| Hobgoblin | |
|---|---|
.png) The original Hobgoblin inThe Amazing Spider-Man #238 (March 1983). Art byJohn Romita Sr. andJohn Romita Jr.. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Amazing Spider-Man #238 (March 1983)[1][2][3] |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego |
|
| Species | Human mutate |
| Abilities |
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TheHobgoblin is the alias of severalsupervillains appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics, most of whom are depicted as enemies of the superheroSpider-Man and belong to the collective of adversaries that make up hisrogues gallery. Created by writerRoger Stern and artistJohn Romita Jr., the original Hobgoblin first appeared inThe Amazing Spider-Man #238 (1983) as a criminal mastermind equipped withHalloween-themed weapons similar to those used by theGreen Goblin, including grenade-like Pumpkin Bombs, razor-sharp bat-shaped blades, and a flying Goblin Glider. Having perfected the experimental chemical formula that transformedNorman Osborn into the Green Goblin, the Hobgoblin possesses Osborn's enhanced strength and intelligence without his insanity, and vies to take control ofNew York City's criminal underworld.
The original Hobgoblin's true identity was one of the longest-running mysteries inSpider-Man comics, as the character often usedbrainwashed stand-ins and body doubles. Stern's original plan was to have the character'salter ego beRoderick Kingsley, a fashion designer andMary Jane Watson's former boss, but editorial conflicts following Stern's departure from Marvel led to the Hobgoblin instead being revealed asNed Leeds, Peter Parker's journalist co-worker at theDaily Bugle, in 1987. Stern was dissatisfied with this revelation and, upon returning to Marvel in 1997,retroactively established Kingsley as the original Hobgoblin with Leeds reframed as one of Kingsley's manyfall guys. Other characters that have been framed or manipulated into serving as Kingsley's decoys over the years includeLefty Donovan,Flash Thompson, histwin brotherDaniel Kingsley, and hisbutlerClaude.
The Hobgoblin mantle has also been assumed independently of Kingsley byJason Macendale,Spider-Man 2211's daughterRobin Borne,Ben Urich's nephewPhil Urich, andHarry Osborn inThe Amazing Spider-Mancomic strip andUltimate Marvelalternate continuities.
The Hobgoblin has been adapted in various media incarnations, including television series and video games. An amalgamated incarnation of the character namedJason Philips appeared inSpider-Man: The Animated Series, voiced byMark Hamill.
The Hobgoblin was created by writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita Jr. forThe Amazing Spider-Man #238 (March 1983).[4] Like other writers, Stern found himself under pressure to haveSpider-Man fight theGreen Goblin again, but did not wish to bringNorman Osborn orBart Hamilton back from the dead, haveHarry Osborn be a villain again, or create yet another Green Goblin. Stern instead created a new goblin as heir to the Green Goblin's legacy and developed the Hobgoblin.[5] Stern recounts that he directed Romita to base the costume on the Green Goblin's costume but to make it "a little moremedieval-looking", while Romita asserts that he was given no direction beyond using the Green Goblin as a basis. Both agree, however, that the costume was chiefly Romita's design.[6]
The Hobgoblin's identity was not initially revealed, generating one of the longest-running mysteries in theSpider-Man comics. According to Stern, "I plotted that first story with no strong idea of who the Hobgoblin was. As I was scripting those gorgeous pages from [John Romita, Jr.], particularly the last third of the book, and developing the Hobgoblin's speech pattern, I realized who he was. It was Roderick Kingsley, that sunuvabitch corporate leader I had introduced in my first issue of[The] Spectacular [Spider-Man]."[6] A handful of readers deduced that Kingsley was the Hobgoblin almost immediately. To throw them off the scent and in the same stroke provide aretroactive explanation for Kingsley's inconsistent characterization in his early appearances, Stern came up with the idea of Kingsley having a brother named Daniel who sometimes impersonates him, sealing the deception by having the Hobgoblin conspicuously appear in the same room as Daniel Kingsley inThe Amazing Spider-Man #249.[6]
