the tank in order to run some tests on it. Peter realizes too late that the fluid has become unstable from exposure to air—it explodes in his face to Normie's distress.
The girl is later awoken by a recently-escaped Fury, and assaults Normie before making her escape.