Harold “Harry” Osborn first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 in December 1965. He was co-created by the legendary duo of writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. Initially introduced as a peripheral member of Peter Parker's new college social circle, Harry was designed to be a foil for Peter. While Peter was a working-class orphan struggling with finances and responsibility, Harry was the privileged, often aloof son of the wealthy industrialist Norman Osborn. His creation was part of Lee and Ditko's deliberate expansion of Spider-Man's world beyond high school, populating Empire State University with a cast of characters who would challenge Peter Parker personally, not just physically. Harry's early characterization was that of a somewhat weak-willed young man living in his father's immense shadow, susceptible to peer pressure and craving approval. This foundation of insecurity and a desperate need for his father's love would become the fertile ground for decades of dramatic and tragic storytelling, cementing him as a cornerstone of the Spider-Man mythos. He wasn't just a friend; he was a walking representation of the life Peter could never have, and a ticking time bomb linked to Spider-Man's greatest foe.
The origin of Harry Osborn is not one of superpowers, but of immense psychological trauma and inherited sin. His story is a slow-burn tragedy, shaped by the neglect and abuse of his father.
Harry Osborn's life began under a dark cloud. His father, the brilliant but ruthless industrialist Norman Osborn, was a cold and demanding figure. Harry's mother, Emily Osborn, died within a year of his birth, leaving him to be raised by a father who saw his son as little more than a disappointment and a failure to live up to the Osborn name. This emotional neglect fostered a deep-seated inferiority complex and an almost pathological need for his father's approval. His life changed when he enrolled at Empire State University and was assigned Peter Parker as a roommate. Initially, Harry was part of the “in-crowd” with Gwen Stacy and Flash Thompson, and he looked down on the bookish and seemingly antisocial Peter. However, after witnessing Peter's decency, particularly towards his Aunt May, Harry's opinion shifted, and the two formed a genuine, powerful friendship. They became true confidants, with Harry offering Peter a glimpse into a world of wealth and privilege, and Peter providing Harry with the stable, supportive friendship he never received from his own family. This fragile peace was shattered by a series of cascading events. The pressure from his father, coupled with relationship troubles with Mary Jane Watson, pushed Harry towards substance abuse, specifically hallucinogenic drugs. This led to an overdose, a turning point that further damaged his already strained relationship with Norman. During this tumultuous period, following Norman Osborn's apparent death in a battle with Spider-Man (as detailed in The Amazing Spider-Man #122), Harry discovered his father's secret identity as the Green Goblin. Finding Spider-Man's costume in Peter's room, he incorrectly concluded that Peter was responsible for his father's “murder.” This revelation, combined with his existing mental instability and grief, caused a complete psychotic break. Harry swore vengeance. He took up his father's mantle, becoming the second Green Goblin. His initial goal was not world domination, but the deeply personal destruction of Peter Parker. After several confrontations, he was defeated and taken into the care of psychiatrist Dr. Bart Hamilton, who managed to help Harry suppress the Goblin persona and the memories of his father's and his own time as the villain. For a time, Harry found peace. He took over Oscorp, became a successful businessman, and married his long-time girlfriend, Liz Allan, with whom he had a son, Norman “Normie” Harry Osborn. However, the Goblin legacy was a poison in his bloodline. A new Hobgoblin's machinations and lingering psychological triggers eventually caused his memories to resurface with a vengeance. He descended back into madness, believing his family was holding him back and that his destiny was to be the one true Green Goblin. This culminated in a final, desperate plan to blow up a building filled with his “rivals,” only to realize at the last moment that his own son, Normie, and his best friend, Mary Jane, were inside. In a moment of clarity and redemption, Harry saved them but exposed himself to a new, experimental version of the Goblin Formula he had ingested. The formula was fatally toxic. He died in Peter Parker's arms, finally free, telling his friend, “You're my best friend.” 1). Years later, in the controversial Brand New Day storyline, Harry was revealed to be alive. His death was retconned as having been faked by his father Norman (with the help of the demonic Mephisto and Mysterio). He returned to Peter's life, and for a time, attempted to be a hero, using Oscorp tech to become the patriotic hero American Son. This path was fraught with manipulation by his still-evil father. His most recent and terrifying transformation was his reveal as the demonic tormentor Kindred, a hellish being who was later revealed to be an AI construct embedded with Harry's consciousness, created by Mysterio and Norman Osborn to enact a twisted form of revenge on Peter. This storyline solidified Harry's role as one of the most tortured and existentially tormented characters in Marvel Comics.
It is critical to note that as of the current timeline, Harry Osborn does not exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999). Peter Parker's best friend in the MCU is Ned Leeds, who shares some character traits with the comic book's Ganke Lee. However, Harry has been a central figure in two prior major film series.