Stern's original plan was to have the Hobgoblin's mystery identity run exactly one issue longer than that of the Green Goblin's identity, meaning the truth would be revealed inThe Amazing Spider-Man #264.[6] However, Stern left afterThe Amazing Spider-Man #251, and editorTom DeFalco took his place. Wanting to resolve the mystery in a manner that would do justice to Stern's stories, DeFalco asked Stern who the Hobgoblin was, but objected when Stern said it was Kingsley. DeFalco argued that the "twin brother" scheme was cheating the readers since there had been no hint that Roderick even had a brother (aside from a singlethought bubble), much less one who could serve as a body double. Stern disagreed but said that DeFalco should feel free to choose whoever he wanted for the Hobgoblin's secret identity, reasoning that "I knew that whomever Tom chose, he would make it work."[6] Upon reviewing the clues, DeFalco decided that the Hobgoblin wasRichard Fisk. He opted to prolong the mystery of his identity as long as possible, since it was the chief element that made the Hobgoblin interesting.[6] Through both Stern and DeFalco's runs, the answer was continuously teased on the cover art, with the covers ofThe Amazing Spider-Man #245, 251, and 276 all showing Spider-Man having unmasked the Hobgoblin.[7]
The mystery was further complicated afterJames Owsley came on as editor of theSpider-Man titles. Owsley's relationship with DeFalco and artistRon Frenz was strained from the beginning. When Owsley asked who the Hobgoblin was at a creators conference, DeFalco lied and said it wasNed Leeds. Owsley then wrote the one-shotSpider-Man vs Wolverine in which Leeds is killed off (though the actual death is not shown), and instructedThe Spectacular Spider-Man writerPeter David to reveal the Hobgoblin's identity as theForeigner. David objected and argued that the only person who fit the clues was Leeds. Having been present at the Spider-Man creator's conference, David also thought that Leeds was who DeFalco intended it to be. BecauseSpider-Man vs. Wolverine had already been drawn, however, it was too late to undo Leeds's death.[6] Thus, the Hobgoblin's identity was revealed posthumously in the double-sizedThe Amazing Spider-Man #289. With Spider-Man's archenemy now dead, a new storyline was created fromJason Macendale's hatred of the Hobgoblin.[7] Though the Hobgoblin's posthumous unmasking as Leeds was unpopular with fans, David said in a 2009 interview of still being proud of the story, arguing that the Hobgoblin being unmasked in a climactic battle with Spider-Man was the sort of tale readers had already seen countless times before, whereas having an archvillain unmasked in a flashback after having been brutally killed by nameless assassins was unprecedented and shocking.[6]
Macendale supplanted the original Hobgoblin for a decade (1987-1997). Initially he wielded only the weaponry of his predecessor, but during the 1988–1989 "Inferno"crossover writerGerry Conway had Macendale imbued with demonic powers by the demonN'astirh. In addition to power over hellfire and strength and speed far greater than his predecessor, N'astirh also disfigures Macendale so that his head resembles the Hobgoblin mask, and ultimately alters his mind so that he is deluded into thinking that his appearance is normal. Several years later, in issues ofThe Amazing Spider-Man, Macendale succeeds in purging himself of his demonic powers, leaving the demon that N'astirh imbued him with to becomeDemogoblin. Towards the end of Macendale's run as the Hobgoblin he was revamped again, this time with cybernetic implants.
