Sometimes it just sucks to be Harry.

"The Child Within," running from Spectacular Spider-Man #178-184, proved to be the swan song of the Harry Osborn we had known for the past 30 years, a decent yet tormented man who while flirting with the power and madness that is the Osborn/Goblin Legacy, had yet to be consumed by it. However, his last confrontation with Peter Parker in issue #183 (December 1991) was the straw breaking the proverbial camel’s back. Harry realized that he could not be the ruthless master of men that his father, the “late” Norman Osborn, was, but neither could he be the selfless hero that his best friend, Peter Parker, was. To embrace Peter as a friend would mean turning his back on his father’s memory, acknowledging once and for all the monster that Norman Osborn had been, and admitting the most horrible of truths, that his father had murdered Gwen Stacy, who may very well have been the most important person in Harry’s life besides his father. Seeing Peter, who had been the love of Gwen’s life, was a constant reminder of his father’s crimes. And he had spent too many years seeking the approval of Norman Osborn to let him go. It had been his life’s quest.

But there were other reasons why in his mind, Harry couldn’t just give up his father’s ghost and go back to his life, especially with Peter Parker still around. For one, he probably believed that Peter would never forgive him for going off his rocker like he did. But more importantly, he had been humiliated more than once by the power that Spider-Man possessed. The playing field was too uneven. Peter would always have the upper hand whenever the two were together, and Spider-Man’s power would almost always ensure that his will, his desire would carry the day, not Harry’s. It is difficult for a man to be in the company of another man knowing that he is the clear inferior in the relationship, particularly in Harry’s mind.

And there’s only one thing that would balance the scales.

Harry had always seen himself as weak. It was something his father always reinforced. How would life have been different if one day, instead of Norman knocking him around – Harry had the ability to knock the old man flat on his ass? But Harry never had that or any other kind of closure in his relationship with Norman. And he and his family had been threatened by two Hobgoblins – which made him feel especially vulnerable. And who’s to say that someone else wouldn’t come looking for his father’s secrets some day? How would Harry defend his family then? He had been lucky to have Spider-Man fighting the first Hobgoblin for him, and fortunate that the second Hobgoblin was an incompetent buffoon. And having Spider-Man living upstairs (and remember, Peter and Mary Jane were just living together in Harry’s building in Soho – they weren’t really married) – it had to be unnerving. Harry felt inferior to Peter in many ways – and this just exacerbated it. Even if Harry wasn’t losing his grip beforehand, superpowers is a tempting proposition for anyone.

And in Spectacular Spider-Man #188 (May 1992), we see that Harry has finally found what he was looking for – his father’s (or rather, Mendel Stromm’s) super strength Goblin formula, as he bathes in the chemicals that gave both his father and Roderick Kingsley, the first Hobgoblin, their powers. The narrative tells us that Harry is now totally insane, supposedly a consequence of immersion in the Goblin formula. As my faithful readers know, I never believed that it was the Goblin formula that drove Norman Osborn insane – that he was already nuts and the power that the formula gave him resulted in the release of his inhibitions. I think that the same can be said for Harry. However, as we will later learn, there was something a little different about this mixture.

Harry kicks ass
For Green Goblin fans, Spectacular Spider-Man #189 (June 1992), is a must have for a variety of reasons. For starters, it observed the 30th anniversary of Spider-Man (and here we are at 46 years - was the 30th anniversary really that long ago?), and like the other spider-titles that month came with a 3-D holographic cover. Eventually this would be just one of the many tiresome and overused cover gimmicks during the 1990's, especially since the holographic effects weren’t all that good and required some squinting and shifting to notice. However, this issue also included a nifty gatefold poster of Spidey in the black suit chasing the Hobgoblin, and nearly 40 pages of Spidey story material, most of which is devoted to the Green Goblin story. Unlike other larger or overpriced material, where you were stuck paying for 40% of non-Spider-Man material (or in the case of the recent “One More Delay” an extra buck for extraneous narrative readily available on the internet or other publications), this was well worth the $2.95 ($3.50 in Canada - don't want to forget my Canuck readers!) you had to shell out in 1992.

Appropriately titled "The Osborn Legacy," the story begins with Peter receiving a rather charming "Goblin in a Box" and Mary Jane finding an exploding Spider-Man filled with confetti in their bed. After a long absence, it is clear to Peter that Harry is back and messing with him. He also learns that that Liz and little Norman and Mark Raxton are nowhere to be found. So, it becomes imperative to find Harry - fast - before he really does something crazy.

