Harry Osborn Appreciation

[PanicPixieDreamGirl]

Kindred who?

A very nervously created thread for discussing the past and (what will hopefully be a) future for Harry Osborn-Lyman, beloved father/son/friend/Goblin/mysterious prisoner who we don't know the status of. (Also my favourite fictional character of all time.)

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"...[The Child Within] actually became much more interesting, because Harry had this insane and abusive father. I also like the idea of the hero and villain being best friends. 'My best friend is also my most hated enemy, and he knows my secret identity and can strike at any time.' You can't ask for a better dramatic conflict. I'd never written Harry before 'The Child Within' and I fell totally in love with the character." -J.M. DeMatteis, Comics Creators on Spider-Man

[Frontier]

Harry Osborn...a very complicated man.

[PanicPixieDreamGirl]

Ah, but aren't those the best characters?

Regardless of what happens with the Harry who's in the prison cell, and man I hope it's something good, I'm still very angry about all this demon-based character assassination. Aside from anything else, the real Harry would never have monologued so dully.

[Jman27]

Never had an issue with Harry his struggle between his Dad and Peter is very interesting to see. I do wonder how he will be affected by the Kindred situation hopefully it's a good conclusion

[Huntsman Spider]

Yes, Harry is incredibly complex. I do like the theory espoused by one of my fellow Spider-Man fans (and a good friend) that Harry's OMD revival has somehow split him into good and bad halves, with the bad half turning into Kindred and embodying all of Harry's lingering negative emotions and tendencies, especially his resentment of Peter (and his father Norman).

[PanicPixieDreamGirl]

Yes, Harry is incredibly complex. I do like the theory espoused by one of my fellow Spider-Man fans (and a good friend) that Harry's OMD revival has somehow split him into good and bad halves, with the bad half turning into Kindred and embodying all of Harry's lingering negative emotions and tendencies, especially his resentment of Peter (and his father Norman).

Harry's a psychologist's dream. His story was a really interesting, sad but ultimately triumphant one about breaking a cycle of abuse... And then Kindred showed up. So I really, really hope that theory is correct. I'm also kinda curious about how he seemingly made that cell door open last issue.

[HypnoHustler]

Ah, but aren't those the best characters?

Regardless of what happens with the Harry who's in the prison cell, and man I hope it's something good, I'm still very angry about all this demon-based character assassination. Aside from anything else, the real Harry would never have monologued so dully.

The REAL character assassination was him inexplicably coming back after BND as a spoiled rich kid again, undoing all the development JM DeMatteis had imbued him with culminating in the heartbreaking (and now partially retconned) Spec #200.

[Spiderfan001]

The REAL character assassination was him inexplicably coming back after BND as a spoiled rich kid again, undoing all the development JM DeMatteis had imbued him with culminating in the heartbreaking (and now partially retconned) Spec #200.

Yup.
Should have stayed dead.

[PanicPixieDreamGirl]

The REAL character assassination was him inexplicably coming back after BND as a spoiled rich kid again, undoing all the development JM DeMatteis had imbued him with culminating in the heartbreaking (and now partially retconned) Spec #200.

People have said that, and once upon a time I thought the same, but as the early '10s rolled on I thought differently. Alright, Harry's still rich and rather arrogant when he makes his return (But spoiled? Who was spoiling him? It sure wasn't Norman!) but he ends up getting what he never had before: a normal life, a happy ending, a final breaking of an abusive cycle when he steps up to be a good dad, and the choice to finally walk away from Norman forever in American Son. Oh, I should have known ahead of time that happy endings don't last in comics, but that was a happy ending, and a well-deserved one. If it goes away - what's left? Harry's redemption in Spectacular Spider-Man #200 is already undone now, so what was the point of any of his story, really? I feel the same way about this I think people felt about OMD when it happened all that time ago.

I pretty much agree entirely with this,

Hoping not because I loved BND Harry's growth away from his former self and his addictions, I know that OMD likely turned him into Kindred but the ethics of a addict and abuse victim going to hell have always sat uneasy with me, especially since, up till Kindred, Harry has never actually killed anyone.

If Kindred wasn't a killer, maybe I'd think differently, but he is.


I've written extensively about Harry from the perspective of a mental illness sufferer over the years! My dream is to interview JM DeMatteis one day.

[Huntsman Spider]

People have said that, and once upon a time I thought the same, but as the early '10s rolled on I thought differently. Alright, Harry's still rich and rather arrogant when he makes his return (But spoiled? Who was spoiling him? It sure wasn't Norman!) but he ends up getting what he never had before: a normal life, a happy ending, a final breaking of an abusive cycle when he steps up to be a good dad, and the choice to finally walk away from Norman forever in American Son. Oh, I should have known ahead of time that happy endings don't last in comics, but that was a happy ending, and a well-deserved one. If it goes away - what's left? Harry's redemption in Spectacular Spider-Man #200 is already undone now, so what was the point of any of his story, really? I feel the same way about this I think people felt about OMD when it happened all that time ago.

I pretty much agree entirely with this,



If Kindred wasn't a killer, maybe I'd think differently, but he is.


I've written extensively about Harry from the perspective of a mental illness sufferer over the years! My dream is to interview JM DeMatteis one day.

That sounds quite fascinating, and interviewing J.M. DeMatteis would be great. I really hope you get to do that someday.