Stern was unhappy with the revelation that the Hobgoblin's civilian identity was Leeds and wrote the three-issue miniseriesSpider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives in 1997, with theretcon that Kingsley was the original Hobgoblin while Leeds was brainwashed into serving as afall guy. In this miniseries Macendale is killed off. According to Stern, initially he had not known how to resolve the situation of having two Hobgoblins, and it was at the suggestion of the editorial staff that he had Kingsley kill Macendale and return to operating as the Hobgoblin.[6] Leeds returns as an independent Hobgoblin in the 2019 miniseriesSymbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality, revealed to have trained as a sorcerer underBaron Mordo in the art ofreality-alteringchaos magic. Leeds and Kingsley are brainwashed to serve as the Hobgoblin enforcers of theQueen Goblin in the 2022 storyline "The Hobgoblins' Last Stand" byZeb Wells.[8]
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Roderick Kingsley became a socialite, fashion designer and billionaire with criminal underworld connections by using unethical business practices and corporate raiding. Kingsley was an employer ofMary Jane Watson for a time.[9] As a means of avoiding the drill of day-to-day appearances, he has his timididentical twin brother Daniel Kingsley pose as him to run his corporation.[10] Kingsley's activities give him many enemies, one of which is Bella Donna (Narda Ravanna), a rival fashion designer whose business he ruined. She attempts revenge on Kingsley but is twice thwarted bySpider-Man.[11][12][13]
After these incidents, Kingsley seeks to protect himself and his empire by gaining more power. The thug George Hill reports to Kingsley of stumbling uponNorman Osborn's secret lair in hopes of earning a reward. Kingsley instead kills Hill to make sure that no one else gets wind of the discovery.[14] Upon examining the lair and gleaning its secrets, Kingsley decides to use the Goblin equipment. Arriving to the conclusion that all the previousGreen Goblin mantle wearers went mad, he creates a similar but different mantle: the Hobgoblin identity.[14] He uses some of Osborn's files to blackmail prominent figures,[15] and attempts to buy Osborn's old corporationOscorp and merge it with his own.[16] These schemes bring him into conflict with Spider-Man, to whom he repeatedly loses, as he lacks raw physical power.[17] Among Osborn's notes, Kingsley finds remnants ofMendel Stromm's strength enhancing potion and eventually perfects it, but, aware that Osborn was driven insane, Kingsley opts to test on someone else first.[18] He tricks small-time hoodLefty Donovan after using a mind-control device developed byGerhard Winkler (Osborn's former employee), the "Winkler Device", able to turn anyone into a Hobgoblin enthralled to another. Kingsley monitors his pawn's vital signs and behavior from a distance. When Spider-Man overwhelms and unmasks Donovan and the brainwashing begins to fail, Kingsley acts to protect his identity by programming Donovan'sglider to crash into a building, instantly killing Donovan.[18][19] Judging the experiment a success, Kingsley immerses himself in his completed formula derivative and gains greater strength than the original Goblin. He uses this strength to battle Spider-Man and theBlack Cat.[20] Despite his increased abilities, he is still narrowly defeated by Spider-Man. Worse, he attracts the attention of powerful criminal interests who perceive him as a threat, including theKingpin.[15] After a bitter encounter with Spider-Man,[21][22] Kingsley discoversDaily Bugle reporterNed Leeds investigating his lair.[23] Kingsley captures and brainwashes Leeds with the Winkler Device into being the Hobgoblin.[23]
The Hobgoblin kidnapsHarry Osborn. He battles Osborn who uses his own father's weaponry against the Hobgoblin.[24] During the events ofSecret Wars II, the Hobgoblin is recruited byMephisto to join the Legion Accursed, a team of ninety-nine supervillains who try to destroy theBeyonder.[25] Leeds works withRichard Fisk on a plan to bring down the Kingpin's empire as Richard adopts theRose crime lord identity, using Leeds to handle some negotiations. As Leeds gets too erratic to function as a decoy, Kingsley arranges for Leeds to be assassinated byJason Macendale and theForeigner while on a trip to Berlin, and retires from the Hobgoblin identity.