Spidey finally tracks Harry and the others down to the Osborn family homestead, where Harry has spent the last several hours over dinner, regaling his family and Raxton with tales of how things will be different now that he has super powers, but that unlike his father, he won’t neglect his family. However, although now super powered, Spider-Man is able to gain the upper hand and knock Harry out. Later, the Guardsmen come to take him to the Vault and as he is being lead away, he drops the bomb that he knows Spider-Man’s secret identity and that he will tell the world – but not just yet.

Issue #190 (July 1992) begins with Dr. Kafka trying to reach into Harry’s psyche and help him, but he’s too far gone to be reached. And although incarcerated, Harry is still able to promote mischief by hiring the Rhino to terrorize Peter. The cops come and claim Harry and take him to the Vault, while Liz continues to be in denial about Harry’s problems and blames them on Spider-Man.

Harry's next appearance occurred during Liz's visit to him during his incarceration in the Vault in a backup story in Amazing Spider-Man #369 (November 1992). Harry is in a restraint due to his superpowers and is sweating profusely (our first clue that something may be seriously wrong with Harry physically). Liz tells him that since she won't testify against him, and most of the crimes committed by the Green Goblin were committed by Norman Osborn (this is our first hint that Norman has been outed as the Goblin, which wasn’t the first time, and which Norman has been able to overcome more than once), that he will likely be released. During their conversation, Liz mentions that Peter's parents are back - which genuinely seems to shock Harry - "They're dead! You don't see my mother and father crawling out of their graves!" (Well, at least not your mother...) But then the shock gives way to a large smile.

Harry breaks free from his restraints as the Vault guards underestimated his strength. He grabs Liz and tells her not to make little Norman weak so that he will not be ashamed of him as his father was of him. However, even though the Guardsmen zap him and place him in stronger restraints, he seems to be quite amused at the thought of Pete's parents being alive. What does this mean? Does this mean that Harry is formulating a scheme against them - or are they themselves the scheme?

Hmmmm. More on that later.

The Death of Harry Osborn
Harry's swan song begins in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man #199 (April 1993). After finishing a team-up with the X-Men, Peter returns home to the Soho flat to see the “Happy” Osborn Family, although it is clear that the happiness is a facade. Harry was released from prison since there was no evidence that he had committed any crimes, either as the Goblin or in his civilian identity. It is clear that all is not well in the Osborn household as little Norman is torturing a Spider-Man toy, Liz is paralyzed with fright and Harry's conversation is laden with double meanings as he vacillates between barely concealed rage and genuine sadness while he begins severely sweating again. Liz is in such denial that you want to shake the daylights out of her and scream at her until she gets a clue - but we have to remember what we discussed about Liz earlier - that she is by nature a nurturer. She took care of her step brother Mark Raxton for years, no matter how irrational he got, as the chemicals that coated his skin and made him the Molten Man helped drive him mad and began to kill him. And she is going to be there for her husband until the bitter end, no matter how crazy he gets – that’s just the type of person she is.

While walking the streets, MJ is suddenly grabbed by the Green Goblin, who takes her on his glider to the infamous Bridge of Death (35 years later and I still can't remember for certain whether or not it's supposed to be the Brooklyn Bridge or the George Washington Bridge, so I'll just call it the Bridge of Death). MJ thinks that Harry is going to toss her off just like his old man did to Gwen, but Harry is hurt by her suggestion. It turns out that this bridge haunts Harry as much as it does Peter, as it's the place "where all our hearts were broken - all our lives were shattered. I still miss Gwen - so much." Mary Jane tries to get Harry to face up to the fact that it was his father Norman who killed Gwen, but Harry cannot deal with the truth. However, he is willing to make a distinction that his father never did - he will confine his vendetta solely to Peter. He will not use Mary Jane or May as pawns in his struggle.

His pledge to not terrorize another man’s family does not appear to extend to his own, however unconsciously. When Liz suggests that Harry go to bed because of his obvious fever, Harry quickly puts his hands around Liz's throat telling her that he's an Osborn - strong enough to rule this family - this city! He's going to be the man his father was even if it kills him! (Be careful what you wish for, Harry...)

