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This Article Contains Spoilers - WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all.

Peter Parker, how the hell are you?
~ Norman Osborn's first lines.
The truth... Okay... The truth is, you were only ever worth a damn when you worked for me! The truth is you could never accept that I'm better than you! You're a failure, Otto. And you always will be!
~ Norman choosing to mock Otto instead of confessing to his crimes.
Why!? WHY!?! Get the G-Serum ready. ASAP.
~ Norman's sad breakdown as he demands the G-Serum be brought to him,foreshadowing his transformation into Green Goblin

Norman Osborn is the overarching antagonist of both the 2018 superhero video game Marvel's Spider-Man and its 2023 sequel Marvel's Spider-Man 2, as well as a minor character in its 2020 spinoff, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. He is the CEO of Oscorp, the former childhood friend of Dr. Otto Octavius, the father of Harry Osborn, and the former mayor of New York City.

In an effort to cure his ill wife and son, Osborn developed GR-27, an imperfect experimental medical serum that gained the nickname "Devil's Breath", which unwittingly led to the rise of Mister Negative and his own eventual downfall. In another desperate attempt, Osborn administered the Venom Symbiote to his son to cure his illness. Although it appeared to be successful at first, it would pave the way to a Symbiote apocalypse that almost destroyed New York.

He is voiced by Mark Rolston, who previously played Bogs Diamond in The Shawshank Redemption, J. Scar in Eraser, Lex Luthor in Young Justice and Deathstroke in the Batman: Arkham series.

History[]

In his youth, Norman Osborn befriended Otto Octavius during his years in grad school. Together, the two eventually started a business company known as "Oscorp". However, Norman became more and more obsessed with genetics, when his wife Emily started to succumb to Oshtoran Syndrome, a terminal illness. Oscorp would eventually develop an experimental “cure” called GR-27, nicknamed “Devil’s Breath” by the lab technicians due to its rather destructive nature and its potential to cause a deadly pandemic. In 1986 this treatment was used on a boy named Martin Li in an attempt to cure him, but instead resulted in an explosion that killed Martin's parents and him superpowers. Norman and Otto had a falling out after this and Otto left Oscorp to start his own company, Octavius Industries.

At some point in time, Norman Osborn was elected mayor of New York. Despite this, Osborn was also known for his generally dishonest and condescending nature, as Peter Parker notes of him in his character bio.

Marvel's Spider-Man[]

Norman appeared in-person when he has his team shut down Otto Octavius' and Peter Parker's lab and cut his funding, due to the site being declared a safety hazard due to a recent accident. Otto insists his previous safety violations were excused, by Norman reminds him that he was the one who excused it and that Otto's equipment should have been confiscated long ago. Norman insists both Otto and Peter work at Oscorp from then on, but Otto rejects his offer.

Later, Norman is seen awarding Officer Jefferson Davis for his bravery and years on the police force until he receives a call from Mister Negative, warning Norman of an incoming attack. Norman escapes immediately before the Inner Demons attack the ceremony, killing many civilians, including Jefferson Davis.

In the aftermath of the attack, Miles Morales, the son of Jefferson Davis, joins F.E.A.S.T. as a volunteer, meets Peter, and quickly befriends him. At the same time, Osborn hires mercenary Silver Sable and her team from Symkaria to take down the Inner Demons. Sable does not trust Peter and constantly makes things difficult for him. Peter continues to pursue Mister Negative and the Inner Demons, discovering that Li has a grudge against Osborn and seeks to steal the Devil's Breath, a bioweapon Osborn inadvertently created while searching for a universal cure for disease. Li manages to steal the Devil's Breath and attempts to deploy it in Grand Central Station, but is foiled by the efforts of both Peter and Mary Jane. Li is subsequently arrested and sent to the Raft, a high-security prison.

Norman denies all wrongdoing and goes as far as to hire Silver Sable and her mercenaries for protection. After Martin Li is apprehended by Spider-Man, he claims credit and encourages the citizens of New York to vote for him in the incoming reelection, and this enrages a now unhinged Otto Octavius, who blames him for his financial burdens and stealing his research.

He dons the mantle of Doctor Octopus and frees the convicts from prison, forming the Sinister Six and enlisting their help in dismantling Norman and his empire. Otto steals Devil’s Breath and this time he successfully manages to release it, starting a pandemic in the near future as well as leaking information about the substance. This causes Norman’s ratings to plummet, coupled with the harsh martial law imposed by him that was enforced by Sable International. He would also blame Spider-Man for the problems and brand him a fugitive. Otto eventually captures Norman himself, intent on forcing him to confess to his crimes. When he refuses, he is thrown from the top of Oscorp Tower, but is rescued by Spider-Man.

Sometime later, Norman resigns from office as his one stellar ratings have now become non-existent. He is then seen in his secret lab, looking at his son Harry. Rather than being in Europe as everyone believes, Harry has been put into a coma in a tank until his father can find a "cure" for his illness. It's shown that Harry is being kept in stasis with a black web-like substance, Venom, which reacts and copies Norman when he places a hand on the tank.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales[]

More than a year after the defeat of Doctor Octopus and the Sinister Six, Norman is nowhere to be seen or heard from during Tinkerer's campaign against Simon Krieger. In this time, Miles Morales, Peter Parker's superhero apprentice has taken over his role as the sole Spider-Man in New York City while Peter goes to Symkaria with Mary Jane.