After several years, Kingsley returns to New York. He kills Macendale to prevent him from giving the authorities information that would jeopardize his secret identity in addition to seeing Macendale as an unworthy successor.[10] Learning thatBetty Brant has begun to investigate Ned's activities as the Hobgoblin—informed of the truth by Spider-Man after deciding that the Foreigner's human operatives could never have killed Leeds if Leeds had been super-powered—Kingsley kidnaps Betty and sets a trap for Spider-Man.[26] In the final fracas, Daniel is captured and the Hobgoblin is unmasked, clearing Ned's name. Roderick is taken to prison, imprisoned in the same cell where he killed Macendale.[23]
Furious at Norman Osborn's return and denial of being the Green Goblin, Kingsley spreads rumors of a secret journal that proves beyond doubt that Osborn was the Goblin, actually a ruse, knowing Osborn has been sending spies on him: all of the journals in his possession were destroyed during a battle with Spider-Man years before.[21] He offers to barter this information, for his freedom, with the District Attorney, guessing that Osborn will try to get to him first. Osborn, deciding to make a deal with Kingsley, breaks him out of prison. Kingsley is confronted by both Osborn and another Green Goblin.[27] Osborn provides Kingsley with new Goblin equipment, and both Goblins swoop in to collect Daniel, now in protective custody, who Roderick claims knows the final journal's location. Spider-Man defends Daniel, but is drugged and both men are taken back to Osborn.[16] Osborn knew Kingsley was lying about the journal and has bought Kingsley's company out from underneath him; the purpose of helping Kingsley escape is for Osborn to personally eliminate the one person who can prove that he is the Goblin. Kingsley attacks Osborn, who is shocked that Kingsley fails at killing him despite being stronger. The building burns as a result of their battle, and Spider-Man escapes with Daniel. With several million dollars hidden away in foreign bank accounts, Kingsley moves to a small island in the Caribbean to enjoy his retirement.[24]
Kingsley is seemingly killed byPhil Urich, who takes on the Hobgoblin mantle,[28] but this was in fact Daniel with Roderick still active in Ecuador under the alias ofDevil-Spider. Roderick learns of his brother's murder[29] and returns to New York City and the Hobgoblin role, intending to go after Urich.[30] Kingsley attacks Urich and the Kingpin in Shadowland. After a brief battle between the two Hobgoblins, Parker andMax Modell escape with the Goblin Key (a key to one of the Goblin warehouses). Kingsley and Urich call a brief truce and go after them.[31] After accessing the warehouse, Peter uses the Goblin tech to make himself a "Spider-Glider" and escapes. Urich insists on going after but Kingsley stuns Urich with a taser so they can both escape. Kingsley decides to let Urich remain the Hobgoblin, but only if Urich gives him a cut of whatever profits are made.[32]
Hobgoblin ends up in a gang war with theGoblin Nation, selling equipment to low-level criminals.[33] He is killed by the first Goblin King while his henchmen are claimed for the Goblin Nation. It is later revealed that Kingsley's butler Claude died in his place and that Kingsley is actually in Paris.[34]
During the "AXIS" storyline, Kingsley appears as a member of Magneto's unnamed supervillain group during the fight against theRed Skull. When Magneto arrives to recruit him, Kingsley attacks and is subjugated and forced to join Magneto's team.[35] The inversion spell caused byDoctor Doom andScarlet Witch affects the Red Skull and all those present inGenosha, making the superheroes present evil and the supervillains present good. Following his inversion, Kingsley returns to New York and finds himself happier with his inversion, although still motivated by greed rather than altruism. He reactivates his franchises where he leases the personas and costumes of deceased or retired superheroes to ordinary people, but remains a wanted criminal. He also enfranchises his Hobgoblin persona to various people to perform heroic deeds as Hobgoblin and publishes a comic about the group for promotion.[36] After the reinversion spell is cast to restore the Avengers and X-Men members that were affected by it back to the side of good, Kingsley is evil again.[37]