In costume, Harry stalks Peter, taunting him - making no secret of the fact that he's the Green Goblin (he's considered just a rich, harmless, eccentric). He also is heavily promoting something he started called the "Norman Osborn Foundation" dedicated to doing good around the world. (Fans of the series will remember Norman actually doing something similar in Spectacular Spider-Man #250 (October 1997), and donating money in Harry's memory because of his addictions - by the way - one of the best Norman Osborn stories). Harry is going to have a big kick off party at a townhouse renovated to house the Foundation, but he has a sinister motivation in mind. "I have plans for this city - I'm going to make my father look like an amateur by comparison!"

And then in one of two genuinely spooky scenes, Harry is standing next to a large picture of Norman Osborn and responds to Liz talking enthusiastically about the work Harry is putting into his new foundation. But rather than take the credit himself, Harry says that it's his doing - Norman's - that Norman is fueling his efforts. When I first read this all of those years ago, I thought that it was just too cool. That even dead, Norman Osborn's evil was so strong, it was reaching from beyond the grave. Even dead, he was still Spider-Man's greatest enemy - working through Harry. And I also remember thinking, “Boy, wouldn’t it be great if Norman came back some day?”

Later in the evening is the second such scene. With little Norman sleeping nearby, Harry talks directly to the picture of the elder Norman Osborn, stating how he has invited all of New York's luminaries to the kick off celebration for the Osborn Foundation in the renovated townhouse, but that in the middle of the function, he's going to blow up the building! And with it will go all of the high and mighty jackasses who thought they were so much better than the Osborns - and the world will know that there's a new, even more ruthless Green Goblin in town. But he won't make the one mistake that the old man did - he won't forget his family! This is the closest that Harry comes to admitting that his father was something less than perfect.

I remember when I first read this being enthused at the direction Harry was taking. This was the line that Harry needed to cross in order to become an effective supervillain. He couldn’t just be a warped, frustrated, mentally ill man child who confined his agenda to simply making Peter Parker’s life miserable – he had to become a true criminal – and you had to believe that he really would kill anyone who got in his way. Ah, but little did I know what JM DeMatteis had planned for poor old Harry.

MJ goes to the Osborn Foundation townhouse to plead with Harry to give all of this Green Goblin madness up, to seek help, and to return things to the way that they were. However, Harry is beyond the point of reason. Coincidentally, Spider-Man arrives, ostensibly just to snoop around to see if there's something he can pin on Harry and put him away peacefully, but the endgame is joined.

Spider-Man and the Goblin beat the crap out of each other in a scene that is uncomfortably like hurt/comfort slash fan fiction. Harry decides to put an end to the fighting by drugging Peter, and then decides to blow up the building with both of them in it. "We leave nothing but pain in our wake. We're toxic" says Harry as he rationalizes his action.

However, after triggering the device, Harry sees that MJ and little Norman have walked back into the building - and Harry flies out on the glider and rushes them out of the building. MJ pleads with Harry to go back for Peter, and after a moment of indecision, he does. In this final heroic moment, Harry proves that no matter what, he is not the man that his father was, that he could never be the killer that Norman Osborn was. He just doesn’t have it in him. As he tells Spider-Man after he collapses to the pavement “I did it Peter, just the way you would’ve done it. A real hero.”

And in the ambulance, after a final moment in which Spider-Man and Harry exchange looks of forgiveness and friendship, Harry Osborn passes away, either because the Goblin formula was toxic to his bloodstream, or because it was too much for his heart, causing it to give out (both explanations have been given, and both are likely true).

It was a sad moment, touching, and tragic. As DeMatteis has stated before, he didn’t go into the story with the intention of killing off Harry, but that’s the direction the story took him.

In the short term, it made perfect sense for that story. But in the long run, it proved to be a huge mistake.

Should Harry Have Died?
No.

I fully agree with Joe Quesada when he said in one of his Newsarama “Joe Fridays” that killing off Harry was “stupid.” Although I really don’t blame DeMatteis that much, because a writer wants to write the best story he can – and frankly, as one begins to write this story – the death of Harry is really the only way to end it. Neither shipping him off to a loony bin (again) nor having him become miraculously cured of a lifetime of self-doubt and self-loathing necessarily makes for a fitting end to a story. And as the writer stated in the Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast , no one at Marvel said “boo” about killing Harry off. Plus, as we saw at the end of Spider-Man 3, the death of Harry, succumbing to injuries suffered in defending Peter against Venom, made for a powerful movie moment.

