HOBGOBLIN I

APPERANCE
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Eyes: Blue or gray, depending on who is doing the coloring.
Hair: White
Features: May actually be his older, balding brother impersonating him; you always want to tug on the hair and see if there's a hairpiece involved!

SUMMARY

Real Name: Roderick Kingsley
Other Current Aliases: None
Former Aliases: None, although he was often impersonated by his brother Daniel
Dual Identity: Yes
Current Occupation: Convicted Criminal
Former Occupation: Fashion Designer, Corporate Head
Citizenship: U.S.
Legal Status: Criminal record
Place of Birth: U.S.
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Daniel Kingsley, older brother
Known Confidants: Just Daniel, who didn't always appreciate it!
Known Allies: Ned Leeds, under brainwashing. The Rose, under the assumption he was dealing with Ned Leeds.
Major Enemies: Spider-Man, Betty Brant
Usual Base of Operations: New York City
Former Base of Operations: None
Current Group Membership: None
Former Group Membership: None
Extent of Education: College

POWERS AND PARAPHENALIA

Strength Level: "Nearly" that of Spiderman's.
Powers: None other than super-human strength.
Abilities: The ability to maintain his balance while riding that glider thingee (hey, that always impressed me!)
Equipment: The vertical-thrust goblin glider, which was powered by a miniature turbo-fan. It could go up to 90 miles per hour and support 400 pounds.
Weapons: Jack O'Lantern bombs, razor-edged bat-wings, and gloves capable of conducting pulses of electricity upwards of 10,000 volts.
Limitations: Over-confidence. And an unshakable belief in his own sanity when he was clearly tottering on the edge of insanity

BACKGROUND

For many years, the original Hobgoblin was believed to have been Ned Leeds, who died in East Germany. The story which identified Ned as the Hobgoblin was written after the departure of the character's creator, Roger Stern. After more than a decade, Stern finally had the chance to reveal the truth. The Hobgoblin was none other than Roderick Kingsley, one of the hot suspects for the role at the time of the original stories.

A fashion designer who used questionable and ruthless business practices, Roderick developed a financial empire that reached far beyond the fashion industry. Unsatisfied with conventional methods of doing business, Roderick searched for and found the original Goblin formula. After modifying the formula in a manner that he hoped would avoid the insanity side effect, he found that it gave him strength nearly equivalent to that of his arch-enemy, Spider-Man

As the Hobgoblin, Roderick went on a black-mail binge meant to cripple his major competitors. After a fight with Spider-Man left everyone assuming he had drowned, Roderick decided that the direct criminal approach wasn't for him. He brainwashed the news reporter Ned Leeds into thinking he was the Hobgoblin, and used Leeds as a puppet. Under Kingsley's direction, Leeds helped Richard Fisk become the Rose and aided Fisk during the Gang Wars that almost destroyed New York City. Becoming bored with being a behind-the-scenes mastermind, and finding that Leeds was increasingly uncontrollable, Kingsley leaked word that Leeds was the Hobgoblin. After Leeds was murdered, Roderick left his brother Daniel in charge of the Kingsley business and retired to Europe for many years.

Although at first amused that the Hobgoblin identity was taken over by another criminal, Jason Macendale, Kingsley became annoyed with Macendale when Jason brought unwanted publicity with the announcement that Ned Leeds was the original Hobgoblin. At the time, the public at large had always assumed that only one person had ever been the Hobgoblin; the resulting uproar threatened to uncover the unsavoury business practices of Kingsley's coroporation. Returning from Europe, Kingsley murdered Macendale and again assumed the Hobgoblin identity. Determined sleuthing by Ned Leeds' widow Betty Brant uncovered Kingsley's trail. With the help of Spider-Man, she discovered the secret of the Kingsley brothers and cleared the name of her late husband. Kingsley was defeated by Spider-Man and remains in prison.

CRIMINAL HISTORY

First Appearance: As Roderick Kingsley, the Spectacular Spider-Man #43. As Hobgoblin, #238.
Origin Story: ASM #238, Hobgoblin Lives #3. Significant Issuess: ASM #238-#239 FIRST APPEARANCE AS THE HOBGOBLIN. ASM #244-#245 SEARCH FOR OSBORN FORMULA. Spectacular #85 GAINS SUPER POWERS. ASM #249-#251 SECRETS, CONFESSIONS, ENDINGS. ASM #259-#261 FIRST SHOWN WORKING WITH THE ROSE (remember, however, all appearances after 251 may be Ned Leeds as the Hobgoblin) ASM #275-#278 FLASH THOMPSON ACCUSED OF BEING HOBGOBLIN. ASM #284-#288 GANG WAR HOBGOBLIN VS JACK'O'LANTERN. Web of Spider-Man #29: Presumed murdered; almost 10 years later, it was announced that it was really his brother, Daniel, who was shot; and that Daniel wasn't killed, just hurt really, really badly. Hobgoblin Lives #1-#3 THE TRUE IDENTITY OF THE HOBGOBLIN REVEALED;at least, until the next person comes along who doesn't like the way it all turned out...