Portrayed by James Franco, this version of Harry is introduced in Spider-Man (2002) as Peter Parker's best friend since high school. Much like his comic counterpart, he is the wealthy son of Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), constantly seeking his father's approval and feeling overshadowed by Peter's genius. He harbors a crush on Mary Jane Watson, creating a complex love triangle. His origin as a villain is a direct result of Norman's death at the hands of Spider-Man. Believing Spider-Man murdered his father, Harry vows revenge. In Spider-Man 2 (2004), his obsession grows. He takes control of Oscorp and funds Doctor Octopus's fusion experiment in exchange for him capturing Spider-Man. Upon unmasking the hero and seeing his best friend's face, Harry is thrown into a state of shock and emotional turmoil. In Spider-Man 3 (2007), he follows in his father's footsteps, using Oscorp's performance enhancers and technology to become the New Goblin. After a battle with Peter gives him amnesia, he temporarily forgets his vendetta. However, his memories are restored, and he is goaded by a vision of his father to attack Peter again. He is ultimately defeated but learns the truth about his father's death from his butler. In a final act of redemption, he arrives to help Peter in his fight against Sandman and Venom, sacrificing his own life to save Peter from Venom's glider, mirroring his father's death. He dies with Peter and Mary Jane at his side, having finally reconciled with his friend.
In this continuity, portrayed by Dane DeHaan, Harry is Peter Parker's childhood friend who has been away at boarding school for years. His origin is tied to a genetic disease, “retroviral hyperplasia,” which has afflicted the Osborn family for generations and killed his father, Norman. Upon returning to New York to take over Oscorp, a desperate Harry believes that Spider-Man's blood, created from the genetically modified spiders that also gave Peter his powers, is the only cure. When Peter, fearing the unpredictable side effects of a blood transfusion (correctly suspecting it could kill Harry or worse), refuses, Harry becomes enraged and feels deeply betrayed. Using information left by his father, he makes a deal with the incarcerated Max Dillon (Electro) and locates a secret Oscorp special project: a venom derived from the spiders' altered DNA. Believing it will save him, he injects it. Instead of curing him, the venom accelerates his disease, horribly transforming him into a grotesque, goblin-like creature. He dons an advanced Oscorp combat suit and glider, becoming this universe's Green Goblin. In a climactic battle, he attacks Spider-Man and, in a direct adaptation of the comics, is responsible for the death of Gwen Stacy. He is subsequently defeated and imprisoned in the Ravencroft Institute.
Across all versions, Harry's personality is defined by a core of deep-seated insecurity and emotional vulnerability. He is fundamentally a good person warped by a toxic upbringing.
When under the influence of the Goblin Formula, a mutagenic chemical compound developed by Oscorp, Harry gains a range of superhuman abilities. While the version he took was initially thought to be a modified, less potent version than his father's, it still granted him:
Harry utilizes a slightly modified version of his father's classic Green Goblin arsenal.
During his brief heroic career, Harry wore the American Son armor, a suit of power armor designed by Oscorp. It granted him superhuman strength and durability, flight via boot jets, and was equipped with repulsor-like energy blasters and a wrist-mounted energy shield.
James Franco's version used a more streamlined and modern set of Oscorp equipment.
Dane DeHaan's version utilized a bleeding-edge Oscorp military prototype.
While this is Norman Osborn's most infamous act, its fallout defined Harry's future. Discovering that his father was the Green Goblin and had been killed in battle with Spider-Man—on the same night his friend Gwen Stacy died—is the singular event that broke Harry's mind. It planted the seeds of vengeance that would eventually sprout into his own transformation into the Green Goblin. The story's aftermath follows Harry's grief and his discovery of his father's secrets, setting him on a collision course with Peter Parker.
This seminal storyline by J.M. DeMatteis is arguably the definitive Harry Osborn story. It delves deep into the psychological trauma inflicted upon Harry by Norman. Through a series of hypnotic sessions and flashbacks, the story explores the profound emotional abuse Harry suffered as a child. It masterfully links his past trauma to his present instability, culminating in his full, terrifying return as the Green Goblin. He mentally tortures Spider-Man, arguing that Peter's “love” is a poison that destroys everyone he touches. It's a dark, psychological masterpiece that establishes Harry not as a simple villain, but as a deeply damaged victim.
The culmination of “The Child Within” arc. Harry, now fully consumed by the Goblin persona, enacts his final plan to kill Spider-Man and destroy the “weak” parts of his own past. He traps Spider-Man in Oscorp Tower, which is rigged to explode. In a moment of madness, he also threatens Mary Jane and his own son, Normie. However, when faced with the reality of killing his own child, the real Harry breaks through the madness. He saves them all from the explosion but dies in the process from the toxic effects of the new Goblin Formula he had taken. His final words to Peter—“You're my best friend”—provided a tragic but heroic end to his character arc that would stand for over a decade.
This sprawling, complex modern epic completely redefined Harry's character. A new, demonic villain named Kindred appears, possessing supernatural powers and an intimate knowledge of Peter Parker's life and secret identity. He torments Peter relentlessly, resurrecting his dead enemies and forcing him to confront his greatest failures. After years of mystery, Kindred was revealed to be Harry Osborn—or rather, a hellish duplicate created from his soul after his deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May erased Peter's marriage from history. This version of Harry remembered the original timeline and sought to punish Peter for the sins he no longer remembered. The story was later retconned again, revealing Kindred to be a complex AI construct based on Harry's mind. Regardless of the convoluted specifics, this storyline transformed Harry from a psychologically damaged man into a supernatural force of damnation, representing the ultimate consequence of Peter's darkest choices.