Harry Osborn

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Harry is the only son of Norman Osborn and Emily Lyman. The circumstances of Harry's birth weaken Emily, and she dies after a long illness. Heartbroken, Norman becomes a cold and unloving father; Norman either contemptuously dismisses Harry or lashes out at him in fury. As a result, Harry spends much of his life trying desperately to earn his father's approval. Unbeknownst to him, Norman traded his son's soul to the demon Mephisto in exchange for wealth and power, and Harry would be cursed for the rest of his life while Norman forgot the deal. Upon graduating from high school, Harry enrolls in Empire State University. Among the wealthiest students in the school, Harry soon becomes one of the most popular as well, despite his aloof manner. He has a clique of rich, popular students around him; one of these is Gwen Stacy. Gwen is intrigued by a new student: Peter Parker. Harry takes a dislike to Peter as Peter's 'cold shoulder' towards everyone reminds him of his own father's behavior. After confronting Parker, Harry realizes that Peter is merely shy and is also worried about his ailing aunt May Parker. Despite this rocky start, Harry and Peter became best friends, eventually sharing an apartment.

In Their Own Story

Harry does not realize that his best friend is the superhero Spider-Man, nor that his father is the supervillain Green Goblin in an accident while attempting to create a super-serum. Moreover, before he became friends with Harry, Spider-Man was unmasked and captured by the Goblin. During the subsequent battle, an electric shock removed all memory of being the Goblin from Norman's mind. Spider-Man then hid all evidence of Norman's double identity, to keep Harry from being hurt by the revelation. However, Norman's Goblin persona resurfaces from time to time. These are difficult times for Harry, as his father's periodic episodes are unexplainable. He had experimented with drugs in his teens; but he escalates his usage, as well as trying ever-harder substances. This affects his mental stability and his relationships with his friends. Spider-Man uses this to his advantage during one battle with the Goblin; he is able to stop the fight by showing Norman his son's emaciated condition, brought on by an accidental drug overdose. The sight shocks Norman so much that it brings him back to sanity. Harry is dumped by Mary Jane Watson due to being fed up with his self-destructive lifestyle. Disconsolate, Harry turns to drugs and overdoses on amphetamines. He recovers at home instead of at a hospital, as Norman wanted to keep the matter quiet, and a doctor diagnoses him with schizophrenia. After Norman is supposedly killed, Harry swears vengeance and confronts Peter as the second Green Goblin.

Reader's Guide

Harry Osborn first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 (December 1965), created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. In The Amazing Spider-Man #122 (July 1973), Harry's father Norman is killed off, and a subplot leading to Harry inheriting his father's identity as the Green Goblin is introduced. This subplot culminates in The Amazing Spider-Man #136 (September 1974). Writer Gerry Conway said the idea of Harry becoming the Green Goblin stemmed in part from a desire to deal with the consequences of the psychedelic drugs Harry began using in The Amazing Spider-Man #96 (May 1971). Harry dies in The Spectacular Spider-Man #200 (May 1993). Artist Sal Buscema said drawing the final two pages was deeply emotional due to how long he had drawn the character. Harry was eventually revived in The Amazing Spider-Man #545 (December 2007), later revealed to be a clone. After manipulations of the timeline, a 'genetic duplicate' maintains a life on Earth. Harry legally changed his name to Harry Lyman based on his mother's maiden name as he now works at Parker Industries. During the fight against Kindred, Harry learns that he's a clone before he aids Spider-Man and saves Norman to which he ends up fatally wounded, collapsing into Peter's arms and dies.

Did You Know?

• Harry Osborn first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 (December 1965), created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
• Writer Gerry Conway said the idea of Harry becoming the Green Goblin stemmed from the psychedelic drugs Harry began using in The Amazing Spider-Man #96 (May 1971).
• Harry dies in The Spectacular Spider-Man #200 (May 1993); artist Sal Buscema said drawing the final two pages was deeply emotional.
• Unbeknownst to Harry, Norman traded his son's soul to the demon Mephisto in exchange for wealth and power.
• Harry legally changed his name to Harry Lyman based on his mother's maiden name while working at Parker Industries.