Harry Osborn Appreciation 2024

[PanicPixieDreamGirl]

Have a harry new year. I mean a happy new year.

And remember, a whole new J.M. DeMatteis Goblin story comes out in April!

shadow-of-the-green-goblin.jpg

[Sr. Bungle]

What are your wishes for 2024 regarding Harry Osborn?

[Frontier]

Happy New Year to Harry and his fans .

[Huntsman Spider]

Have a harry new year. I mean a happy new year.

And remember, a whole new J.M. DeMatteis Goblin story comes out in April!

shadow-of-the-green-goblin.jpg

Indeed. And speaking of, are you anticipating that the Green Goblin in Jonathan Hickman's Ultimate Spider-Man will be Harry Osborn?

[PanicPixieDreamGirl]

What are your wishes for 2024 regarding Harry Osborn?

I would love to see him back in 616verse but I'm afraid of what they might do to him. Maybe... give it some time.

Indeed. And speaking of, are you anticipating that the Green Goblin in Jonathan Hickman's Ultimate Spider-Man will be Harry Osborn?

I think it's very likely but I also don't mind if I'm proved wrong. (I'm half expecting it to turn out to be a Not Dead After All Norman, to be honest.) I'm looking really forward to the new Ultimate either way!

[Sr. Bungle]

I would love to see him back in 616verse but I'm afraid of what they might do to him. Maybe... give it some time.

How would you do it?

[t-spider]

I wish they had never revealed him as a clone/killed him off in the Kindred saga... finally got some control of his life from Norman, and wham! Dead again.

[Huntsman Spider]

I wish they had never revealed him as a clone/killed him off in the Kindred saga... finally got some control of his life from Norman, and wham! Dead again.

I could understand what Nick Spencer was or might have been going for, as he did the same thing with Kraven in Hunted, basically reversing the Brand New Day era's reversal of several seminal Spider-Man stories that ended with the death of the villain or antagonist played for tragic pathos. Funny enough, come to think of it, both of those deaths, Harry's and Kraven's, were written by J.M. DeMatteis as the conclusion of their respective story arcs in relation to Spider-Man. However, I did appreciate Dark Reign giving the reborn Harry a chance to finally realize what a monster Norman was and separate himself from him for good.

[Daibhidh]

I could understand what Nick Spencer was or might have been going for, as he did the same thing with Kraven in Hunted, basically reversing the Brand New Day era's reversal of several seminal Spider-Man stories that ended with the death of the villain or antagonist played for tragic pathos.

I can see why people would want to undo retcons like that, but I think you don't intrinsically gain anything by doing so. It can work but it has to work on its own merits. Hunted did work. Harry's fate didn't really work.
(I think though that Spencer could have got away with revealing that this Harry had been a clone all along - a competent writer could have done something with Harry coming to terms with being a clone. But it would have been Wells handling it.)

[Sr. Bungle]

I can see why people would want to undo retcons like that, but I think you don't intrinsically gain anything by doing so. It can work but it has to work on its own merits. Hunted did work. Harry's fate didn't really work.
(I think though that Spencer could have got away with revealing that this Harry had been a clone all along - a competent writer could have done something with Harry coming to terms with being a clone. But it would have been Wells handling it.)

Chasm and Harry Osborn, the deadly duo of evil resentful clones

[exile001]

Chasm and Harry Osborn, the deadly duo of evil resentful clones

Harry would have wound up with Norman's sins and become a mega-Goblin. FFS.

[Sr. Bungle]

Harry would have wound up with Norman's sins and become a mega-Goblin. FFS.

Written by Zeb Wells (resolution in a mini by another author)

[PanicPixieDreamGirl]

How would you do it?

I would really lean into the whole "Norman sold Harry to the devil" thing (it seems to have been completely forgotten about in favour of everyone forgiving Norman for everything he did) and craft a plot around that. Ideally it would involve a confrontation with Mephisto that brings back the Spider-Marriage as well!

[Huntsman Spider]

I would really lean into the whole "Norman sold Harry to the devil" thing (it seems to have been completely forgotten about in favour of everyone forgiving Norman for everything he did) and craft a plot around that. Ideally it would involve a confrontation with Mephisto that brings back the Spider-Marriage as well!

Yeah, that would make a lot more sense, and yes, Peter and Norman teaming up against Mephisto to take back what they gave up in their ill-advised deals with him, with Norman somewhat trying to redeem his own soul despite knowing everything he's done, particularly to his own son and Peter, has left him utterly damned beyond hope of forgiveness or redemption, would be a spectacular story.

[Daibhidh]

Peter and Norman teaming up against Mephisto to take back what they gave up in their ill-advised deals with him

Peter, Norman, and Mary Jane. There are two people who gave up their marriage, and there are two people who need to want it back.