However, there's one rule for movie story arcs, and another for perpetual serialized fiction. But that’s where the editorial staff looks at the long-term impact on a title and says “this won’t work. This is not in Spider-Man’s best long-term interest.” Of course, we have to remember that this was approaching the time that Marvel was doing nothing in Spider-Man's best interest.

Harry's death left two huge voids in the titles - the first one was that he was Peter's best friend and had been a key member of the supporting cast since Amazing Spider-Man #31 (December 1965), a period of nearly 30 years. Harry, with his position as the head of a major corporation, his personal demons, his marriage to another long time supporting character, and his status as the son of the man who had been Spider-Man’s deadliest enemy and the keeper of those family secrets was a strong character not easily replaced. And the second was that a villainous Green Goblin had been a part of the titles since way back in Amazing Spider-Man #14 (July 1964), although he had been dormant for a long while. And while the original Hobgoblin as originally written could have been a worthy successor to the Green Goblin, he was gone now too! The Osborns and their travails had been a solid part of the Spider-Man mythology, and now it was gone.

But, then, as we know, a little thing such as death never stopped a vengeful Osborn.

Harry's Posthumous Schemes
Of course, any good Osborn always has a number of schemes going, and they’ve never let a little thing such as death get in the way. Harry had two, including one that began the bitter slide to the Clone Saga (which turned out to be the scheme of another Osborn)!

But before that, Harry had to play some mind games with Peter. In Spectacular Spider-Man #204 (September 1993), Harry’s friends and family gather for a reading of his will, which Harry had videotaped. He leaves Peter a jewelry box with a “surprise,” which drives Pete bonkers until he opens it – and all there is is a piece of paper that says “Gotcha.” This makes Spidey think that Harry is actually still alive, and it’s only after he rattles Liz by expressing this belief does he come to his senses (but good thinking Spidey, just a little premature).

The first scheme is what I call the “Robot Parents” saga, which began in Amazing Spider-Man #363 (June 1992), when a mysterious middle aged couple boarded a plane to New York City, with the woman fearing the impact of their arrival upon people, particularly one Peter Parker. In issue #365 they are introduced as Peter’s long believed dead parents, who weren’t really dead (boy, that seems to be a common theme in superhero comic books, doesn’t it?). Rather than dying in a plane crash, they had actually been kidnapped by Soviet agents who were looking to obtain information on the Red Skull (whom the Parkers were spying on for the US). They were kept in a series of internment camps as prisoners by the Soviets and released when the Evil Empire collapsed. However, Peter was naturally suspicious, as was Aunt May (who went so far as to hire a private detective to follow the couple around), but neither could uncover any evidence to counter their suspicions. Unfortunately, this subplot and the accompanying riddle went on for two years, dragged well beyond its breaking point. According to the writer of Amazing Spider-Man at the time, David Michelinie, the problem was with Spider-Editor Danny Fingeroth, who couldn’t make up his mind whether the parents were real or not, which must have been frustrating for a writer, not going where the story was going, and therefore unable to do any foreshadowing, or even really develop the characters since any development might not fit with the ultimate denouement.

It finally came to an end in issue #388 (April 1994) when it was revealed that Peter’s “parents” were really artificial life forms created by the Chameleon and inserted into Peter’s life. The Chameleon believed that Peter held information regarding Spider-Man’s true identity and that ultimately he would trust his “parents” with this knowledge (which frankly, seems to be quite a leap and an awfully round about way to get to where you want to go). The story ends with both “robots” destroyed, the Chameleon escaping, and Peter determined to hunt down the Chameleon and interestingly enough “whoever put him up to this.” The latter is curious because under no circumstances in the story were we led to believe that the mastermind of the plot was anyone but the Chameleon, so what led Peter to believe there was? Either this was a slip-up, or a clumsy bit of artistic license taken to hook the reader into believing there was more to the story.

After a chase that continued through a four part crossover (with references by both Spidey and the Chameleon of another player in the matter) through all of the existing spider titles at that time, the end came in Amazing Spider-Man #389, when Peter finds out that it was Harry who was behind the whole scheme.

