Marvel Comics celebrated the approaching 60th anniversary of Spider-Man, which lands in August, by putting a fresh coat of paint on one of his oldest foes by turning Norman Osborn from the Green Goblin to the 'Gold Goblin,' as revealed during the publisher's Spider-Man panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego.
While the tone of the panel was mostly celebratory, Marvel did sneak in a few hints and tidbits about the Wall-Crawler's upcoming adventures - including some particularly interesting developments for Norman Osborn, and a return for another classic villain in Norman's bad guy family tree.
First up, Marvel's just revealed October 2022 solicitations have already revealed that the Hobgoblin will return in Amazing Spider-Man #11. But at the panel, it was revealed that the new Hobgoblin arc will conclude in Amazing Spider-Man #13 - with "a chilling end."
Whatever happens, it'll apparently hit Norman Osborn particularly hard, as that issue will also put Osborn back in a Goblin suit - but not the GREEN Goblin suit. Instead, Norman will take up the mantle of the 'Gold Goblin,' complete with his own spinoff title from writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Lan Medina.
What the hell does the switch from Green to Gold mean (Aside from Norman maybe being a Packers fan)?
We'll find out with the rest of you, but let's just say our Spider-Senses are already tingling about this development, especially since Norman will soon become an ally to Spider-Man, equipping him with a new OsCorp-designed suit complete with Goblin-esque weapons including Spider-Bombs and a Spider-Glider.
As for who the returning Hobgoblin is, the text for Amazing Spider-Man #11 in Marvel's October solicitations asks that very question, listing former Hobgoblins Roderick Kingsley, Ned Leeds, and Flash Thompson as possibilities. But the question of who is behind the mask of the Hobgoblin is baked into the concept of the character, so there will likely be some twists along the way.
Then, in Amazing Spider-Man #14, Chasm returns in a prelude to the upcoming Spider-Man/X-Men crossover The Dark Web. He'll appear alongside his partner in crime in that story, the Goblin Queen (Madelyne Pryor, no relation to Osborn's alter ego) - and a "brand new" villain who has yet to be revealed.
The original Hobgoblin saga is one of the best Spider-Man stories ever.
Stay up on all the Marvel Comics news coming out of Comic-Con International: San Diego with Newsarama's ongoing coverage:
- Chris Claremont relaunches X-Treme X-Men alongside Salvador Larroca
- Kraven the Hunter gets a comic book origin story just in time for his movie
- Strange Academy relaunches with original creative team
- Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise sends the Sorcerer Supreme on a fantasy style quest
- Marvel's Korean super team Tiger Division gets their own title in November
