A Spider-Man Villain's Plot Hole May Be Explained By One Retcon
The major Spider-Man villain Hobgoblin has an odd detail regarding his origin, but this potential plot hole might be explained by another comic issue’s retcon of the Green Goblin's origins. The Green Goblin a.k.a. Norman Osborn is not only Spider-Man’s greatest nemesis, but also one of the Marvel Universe’s most dangerous supervillains, so naturally, there was something of a vacuum left when Norman seemingly died and Harry Osborn was no longer using the ghoulish mantle. Enter Roderick Kingsley, a corrupt CEO similar to Osborn who discovered a safehouse of Norman’s gear and Goblin serum and used them to become the Hobgoblin.
Introduced in the early 1980s, the Hobgoblin was both a successor to and a distinctly different villain from the Green Goblin. While both criminals used lethal Halloween-themed weaponry, the Hobgoblin lacked Norman Osborn’s insanity, so while the Green Goblin adored inflicting cruelty and horror for its own sake, the Hobgoblin sought more rational goals, namely money and influence. Like the Green Goblin, the Hobgoblin’s true identity was a mystery for years, until he was revealed to be socialite and fashion designer Roderick Kingsley.
Related: How Marvel's Hobgoblin Relates To The Green Goblin
Despite having no scientific background, Roderick Kingsley somehow modified Norman Osborn’s Goblin Formula, creating a new serum that granted a greater degree of superhuman physical enhancements and lacked the insanity-inducing side effects. This was a potential plot hole for more than a decade, but a retcon established in Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #14 by J.M. DeMatteis and Sal Buscema may explain how Kingsley managed this feat. The Goblin formula that Kingsley took might have been Norman Osborn’s original
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