But the late Mr. Osborn wasn’t done yet.

All things considered, even with one major flaw, our next story the one-shot Legacy of Evil (June 1996) was pretty cool - and was clearly meant to be the final word, the end of the Osborn/Goblin story when it was first conceived. Its timing is odd, since this is clearly the Peter Parker, and not the Ben Reilly, Spider-Man, and it takes place before the events of Green Goblin #1, where Phil Urich, the teenage nephew of Bugle reporter Ben, first stumbled onto one of Harry’s secret lairs. And as we found out in Life of Reilly, events were moving in the direction of bringing Norman back - so rather than the epilogue to the entire Osborn story – this now becomes just another chapter in the saga, and the genesis of Norman Osborn's grievances against Ben Urich and the Daily Bugle.

The art, by Mark Texeira, won't be everyone's cup of tea (damn clichés) - it's certainly different – and sometimes different is good - my only real problem with it was why middle-aged reporter Ben Urich comes out looking younger. He clearly appears to be modeled on someone, but I can't place it.

The story unfolds as Urich is about to interview Liz Osborn for his book on the Green Goblin (titled Legacy of Evil natch), but instead of finding Liz, he comes across a battle between Spider-Man and three female Goblins on gliders (Spidey even refers to this battle in Amazing Spider-Man #569). Spidey takes out one, but the other two get what they came for, Liz's son Norman (just his first of many turns as a kidnap victim). Although none of the Goblins spoke, Liz claims that she heard them "in her head" (which is key later) say that they were taking little Norman away so that he could receive his birthright - the Legacy of the Green Goblin! But what can that possibly mean? And so, between the three of them, Ben, Liz, and Spider-Man, they decide to piece as much as they can about the history of the Green Goblin and the men who took up the mantle, hoping that it will tell them what the "legacy" is and where little Norman could be.

As Ben conducts his research, he is joined by Mark Raxton, whom Liz has asked to serve as Ben's bodyguard (always a good idea to have some protection when you're snooping around in the depths of human evil). And curiously, the first thing that is done is to exhume Harry. Naturally, of course, this would be a first step - however, there is an interesting loophole if you think about it - Ben says that Harry's coffin is "exhumed. And opened. And it's confirmed. He's dead, all right." At first I noted the lack of any real forensic checks, such as dental records or DNA since we all know how supervillains have a way of faking their deaths, but then though better about it, since it was probably just best for the story to sum up the fact of the certainty of Harry’s death quickly and move on. It will be interesting to see whether or not Marvel decides to address this hurdle when the time comes to explain how Harry is alive in “Brand New Day” continuity.

But here’s a real question - why didn't they exhume Norman as well? I suppose the logic would be that there had never been an indication in the seven or so years (Marvel time based on the reference in Osborn Journal of the time between Gwen Stacy’s death and the end of the Clone Saga) that Norman has been "dead," that he was still alive and kicking somewhere. Looking back, though, you would have thought they would have hedged their bets.

Meanwhile, Spidey is shaking up the underworld trying to get a line on the Goblin and where he may be only to get the same answer “He’s dead.” Urich spends his time investigating Norman and Harry’s backgrounds and people who knew them (with two glaring exceptions) and develops an incorrect theory of the Goblin timeline when Harry first became the Goblin. He comes to the conclusion that Harry became the Goblin soon after entering college because the Goblin’s behavior becomes increasingly psychotic around then, (although not specified, Ben no doubt likely believes this parallels Harry’s drug abuse).

Eventually, Spider-Man deduces the truth, that Liz has been under the posthumous control of the Green Goblin, and finds that little Norman has been spirited away to another secret Goblin hideout where he is suspended in a cage above a vat containing the Goblin formula – the “legacy” of the Green Goblin and his “birthright.” It’s Spidey to the rescue again as he saves Normie from being immersed in what is more than likely the same type of Goblin gunk that killed Harry.

But Ben still has questions of Spider-Man about the Goblin; such as if Harry didn’t become the Goblin until after Norman’s death, then why did Norman become more psychotic? Spider-Man says “because he knew…and I knew…and he couldn’t stand the thought of …” before catching himself and realizing that the fact that they knew each other’s identities, and that Norman flipped out when he discovered that Spider-Man was living right under his very nose, is all part of the story that he is not ready to tell. However, it appears to be too late, as it is clearly hinted that Urich is on the right track to unraveling the entire mystery - but to do so would result in a situation similar to Daredevil - "another story that he'll never write."

