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  1. #31
    More eldritch than thou Venomous Mask's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KROENEN View Post
    I kind of dug him more when he started making deals with demons during Inferno and his face changed. I thought McFarlane made him a very terrifying villain during his run as well, really some of my earliest exposure to Spider-man comics, so maybe that stuck with me.
    I agree, he was absolutely ghastly, both in appearance and deed (including mutilating a child with his demonic powers) in the story guest-starring Ghost Rider. I find it interesting that the more his appearance changed, the more his personality changed. When he started out, he simply had small fangs, bumps on his head, and pointed goblin ears (I remember him walking through a restaurant in a tux, wondering why everyone there was staring at him in horror).



    As he become more demonic in appearance, with increasingly ridged skin, a long slippery tongue, and rows of long, razor-sharp teeth, he changed, becoming more cruel and predatory.



    Then he started to think that he was some kind of agent of God on a mission, and then finally with the full Demogoblin personality coming into affect.



    When the demon finally made itself known, this broke the mental and emotional continuity between the demon and Macendale's personality leading to a tongue of war between the two in their one body which only ended when the two physically split. Interestingly enough, the early Demogoblin manifested an ability where, if someone tried to punch him, their hands got burned with hellfire. This eventually was reduced to just a glowing aura, and then went away totally. The burning power was probably something to protect Demogoblin in his 'pupal' form while he was still developing his more sophisticated powers. If it had stayed however, this would have made him much more dangerous as attacking him directly would be close to impossible, especially for symbiote characters depending on what kind of fire surrounded him.

    Honestly, I think the demon arc was the high point of the Macendale Hobgoblin, as he really became increasingly irreleventa until, ironically, his death in Hobgoblin Lives. I also very much curious to see what the new Demogoblin looks like, and if she (yes, the demonhost is a woman) will ever interact with Kingsley and/or Urich.
    Last edited by Venomous Mask; 07-17-2019 at 02:02 PM.
    "I should describe my known nature as tripartite, my interests consisting of three parallel and disassociated groups; a) love of the strange and the fantastic, b) love of abstract truth and scientific logic, c) love of the ancient and the permanent. Sundry combinations of these strains will probably account for my...odd tastes, and eccentricities."

  2. #32
    Incredible Member Master Planner's Avatar
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    The story with demon Hobgoblin and Ghost Rider is probably one of the most underrated Spider-Man arcs IMO. I wrote it back in the old forum, when there was a thread about unknown or under the radar stories that were great.
    " I am Loki Scar-Lip, Loki Skywalker, Loki Giant's Child, Loki Lie-Smith. I am Loki, who is fire and wit and hate. I am Loki. And I will be under an obligation to no one."

    Previously known as Nefarius

  3. #33
    Mighty Member Zeitgeist's Avatar
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    Only by his fans
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  4. #34
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    I was watching CNN this morning, and see a trailer for Halston, the fashion designer. I'm looking at the clips of Halston, and think.....that's Roderick Kingsley!

    I loved those Hobgoblin stories from the 1980's.

    I think Roddy would make a great live action villain (with Norman missing or presumed dead).

  5. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by kingaliencracker View Post
    I also have an issue with Hobgoblin's motivations, especially given the fact that Kingsley was already well-off and didn't need to steal or blackmail people to maintain his living.
    We live in a world ruled by incredibly wealthy people doing harm to the ordinary people and the planet itself, just to increase their own wealth.

    Quote Originally Posted by kingaliencracker View Post
    There's also the fact that several writers after Stern H-A-T-E-D the Hobgoblin and refused to use him.
    Who are these several writers?

  6. #36
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    The 80s Hobgoblin saga is one of the greatest runs ever in both Spider-Man's and super-hero comic book's history.

    What came after that ranged from abysmal to barely passable.

    So yeah, Hobgoblin is overrated imo. He was supposed to be a one hit wonder. Like Morlun.

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by AlexCampy89 View Post
    So yeah, Hobgoblin is overrated imo. He was supposed to be a one hit wonder. Like Morlun.
    Not really, Stern intended Kingsley to be Norman's permanent replacement and heir.

    But he proved not to be up for the task. I mean Hobgoblin isn't the biggest new Spider-Man villain of the '80s. That's Venom.

    I re-read the Hobgoblin stuff and I have to say that it's pretty interesting but Kingsley still doesn't work as a character. His obsession over being a rational goblin just doesn't make sense. The original Hobgoblin saga is more interesting to read for its world-building (mapping out Norman's criminal genius in creating those hide-outs and gadgets), and for the way Kingsley's return upsets Harry who finally has to confront, i.e. rationally, that Norman is the Green Goblin, and for Jameson stepping down as editor when threatened with blackmail.

  8. #38
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    Maybe I worded it wrong, but with "Hobgoblin was supposed to be a one hit wonder" I did not mean to intend the author's intentions with the character, but rather my own opinion on how Hobgoblin (and Morlun) were better to be used. As one hit wonders, rather than recurring foes.

  9. #39
    Benefactor / Malefactor H-E-D's Avatar
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    I feel like Kingsley specifically is overrated.

  10. #40
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    Hobgoblin is an example of a copycat villain done right. Normally copycat villains are overrated, but it doesn't feel that way with Hobgoblin for some reason.

    I suspect this is due to a few factors:

    1. He is a copycat of a great villain.

    2. His physical appearance is very creative and distinguishable from the original villain.

    3. Keeping Norman dead allowed the Hobgoblin to shine on his own for a while. Normally copycat villains get their spotlight stolen by the original very quickly.

  11. #41
    Better than YOU! Alan2099's Avatar
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    I think a lot of Kingsley's appeal was in the mystery. Once that was dealt with, the character lost a lot of it's impact.

    I preferred Macendale myself. There was a lot more ambition in the character, and often times his reach exceeded his grasp, but there were other time when people would underestimate him and he would just walk all over them.

    The Demogoblin stuff I also really enjoyed. Having a villain who had his own evil twin is something you don't see very often.

  12. #42
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    Wouldn't say overrated, but just handled poorly pretty much any time the writer hasn't been Roger Stern

  13. #43
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    No idea how he's rated, but I like him better than Green simply because of the costume. I prefer the scarier or cooler looking villain. It took me a while, and some history lessons, to get used to the idea that Green Goblin is supposed to be The Goblin because of how silly he looks both in costume, in hairstyle, and the insanity. Both Norman and Harry.

  14. #44

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    80s kids love Hobgoblin. 90s kids loved Carnage and Venom. it's as simple as that. The return of Osborn made the OG Hobgoblin's original modus operandi a moot point. Not to mention the succession of spinoff Goblins, like Macendale, and Demogoblin. The concept was run into the ground. Now it's just another generic "goblin", especially now that his real identify is revealed, and you have the deus ex machina of the brainwashing machine to give somebody else the identity for a while to set them up to be captured or killed.

    If Kingsley can go into another threat zone against some other heroes, that would be a means to legitimately raise his profile. Possibly against teen or youth heroes, who have less history of knowing about him. I could see him as a threat for Miles.

  15. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan2099 View Post
    I preferred Macendale myself. There was a lot more ambition in the character, and often times his reach exceeded his grasp, but there were other time when people would underestimate him and he would just walk all over them.
    That's a good kind of villain to have, but the successor to the Green Goblin should have carried more gravitas than that.

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