Spider-Man's Most Hated Foe Was Briefly a Radical Hero
The most unexpected and dangerous Spider-Man villain stepped up to protect New York City in its darkest hour: The Green Goblin!
As powerful as he is, sometimes even Spider-Man needs help protecting New York City. With a plethora of clones, symbiotes, criminal gangs, mad scientists, and some incredibly harrowing personal relationships to navigate, Spider-Man always has his hands full. Despite being home to Avengers Tower, the Baxter Building, the Punisher, and the Heroes For Hire (among many other heroes), Marvel's New York City is still bursting at the seams with villains. When Spider-Man found himself up to his web-shooters in super complicated clone drama, a person that no one would have ever believed could be a hero decided to turn a new leaf and join Spider-Man in the fight against crime.
1995’s Green Goblin (by Tom Defalco, Scott McDaniel, and Kevin Kobasic) was a 13-issue miniseries that starred Spider-Man’s archnemesis as a masked crusader. In a surprise twist, the man beneath the Green Goblin mask wasn’t Norman Osborn, Harry Osborn, or any of the other past criminals that had worn the outfit. It was a completely ordinary college-aged boy named Phil Urich who happened to fall face-first into a once in a lifetime situation.
Phil Urich Was a Completely Different Breed of Green Goblin
Philip Urich, the nephew of acclaimed investigative journalist Ben Urich, is a something of a slacker. Getting a gig at The Daily Bugle with his uncle was great, but Phil didn’t exactly have his heart in it due in part to the airs of nepotism that wafted from his job. More concerned with getting girls than establishing his professional career, Phil’s life got thrown upside down when a smalltime gang attempted to murder Phil and his uncle. Racing through a warehouse, Phil accidentally discovered Harry Osborn’s old secret hideout, packed with his Green Goblin suit and tech. After accidentally dousing himself in a volatile green chemical, Phil takes the Green Goblin equipment and leaves. The chemicals that soaked Phil, when coupled with the technology in the Green Goblin mask, transformed Phil into the superhuman powerhouse that was the Green Goblin.
Armed with newfound powers and powerful weaponry, Phil was ecstatic at his wild twist of fate. Cocky to a fault and quick with total 90's attitude, Phil was a massive departure from past Goblins. But being wearing the Goblin mask proved far more complicated than he anticipated: superheroes didn’t trust him, supervillains became angry with him, and the media went up in a frenzy. Phil struggled with using his new powers for personal gain and becoming a bona fide superhero. The dangers that began to accost him and his uncle started to erode away the original excitement he felt in finding the Green Goblin suit. When Sentinels attacked New York City following the events of the Onslaught saga, Phil defeated one of the robots, but had his suit destroyed in the process, thus ending his tenure as the Green Goblin.
Phil Urich's Time as The Green Goblin Was Fiery, but Short-Lived
What makes Phil Urich such a unique character is his constant struggle to figure out exactly who is and where he wants to go in life. Battles with the Rhino, Angelface, and other criminals only feeds Phil’s ego. Phil believes the power from the Green Goblin can help him get women and fame. Phil doesn’t undergo a classic “Spider-Man” moment when he gains his powers. He has no motivations, no regrets, no calling for donning the Green Goblin suit, just immature dreams of personal gain. It isn’t until Phil sees New York City in true danger from the Sentinels does he step up and become a hero. The silver lining to Phil’s experience as the Green Goblin is that it helps propel him out his slump and onto a solid path forward in his life.
A prevailing theme throughout Phil’s time as the green-masked character is if being the Green Goblin is a personal choice or an entity that consumes the person adopting the title. The metaphorical ghosts of previous Goblins haunt Phil, a seemingly inescapable fate closing in all around him. Phil dispels these ghosts and proves that it is possible to use the Green Goblin persona for good. This speaks more to the instability and penchant for violence that Norman and Harry Osborn had and proves that their time as Green Goblin was their own choice. Phil Urich might not have been the Green Goblin for long, and he might not have become the famous superhero he dreamed of, but he was certainly the most radical incarnation of the infamous character.