Ned Leeds made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #18 in November 1964. He was created by the legendary duo of writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko during their seminal run on the title. Initially, Ned was introduced not as a future villain or confidant, but as a simple narrative device: a new reporter at the Daily Bugle designed to be a romantic and professional rival for Peter Parker. He was a confident, established journalist who immediately caught the eye of Betty Brant, creating a classic love triangle that drove much of the personal drama in the early years of the comic. For nearly two decades, this remained Ned's primary function in the Marvel Universe. He was a recurring supporting cast member who would eventually marry Betty Brant, his career as an investigative reporter often taking him on overseas assignments that would remove him from the main narrative for extended periods. His character took a dramatic and permanent turn in the 1980s under the pen of writer Roger Stern. With the introduction of the mysterious new villain, the Hobgoblin, in The Amazing Spider-Man #238 (1983), a multi-year “whodunit” began that captivated readers. The identity of the Hobgoblin became one of the biggest secrets in comics. After Stern left the title, editorial decisions and changing creative teams complicated the mystery. In a shocking twist, Ned Leeds was killed off in the 1987 one-shot Spider-Man vs. Wolverine #1 and was subsequently revealed to be the Hobgoblin. This “revelation” was highly controversial among fans and even creators. It wasn't until a decade later, in the 1997 miniseries Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives, that original architect Roger Stern returned to provide the definitive conclusion: Ned Leeds had been a pawn all along, brainwashed and framed by the true Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley. This retcon re-established Ned as a tragic victim, the form in which his comic book legacy is now cemented.
The origin of Ned Leeds is a tale of two vastly different men who happen to share the same name. Their paths, motivations, and ultimate fates could not be more divergent, highlighting the profound differences in storytelling between the comic book medium and blockbuster cinema.
In the prime Marvel continuity, Edward “Ned” Leeds was an ambitious and respected reporter for the Daily Bugle, the same newspaper where Peter Parker worked as a freelance photographer. He was introduced as a confident and competent professional who quickly developed a romantic relationship with the Bugle's secretary, Betty Brant, putting him in direct competition with a shy Peter Parker who also had feelings for her. Ned's persistence and maturity won out, and he and Betty eventually married. Their marriage, however, was fraught with difficulty. Ned's work as a top investigative reporter often sent him to dangerous, politically unstable regions on long-term assignments, causing significant strain on his relationship with Betty. During one such assignment, he followed the trail of the enigmatic new supervillain known as the Hobgoblin. This investigation would prove to be his undoing. Ned discovered the secret headquarters of Roderick Kingsley, a corrupt fashion mogul who was operating as the original Hobgoblin. Instead of killing the reporter, Kingsley captured Ned and subjected him to the Replicating Process—a sophisticated form of brainwashing developed by a captured scientist. This process created a pliable double, allowing Kingsley to use Ned as a stand-in and scapegoat. Kingsley would periodically re-brainwash Ned, forcing him to don the Hobgoblin costume and commit crimes, thereby muddying the waters of his identity. This repeated mental conditioning had a devastating effect on Ned's psyche, making him increasingly aggressive, paranoid, and violent. His erratic behavior shattered his marriage to Betty and his professional reputation. The ruse culminated when Kingsley, seeking to get out of the game, leaked Ned's “identity” as the Hobgoblin to the criminal underworld. This put a target on Ned's back. While on assignment in Berlin with Peter Parker, Ned was cornered and brutally murdered by assassins working for the Foreigner, under the mistaken belief they were killing the real Hobgoblin. For years, the world—and Spider-Man—believed Ned Leeds had been a supervillain. It was only when the original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, returned to eliminate his replacement, Jason Macendale, that the truth was finally revealed. Spider-Man and Betty Brant learned of the brainwashing, posthumously clearing Ned's name and re-casting his story as one of profound tragedy—a good man whose life and legacy were stolen by a monster.