Kingsley later attempts to make a business deal with Norman Osborn, who returned the companies he had stolen from Kingsley years earlier in an attempt to put an end to their ongoing feud. Subsequently, in the storyline "The Hobgoblins' Last Stand", Kingsley and Ned Leeds are brainwashed by theQueen Goblin into both resuming their roles as Hobgoblins once more, serving as her enforcers.[8]
During the "Gang War" storyline, the Hobgoblin is shown to runBushwick, Brooklyn,Greenpoint, Brooklyn, andWilliamsburg, Brooklyn, having broken free from the Queen Goblin's influence.[38] The Hobgoblin and the Prowler provide weapons for the Enforcers in order to sway them to Hobgoblin's side. The Hobgoblin later watches the altercation between the newSpider-Man and theCape-Killers.[39] During Spider-Man,Ms. Marvel, and Gust's fight with the Hobgoblin andRabble, Spider-Man notices that the Hobgoblin's suit has been upgraded as the Hobgoblin's drones attack him. While Rabble gets away, the Hobgoblin sets off his pumpkin bombs, destroying his hideout.[40]
Roderick Kingsley hiresItsy Bitsy to take outRhino, who givesRhino drugs that drive him berserk. Spider-Man is given the same drugs, but manages to overcome the hallucinations caused by them. He webs up Itsy Bitsy and then goes after Hobgoblin. Hobgoblin attacks Rand Enterprises and targets Brian Nehring and Maira Osmani-Milton. As Spider-Man fights Hobgoblin, Nehring throws a mushroom whose spores cause Hobgoblin to hallucinate being swarmed by spiders, causing him to flee.[41]
Outside the courthouse, Roderick Kingsley was with his lawyer at a press conference as his lawyer states that he showed up as a courtesy. The prosecutors dropped the charges against him in the cola-tampering case and plan to find the people who accused his client. Norman Osborn was present and privately congratulated Kingsley on getting acquitted. Before leaving, Kingsley states to Osborn that he lost his edge when he stopped being Green Goblin and denied sending an assassin after him stating that he would've done it himself. This was witnessed by a mysterious hooded person who tells his people that they have a new ally to their cause. Kingsley later meets with these people who are shown to have grievances with Osborn.[42]
Arnold Samuel "Lefty"Donovan was a petty thug until he was exposed to the Goblin formula, disfiguring Donovan's face and granting superhuman abilities. Donovan is taken to a hospital. Brainwashed by the Winkler Device, Donovan eventually escapes the hospital and follows preprogrammed instructions to go to a hidden cache of Goblin weapons and dress up as the Hobgoblin.[18] Donovan attacks New York City but Spider-Man confronts and unmasks him. Spider-Man recognizes Lefty. As Donovan shakes off some of his programing and starts talking, Kingsley programs the Goblin glider to crash into the side of a building, killing Lefty on impact.[19]
Edward "Ned"Leeds, a reporter for theDaily Bugle, was initially revealed as the Hobgoblin's secret identity in 1987 at around the same time Leeds was murdered by theForeigner.[43] In 1997, Leeds wasretroactively established to have been brainwashed by Roderick Kingsley to act as a stand-in on many occasions and fool the underworld into thinking that he was the Hobgoblin, and Kingsley takes back over the role.[23] A clone of the character is introduced inDead No More: The Clone Conspiracy. Leeds is revived in a 2021 story showing that, under the influence of the brainwashing, he ingested a copy of the Goblin formula which revived him shortly after his initial assassination, and went into hiding.[44] In a 2022 story, Leeds and Kingsley are brainwashed by theQueen Goblin into both resuming their roles as Hobgoblins once more.[8] InSymbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality, Leeds is revealed to have trained as a sorcerer underBaron Mordo in the art ofreality-alteringchaos magic.[45]
Jason Philip Macendale Jr. is a mercenary and formerCIA agent who once operated as the supervillainJack O'Lantern. Mistakenly believing that Ned Leeds is the original Hobgoblin, Macendale hires the Foreigner to kill Leeds so that he can replace him as the second Hobgoblin.[46] Macendale is later killed by Roderick Kingsley.
