The 20 greatest (and 10 worst) Spider-Man villains of all time

8th Best Villain: Harry Osborn/The Green Goblin

The son of Norman Osborn is the closest thing comics have to a Hamlet. Harry’s comes from privilege, but all wants is his father’s love. His best friend, Peter Parker, is the brother he never had, yet he’s jealous of all the attention his father gave him. Not to mention his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, kept flirting with Peter all the time. Little wonder then why he also started abusing drugs and alcohol.

Then he discovered his father was the Green Goblin. And when the Goblin died, Harry blamed Spider-Man. Things became even worse for Harry when he found out his best friend and father’s “murderer” were one and the same. It was enough to drive Harry insane, take up his father’s mantle, and seek vengeance.

What made Harry such a compelling villain is that, unlike Norman Osborn, he wasn’t an evil person at heart. He was a confused young man who desperately wanted the love his father could never give him. Even when finally cured his addictions and mental illness, and began settling down with a family of his own, Harry’s need to live up to his father’s expectations still ate away at him. His becoming the Green Goblin again during J.M. DeMatteis’ “The Child Within,” leading up to his death in Spectacular Spider-Man #200 still ranks as an epic, and surprisingly complex character study.

Of course, like most comic book deaths, both Harry and his father are now back from beyond the grave. Not to mention Harry has also dissociated himself from his dad to the point he legally goes by his mother’s maiden name of Lyman. So it doesn’t look as though he’ll be carrying on the family tradition any time soon.