The conclusion has Ben Urich putting the finishing touches on his book while nephew Phil looks on with interest, and the story of the Green Goblin, at least the villainous Green Goblin, has now come to an end.

Well, or so it seemed at the time.

The story is an interesting one, but unfortunately, the big glaring hole turns out to be why Urich never even considers talking to Peter Parker or Mary Jane Watson! They aren't even mentioned in the story! Peter was Harry's best friend and roommate, and MJ was his girlfriend at the time when he began his first trip down Insanity Lane. After all, Ben talked to Flash Thompson, didn't he, so why not Peter and MJ? Both of them would be in a far better position to comment on Harry's psychosis and his relationship with his father than Liz or Raxton - neither of whom would have even been likely to have even met Norman Osborn! After all, wouldn't Ben have been curious why the Green Goblin came into Peter Parker's apartment, and took Gwen Stacy hostage? Was it because Peter didn't catch Gobby’s good side in a picture? Ben Urich seems to be far too good of a reporter (remember, he eventually doped out Spider-Man’s secret identity anyway as we saw in The Pulse #4) to have so clearly overlooked Peter and Mary Jane’s connections to Harry.

Although not necessarily a full fledged scheme, it soon became apparent that while alive Harry was continuing to work on upgrades to the Goblin arsenal, including a new formula, a new costume, and new weapons. Phil Urich stumbled upon these in Green Goblin #1 (October 1995). This included a new mask with a sonic “lunatic laugh” that was enough to shatter eardrums.

And then there was the posthumous scheme that almost was but then wasn’t. Life of Reilly, of course, chronicles this far better than I could – but the original mastermind behind the Clone Saga was meant to be Harry Osborn, and not Norman. Once it was decided that Peter Parker was to resume the mantle of Spider-Man, there came the need to have a mastermind behind the Jackal, someone who had manipulated even the grand event of the “revelation” that Peter was the clone and Ben was the real thing. But who was a “big” enough villain for it to be – it couldn’t be just anyone – and this villain had to be one with a certain amount of scientific expertise or access to same, and had been around long enough since the original Clone Saga had taken place twenty years earlier. There were really only two (or three) depending on your perspective: a Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus (who was actually considered).

In fact, it was decided early that it wouldn’t be Norman Osborn because that meant undoing part of the classic Amazing Spider-Man #122. Oh, the irony.

So, in Amazing Spider-Man #411, a mysterious desiccated character in an environmental suit, named “Gaunt,” made his debut. It was intended that this character would have been Harry Osborn, who was not killed by the revised Goblin formula, but who was literally rotting away as a result of using it. However, then Editor in Chief Bob Harras decreed that Harry could not be the mastermind behind the Clone Saga, that it had to be Norman, because in his opinion Norman was far more believable as a villain sinister and manipulative enough to have managed the whole enterprise. Therefore, Gaunt was turned into Mendel Stromm, and in the employ of Norman, the true mastermind.

Could Harry have been the mastermind behind the Clone Saga? We’ll debate later whether Harry or Norman was the better villain, but yes, Harry could easily have been the mastermind. It would have required some tap dancing, although I suppose no more dancing that having the long-dead Norman be the plotter. Remember, when Norman "died," Harry's mind was fried from drug use, although he apparently recovered enough of his senses to follow Norman out to his final battle with Spider-Man, and strip the Goblin costume off his father's body. However, after issue #137 he was committed to a mental hospital, and then beginning in issue #151 when he returned, he forgot all about his father's connection to the Goblin, and assumed he was a bored rich kid with mental problems who was just playing supervillain. He did not realize that his father was actually the Goblin until issue #249, when the Hobgoblin sent him the evidence as part of a blackmail plot. And even then, he did not become fully aware of the whole history and secrets of the Green Goblin until around issue #312. As the convoluted ret-con that was Osborn Journals indicated, the mastermind behind the Clone Saga would have to have been actively managing the whole thing to keep it together (which included keeping tabs on Ben Reilly through Seward Trainer). While it could be argued that the Clone Saga was a plot that Norman had actually jumpstarted, and Harry just followed it - there still is the problem of Harry not being in a position to actually manage it. So, while it made less sense for Harry to be the mastermind, the fact that everything was stretched past the breaking point to make it Norman, it isn't inconceivable that a creative writer couldn't have come up with something that made sense in the twisted realm of Spidey pseudo-science. After all, once Harry's body was restored, the Clone Saga was over, and he was restored to the land of the living, his presence would have been accepted and the circumstances of his return conveniently underplayed or ignored, just as Norman's have been. As far as the story Legacy of Evil, where Harry's body was dug up and it was confirmed to be him? Well, that could easily be undone as well - after all - couldn't the mastermind behind the Clone Saga have created a clone to serve in the original's stead (not really, of course, because the clone's dental records wouldn't have matched Harry's, for one - although if that step was skipped and they went straight to DNA testing - I suppose the world could have been fooled. If you recall, in The Jackal Files, the Jackal claimed that he had checked to make sure that both Norman and Harry Osborn were really dead).