An unidentified fifth Hobgoblin was introduced in the seriesSecret War. He received his equipment from theTinkerer. He is sent along withLady Octopus to attackCaptain America in his civilian identity by a terrorist.[47] This Hobgoblin is jailed along with the various defeated villains after the conclusion of the "War".[48]
Daniel Kingsley is Roderick Kingsley's twin brother. He acts as a body double until he is exposed byBetty Brant while the true Hobgoblin is unmasked by Spider-Man.[23] In protective custody, Daniel is unknowingly used by Roderick to blackmail Norman Osborn, resulting in the Hobgoblin swooping in to collect Daniel. Spider-Man defends Daniel but is drugged while Daniel passes out and both are taken to Osborn.[16] As Kingsley and Osborn fight each other, Daniel is rescued by Spider-Man.[24] Kingsley later returns to New York, posing as his twin brother as the Hobgoblin.[29] Kingsley investigates an old lair at OsCorp which has a flaming energy sword, but discovers Phil Urich trying to retrieve the same gear. Kingsley is stunned by Urich's "Lunatic Laugh" long enough for Urich to kill him.[28]
Phillip Benjamin "Phil" Urich (who once used the Green Goblin identity to operate as a superhero) took on the Hobgoblin identity as a supervillain with new body armor, a winged jetpack, and a flaming energy sword.[28]
Norman Osborn briefly impersonated the original Hobgoblin.[49]
Claude was Roderick'sbutler who was sent in place and to talk like his master to distract the Goblin Nation. He fought against and was killed in battle by the Goblin Knight, who then discovered it was Claude who was killed and destroyed his body to keep the Goblin King from finding out about the imposter Hobgoblin.[34]
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As the Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley wears bulletproof mail with an overlapping tunic, cape, and cowl. A computerized system cybernetically causes the finger-blasters to randomly vary their attack vectors when trained on a particular target. He uses a Goblin glider, a one-man miniature turbo-fan-powered vertical thrust, cybernetically controlled vehicle. It can reach high velocities and is extremely maneuverable. He uses concussion and incendiaryJack O'Lanterns, wraith-shaped smoke and gas-emitting bombs, bat shaped razor-edged throwing blades, and gloves woven with micro-circuited power conducting filaments which channel pulsed discharges of electricity. He wore a shoulder bag to carry his small, portable weaponry.[14]
Prior to his assassination,Ned Leeds wore the Hobgoblin's uniform and used the Goblin glider and equipment which included Jack O'Lantern bombs, razor bats and electrical shock gloves. However, he had no healing factor or superhuman strength.[23] Following his ingesting the Goblin Formula and subsequent resurrection, Leeds developed superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and stamina as well as a low-level rapid healing factor,[50] the latter of which allow him to survive otherwise fatal gunshot wounds.[44] Wieldingchaos magic following his training as a sorcerer underBaron Mordo, Leeds is capable of sensing other magic users, as well as casting spells relating to flight,teleportation, time manipulation, elemental manipulation, and reality warping.[45]
As the Hobgoblin,Phil Urich wears an orange Hobgoblin costume with wings on the back that allow him to fly without the use of a Goblin glider and he took the Hobgoblin mask as his own. He uses the traditional Pumpkin Bombs all Green Goblins and Hobgoblins before him have used, but he also has a new flaming sword.[28] He still retains his "Lunatic Laugh" and he also has superhuman strength, speed, durability, stamina, reflexes and senses, and enhanced intellect. For unknown reasons, he no longer needs his Goblin mask to activate this power. With the help of Reverbium, his "Lunatic Laugh" was able to cause a building to collapse.[51]
Am alternate universe version of Roderick Kingsley / Hobgoblin appears inThe Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows. This version is a member ofRegent's Sinister Six.[52] During a fight with Spider-Man, Hobgoblin is killed by his own pumpkin bomb after Spider-Man webs up his hand.[53]
| Hobgoblin 2211 | |
|---|---|
 Hobgoblin 2211 (left) andSpider-Man 2211. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Spider-Man 2099 Meets Spider-Man (November 1995) |
| Created by | Peter David Rick Leonardi |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Robin Borne |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina, durability and reflexes Genius-level intellect Use of goblin-themed weapons and paraphernalia |
Hobgoblin 2211 first appears inSpider-Man 2099 Meets Spider-Man. While her costume sports the twentieth-century Green Goblins' green-and-purple color scheme, she boasted that she was the Hobgoblin of 2211. Her identity was not revealed to readers (or to the visiting Spider-Men of previous eras) at the time, but her later reappearance inFriendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (also written by Peter David) revealed her true identity and origin.