During her campaign, Tinkerer began to use the now-abandoned Oscorp Science Center as a hideout, given that the building has been closed down and planned to be re-opened, most likely due to Oscorp's stocks having tanked as a result of Norman being indirectly responsible for the events that transpired in the previous year. Ever since the whole Devil's Breath crisis, Norman has retreated into obscurity along with his company for the current time.

In the mid-credits scene, Norman is revealed to have still kept Harry in stasis in a green liquid container with the Venom symbiote. Feeling that Harry can be released from his stasis now after seeing him awake, Norman demands Dr. Curt Connors, Harry's medical caretaker, to release him, despite Connors' reluctance given that Harry's condition is still unstable, though Norman angrily ordered him to do it.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2[]

Harry is eventually released from the tank, Venom seems to be a viable cure, keeping him healthy and full of energy. Norman would also go on to help create the Emily-May Foundation to “heal the world”, something that has been Harry’s dream for a long time.

Venom would not stay in Harry for long however, as Peter would be fatally stabbed by Kraven the Hunter when trying to save Dr. Connors from being turned into the Lizard. Venom would leave Harry’s body and instead choose Peter as its host instead, reviving him and granting him the Black Suit with a variety of Venom abilities, at the cost of Harry now suffering from his illness again and forcing Norman to work on another cure. Peter and Harry decide to cure Connors in an effort to get him to get Venom back onto Harry. Soon, while the two stabilise the Lizard antidote they stole from the Hunters with the EMF particle accelerator, a tracker implanted in the antidote leads the Hunters to the Foundation where they invade it in hopes of capturing Peter. They fail, and the two stabilise the antidote and escape the burning building. Norman arrives to check up on the two and is indifferent to the building’s destruction while Harry is visibly disappointed.

Harry’s illness starts to progress worse to the point that he is forced to use his cane to walk again. Norman is stressed out and overworked in trying to find a viable cure to his son’s illness. To make matters worse, Venom starts to corrupt Peter’s personality to the point that he refuses to remove Venom from himself, to the point of nearly killing Kraven if Miles did not come and interfere. The two Spider-Men fight each other before eventually Peter comes to his senses and rips off the symbiote which Miles quickly stores it in an Oscorp container.

As the Venom symbiote proves to be too dangerous to be used, Peter decides to destroy it with the help of Connors at the Oscorp tower, but a now extremely ill Harry tries to retrieve the symbiote from him. Angered that Peter is trying to destroy Venom, Harry breaks the container and bonds with the symbiote once again, allowing it to show its true form. Norman arrives to see Harry now a freakishly huge alien monster, but still orders his guards to use non-lethal weaponry. He tries to convince Venom to give him back his son, but the symbiote refuses.

Eventually, the Spider-Men and MJ successfully destroy the meteor with the EMF’s particle accelerator, killing Venom and freeing Harry. Norman goes with the ambulance, and soon a doctor tells him that Harry is still alive, but survival rates are extremely low. Norman blames the Spider-Men for Harry’s condition, despite the fact that they’re the ones who saved him. At the hospital, Norman breaks down and smashes things with Harry’s cane, before calling one of his lab technicians to get the G-serum ready. He then went to the Raft, to see an old friend.

Gallery[]

Images[]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

  • In both Marvel’s Spider-Man and its sequel, Norman is responsible for both of the events, leading to the rise of Doctor Octopus and Mister Negative and their wrathfulness against Norman. He tries to save his son Harry by having the symbiote on him, which led him to become Venom. However in the Marvel's Spider-Man 2 he is far more sympathetic with him only wanting to cure his son whom he deeply loves.
  • While he belittled and taunted Octavius even when he had him at his mercy and was ready to kill him, he apologized to Martin Li, when Li had him as his prisoner, indicating that he may feel remorse about what happened to him.
  • According to his in-game bio, Norman Osborn is 58 years old, weighs 185 pounds, and is 5'11".
  • The prototype hand grenades and combat mask in Norman’s penthouse foreshadow his potential transformation into the Green Goblin, although it is yet to happen. Furthermore at the end of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 when Harry is rendered comatose, an emotionally destroyed Norman demands that the G-Serum be ready.
    • On that note, Norman is seen wearing multiple outfits involving the color green throughout Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

Navigation[]

          Marvel 27s Spider-Man logo Villains

Oscorp Industries
Norman Osborn | Lizard | Harry Osborn

Kingpin's Criminal Empire
Kingpin

Inner Demons
Mister Negative

Silver Sable International
Silver Sable

Sinister Six
Doctor Octopus | Mister Negative | Electro | Vulture | Rhino | Scorpion

The Underground
Tinkerer

Roxxon Energy Corporation
Simon Krieger | Rhino

Symbiotes
Venom | Scream

Hunters
Kraven the Hunter | Grizzly

Mysterium
Mysterio | Betsy Scheider | Cole Wittman

Darren Shipman's Gang
Darren Shipman | Louis

Cult of the Flame
Flame

Others
Andy | Black Cat | Blood Spider | Chameleon | Haley Harvey | Hammerhead | Prisoners | Prowler | Sandman | Screwball | Shocker | Street thugs | Swarm | Tarantula | Taskmaster | Tombstone | Walter Hardy | Yuriko Watanabe

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