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999), Ned Leeds's origin is completely reimagined. He is introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) not as a reporter, but as Peter Parker's best and most trusted friend at the Midtown School of Science and Technology. An academic decathlon teammate and self-proclaimed nerd, Ned's life is ordinary until he accidentally discovers Peter's secret identity as Spider-Man after seeing him crawl on the ceiling of their bedroom. Unlike a typical secret-identity reveal that leads to conflict, Ned's reaction is one of pure, unadulterated excitement. He is immediately and enthusiastically on board, bombarding Peter with questions about his powers and abilities. He quickly appoints himself Peter's “guy in the chair,” his unofficial tech support and mission control. Using his considerable computer skills, Ned helps Peter bypass the “Training Wheels Protocol” on his Stark-tech suit, hacks into Vulture's criminal operations, and provides critical backup from behind a keyboard. Throughout Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Ned remains a steadfastly loyal friend. He and MJ form the core support system for Peter, helping him navigate the dual pressures of being a teenager and a world-famous superhero. His character arc takes an unexpected turn in No Way Home when, in a moment of desperation while trying to find Peter, he discovers an innate aptitude for magic. He is able to instinctively use one of Doctor Strange's Sling Rings to open portals, a skill that proves crucial to the film's climax. This latent magical ability is a complete invention for the MCU, with no basis in the comics. Ned's journey in the MCU culminates in an act of profound friendship and sacrifice. To save the multiverse from collapsing after his identity is exposed to the world, Peter asks Doctor Strange to cast a spell that will make everyone, everywhere, forget Peter Parker ever existed. In a heart-wrenching farewell, Peter says goodbye to his best friends, Ned and MJ, promising to find them and make them remember. The spell is cast, and Ned's memory is wiped clean. The last time he is seen, he is a normal high school student, completely unaware of his former best friend or their shared adventures, though he retains a faint, scar-like mark on his hand from his brief time with the Sling Ring. His origin as Peter's “guy in the chair” is tragically erased, resetting his story to that of a normal teen.
The capabilities and personality of Ned Leeds are, like his origin, split dramatically between his two primary incarnations. One is an ordinary man thrust into a world of super-powered gear through manipulation, while the other is a brilliant young man whose greatest assets are his mind and his heart.
This sprawling mystery from the 1980s is Ned Leeds's defining comic book arc. It began with the appearance of a new, more calculating and sane villain using upgraded Goblin technology. For years, Spider-Man and the readers were given a list of potential suspects, including Roderick Kingsley, his brother Daniel, Flash Thompson, and Ned Leeds himself. Clues were masterfully laid and red herrings were abundant. The tension built with each appearance, as the Hobgoblin seemed to have an almost supernatural ability to stay one step ahead. The saga “concluded” in the wake of Ned's death in Spider-Man vs. Wolverine #1, with the shocking revelation in The Amazing Spider-Man #289 that Ned had been the villain all along. This twist, implemented after the original writer had left, felt unsatisfying to many and was the source of controversy for a decade.
This three-issue miniseries from 1997 served as the definitive epilogue and retcon to the original saga. Written by Roger Stern, the mystery's original creator, the story sees the return of Roderick Kingsley. It meticulously walks Spider-Man and the reader through the entire conspiracy, revealing through flashbacks how Kingsley found the Green Goblin's arsenal, created the Hobgoblin persona, and, most importantly, captured Ned Leeds. The series details the brainwashing process and shows how Kingsley manipulated Ned into being a decoy. The climax involves a final confrontation between Spider-Man, the now-exonerated memory of Ned, and the one true Hobgoblin. The story not only solved the mystery in a satisfying way but also redeemed Ned Leeds, recasting him as the tragic victim he was always intended to be.
This is Ned's most significant appearance in any medium. His role transcends that of a simple sidekick. When the world learns Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Ned's life is upended along with his friends'. He is interrogated by the Department of Damage Control and faces rejection from MIT simply for his association with Spider-Man. His arc takes a pivotal turn when he uses the Sling Ring to search for Peter but instead finds two other Peter Parkers from alternate universes. He is instrumental in uniting the three Spider-Men. In the final battle, he and MJ protect the magical “Machina de Kadavus” from villains, and Ned uses his portal abilities to aid in the fight. His final, devastating contribution is his silent agreement to Peter's plan to have everyone forget him. The memory wipe erases years of friendship and adventure, a selfless act that saves the multiverse but costs him his best friend.