Harry or Norman?
One debate for Osborn lovers is which one was the better villain – Norman or Harry? I’ll admit, I’m biased, because I have always been a fan of Norman Osborn, and was thrilled when he turned out to be the mastermind behind the Clone Saga and therefore was back from the dead.

The appeal of Harry as the Goblin is the “my best friend is my greatest enemy,” take on the tale. It’s an irresistible lure to a writer and full of dramatic possibilities. Harry was not, nor had really ever been, a criminal unlike his father, who sought to take control of the New York mobs well before he became obsessed with Spider-Man’s destruction. For most of his history in the spider titles, Harry had been a neurotic, scared boy. Even as the Green Goblin, that’s still what Harry was deep inside, as JM DeMatteis so eloquently indicated during “The Child Within,” and “Best of Enemies.” Although Norman had once been wracked by fear and insecurity as a young man, that part of him died along with his wife, and only the monster remained. And what Harry ultimately wanted to be was a hero, as both his brief heroic turn as the Goblin, and his last words to Peter indicated.

Another aspect of Harry that distinguished him from his father was his humanity. Again, Norman’s humanity died the day that Emily Osborn did. And although Harry claimed to hate Peter Parker at the end, it really wasn’t Peter he hated, it was himself, but he projected that hatred onto Peter and Spider-Man because he felt inadequate to them both. Harry also made it clear that while he wanted to exact revenge upon Peter for the death of his father (and for how small he made him feel), that Mary Jane and Aunt May were excluded from his vendetta. As we all know, Norman Osborn has no such decency, as Peter’s friends and family have always been fair game. It is interesting what would have happened to Harry had Liz died – would he have lost his residual humanity just like his father? Would he have become a monster to his own son as Norman had been, and perpetuating the legacy of hatred and murder to yet another generation?

For Harry to have been an effective Goblin, however, he would have to have evolved beyond that scared child and into a true criminal mastermind, which he could have with skilled writing. With all that we have already discussed, Harry could have been a complex, yet still sympathetic character and villain.

But doggone it; I like Norman better because he is just plain evil in a way that Harry could never really be. Norman is simply a nasty piece of work who generates no sympathy and no compassion. Very little is beneath him. Harry is not in his class as a science or business intellect or as a megalomaniac. While Harry could have used and modified the technology of the Goblin, Norman was the one who invented it. Norman just seems to be the greater, more pervasive evil, and thus the better villain on a long term basis.

Should Harry Have Stayed Dead?
As everyone now knows, in Amazing Spider-Man #545 (January 2008) when Peter Parker awakens from his Mephisto induced slumber, he wakes up in a world where Harry Osborn is alive and well. Is this another blasphemy? Should Harry have stayed dead?

That’s a tough one.

I don’t have any trouble with supervillains coming back from the dead because that’s the sort of thing that supervillains do. Usually their body chemistry is altered in some way that they have some great healing factor (ala Norman Osborn), or their technology is sufficiently advanced to protect them (Doc Ock’s indestructible arms allowing him to survive a nuclear explosion in Amazing Spider-Man #132(April 1974)), or we just turn a blind eye without requiring any rational explanation (the Chameleon coming back after he hurled himself off a bridge in Webspinners #11). Even if the way they come back is totally lame (Doc Ock being resurrected by mystical ninjas in Amazing Spider-Man #427 (October 1997), we’ve already accepted a certain amount of absurdity to begin with when we accept that these beings can exist. And classic villains shouldn’t be killed off to begin with, although it’s hard to argue that Norman didn’t have it coming after he killed Gwen Stacy in the classic Amazing Spider-Man #121. That’s why I fully expect one day for the Quentin Beck Mysterio and the original Kraven to somehow shake off the cobwebs of death and return to the land of the living.

