The Green Goblin V
First appearance: Peter Parker: Spider-Man #87 (in the shadows); Spectacular Spider-Man #255 (first full appearence)

During the period of time when Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin returned from the death and went about New York clearing his "good" name, a new Green Goblin was introduced, one whose arrival would finally convince the citizens of New York once and for all that Norman Osborn was innocent of the Green Goblin's crimes. In a plot engineered by Norman, the fifth Green Goblin was brought in to kidnap Norman's grandson Normie, while Norman posted a multi-million dollar reward on Spider-Man's head, using a created attack as the catylist for the bounty. Using Dr. Jonas Mueller, a brillient psychologist in his employ, Norman exposed a mystery man to treatments to become the Green Goblin, in Mueller's own words, "again." While evading bounty hunters, as well as the Punisher who had actually been called in by Osborn himself, Spider-Man searched for Normie to no avail. It was only through tracking down the imposter Goblin that Spider-Man found Normie and brought him to safety. The fifth Green Goblin was presumed dead, crashing his Goblin-glider and parishing in a subsequent explosion.

The Goblin surived though, and came of use to Norman soon thereafter, when Roderick Kinglsey, who had just a short while before been exposed as the original Hobgoblin, claimed to have in his pocession one of Norman Osborn's journals kept from his early days as the Green Goblin. Kingsley was lying about the journals though, but that didn't keep Norman from dispatching the new Goblin to procure Kingsley to question him about the diaries. A series of battles followed between the fifth Green Goblin, the restored Hobgoblin, Spider-Man and eventually Norman Osborn. In the final battle, the fifth Green Goblin was unmasked, though Spider-Man did not learn his identity since the Green Goblin and the Hobgoblin slipped away in the midst of things and Norman Osborn actually donned the mask to slink away undiscovered. Following the battle Osborn berated the fifth Green Goblin for his failure, and that was the last anyone saw the Green Goblin for some time to come.

You can't keep a goblin down though, and the fifth Green Goblin returned, unaware of Norman Osborn's current whereabouts and desiring to locate him. You see Osborn had participated in a ritual called "The Gathering of Five" and lost his mind as a result. Osborn would spent the months following restoring his shattered psyche, though leaving the Goblin on his own. The fifth Green Goblin attacked Liz Osborn, Norman's daughter in-law, to find out where Norman was, and soon Spider-Man got involved. After a short number of battles, the Green Goblin unmasked himself to be Norman's late son Harry Osborn to Peter's surprise, but it soon appeared that was not the case since the Goblin took on other forms and revealed himself to be an unstable genetic construct, who didn't need Osborn for work, but for his own survival. It was too late though and the fifth Green Goblin melted away before Spider-Man could help him. (for more on this read the review of Amazing Spider-Man #18/Peter Parker: Spider-Man #18)

Since the death of the fifth Green Goblin, Norman Osborn has returned and briefly redonned his green garish cowl to menace Peter Parker.

Powers and Abilities: The fifth Green Goblin had all of the usual Green Goblin powers assessories: Enhanced strength, a goblin-glider, pumpkin bombs, razor bats et al.

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