Hobgoblin 2211 isRobin "Hobby"/"Hob" Borne,Spider-Man's daughter. Her father always seemed to put his superhero career before raising his own daughter. She wanted to save the universes from 'intersecting'; in other words, having other parallel universes merge with the existing one, causing it to override. She was later arrested by her father for something that she would have done in future: unauthorized travel across time and space. She was held in a virtual reality prison where she lives a benign and trouble-free existence in what appears to be Kansas. Her boyfriend attempts to free her by uploading a virus into the prison, but inadvertently causes her to be driven insane. She attacked her father with a 'retcon bomb' (a variation on the original Goblins' pumpkin bombs) but it hit her boyfriend instead, erasing (or 'retconning') him from existence.
Now suited up as the Hobgoblin, Robin managed to time-travel to the current year, attacking the current Spider-Man in his reality and derailing anUncle Ben from another reality into the present one causing a time paradox. Later, in a confrontation with her father, she threw a 'retcon bomb' at him. Spider-Man, believing it to be no more harmful than a regular pumpkin bomb, caught it with his web and threw it back to Robin, unwittingly erasing her from existence.
The Roderick Kingsley incarnation of Hobgoblin appears inJLA/Avengers as a brainwashed minion ofKrona.[54]
An original incarnation of Hobgoblin appears in Marvel Adventures. This version is an unidentified criminal who stole Green Goblin's weaponry after he inadvertently left his stash unguarded.[55]
A possible future version of Roderick Kingsley / Hobgoblin appears in theMC2 imprint. This version is a hired assassin.[56] He attempts a complex plot to become the new kingpin of crime, but is undone due to an act of treachery byMindworm. After killing Mindworm, Kingsley leaves for the Caribbean, but vows to eventually return and finish off Spider-Girl.[57] Kingsley later returns to New York City and instigates a mob war againstBlack Tarantula, only to be killed by Mayhem, Spider-Girl's half-symbiote clone.[58][59]
Harold "Harry"Osborn is an equivalent of the Hobgoblin in two different Marvel continuities.
In "The Amazing Spider-Man" newspaper strip, Harry as the Hobgoblin has repeatedly attacked Spider-Man, seeking vengeance for Norman Osborn's death. After trying to kill both Spider-Man and Black Widow after, under hypnotic influence of psychiatrist "Dr. Stone" (actually spy-assassin Dimitri Gregorin), Harry, seeing Spider-Man's heroism, realizes that Spider-Man is a hero, his father was a murderer, and gives up the Hobgoblin identity.
TheUltimate Marvel equivalent of the Hobgoblin is Harry when a second personality takes control.[60][61]
An alternate universe version of Roderick Kingsley / Hobgoblin appears inOld Man Logan. He is among a group of villains who attack the Avengers in Connecticut. He andVulture confront Wasp, only for Wasp to shoot Hobgoblin off his Goblin Glider.[62]
An unidentified alternate universe incarnation of Hobgoblin appears inSpider-Geddon.[63]
In the alternate continuity ofSpider-Gwen, theGreen Goblin uses an army of Hobgoblin-based androids while battlingSpider-Woman.[64]
Two alternate universe versions of Hobgoblin appear in "Spider-Verse":
Overwhelmed with rage over the death ofGwen Stacy, Peter Parker murders the Green Goblin, retires the Spider-Man identity, and becomes "the Goblin", a villain similar in costume to the Hobgoblin. TheSpider-Woman of Earth-65 attempts to recruit the Goblin into a growing army of Spiders to protect him from theInheritors, but he initially turns the offer down. When Spider-Woman reveals herself to be an alternate version of Gwen, the Goblin sacrifices himself to save her as atonement for failing to do so in his own dimension.[65]
The Earth-001 version of Hobgoblin appeared as a member of Verna's Hounds.[66] He is killed by theSuperior Spider-Man, Assassin Spider-Man, andSpider-Punk.[66]
An unidentified Hobgoblin appears in the seriesSpider-Man/Red Sonja, in which he is among several supervillains transformed into asword-and-sorcery version of themselves byKulan Gath's spell.
In 2009, anIGN list of the top 100 comic book villains ranked the Roderick Kingsley incarnation of the Hobgoblin as the 57th best.[67]
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A Hobgoblin mask appears inSpider-Man 3 (2007) inNorman Osborn's secret lab.[82][83][84]
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