And sometimes the deaths of the supervillains are so stupid that it doesn’t matter how they come back because it’s to right a previous wrong. Bringing Doc Ock back after being killed by Kaine is a perfect example – he should never have been killed off. That’s also why the Quentin Beck Mysterio should come back, because there is no way that Kevin Smith should have been allowed to kill off a classic Ditko villain in the pages of another superhero’s magazine.

Even civilians come back from the dead these days – as did Aunt May (Peter Parker #97 (November 1998)) – although it turns out that it really wasn’t her that died in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #400 (April 1995) . I used to have a problem with civilians coming back from the dead because, after all, they don’t have funky super powers and the rationalization usually has to be even more absurd to bring them back, but this is a common cliché in daytime dramas (if you don’t see a body, they ain’t dead, no matter what) and is not exclusive to superhero comics.

The problem with resurrecting Harry is that his death actually served a strong dramatic purpose. For one, it was the logical end to that particular story. Secondly, when Norman Osborn came back, Harry’s death upped the ante in the conflict between Norman Osborn and Peter Parker. Both men loved him, yet they each blamed the other for his death. Rather than something that happened for a cheap dramatic effect and shock value (like I consider the death of Jean DeWolffe to be – that was a good character that should never have been killed – and her death has not served a dramatic purpose with the exception of the story she died in), Harry’s death, much like that of Gwen Stacy’s continued to resonate as the years went by. It was never far from the surface when Spider-Man and the Green Goblin did battle as each man believed that the other had taken someone they loved from them. Bringing Harry back removes that element of conflict, much like bringing back Gwen Stacy would do.

The difference between Gwen Stacy, who has stayed dead (although Joey Q almost brought her back), and Harry, who has come back, is that Gwen was replaced, arguably by better supporting characters (i.e. Mary Jane Watson and Felicia Hardy – I say arguably because the dear departed Ms. Stacy has a strong contingent of fans). Harry Osborn’s death left a hole in the Spider-Man mythology as he was never effectively replaced. After Harry died, either an existing friend, such as Flash Thompson, or a new character, should have stepped up into the role of Peter Parker’s best friend because as has been mentioned many times by the current Spider-Man staff, the story is really about Peter Parker, who happens to be Spider-Man. By killing off his friends and supporting cast members, you take away story opportunities for Peter Parker, and reduce the reasons for Spider-Man to return to his regular identity in the first place. After all, if he has no friends or family as Peter Parker, then he might as well be Spider-Man all the time.

Bringing Harry back serves a number of purposes (1) it gives Peter his best friend back and returns a strong anchor to his civilian identity. This was especially important since one primary anchor, Mary Jane as Peter’s wife, was removed (2) it brings back the reason that Spider-Man can never really bring himself to finish the Goblin off once and for all – he is his best friend’s father – and now we know for a fact just how devastating Norman’s “Death” was for Harry and (3) it gives us an interesting new (old?) dynamic in the relationship between Norman and Harry Osborn. For one, it gives Norman Osborn another character to have routine contact and conflict with other than Peter Parker and should serve to enrich that character.

In the final analysis, I’m glad to have Harry back. I just hope that the spider-writers actually use his character to its dramatic potential and not allow him to languish in the background.

Conclusion
In many ways, Harry Osborn is the most tragic figure of the Spider-Man mythology. Many would point to Gwen Stacy, but Gwen’s tenure in the Spider-Man saga was actually fairly brief (7 1/2 years compared to Harry's nearly 30), and what’s more, Harry's demise as originally unfolded was due in no small part to the people that he loved the most, most notably his father and his best friend. Both were oblivious to his needs and had betrayed him in their own way – Norman through his cruel abuse, and Peter through his neglect and his horrendous mistakes in judgment.

Now, with Harry back, they each have another chance to rectify their mistakes. But will they?

And now that Harry is back, where will his demons and anxieties lead him? Will he overcome them, or will he allow them to consume him as they did before?

Legions of Spider-Fans will be watching.