In the pairings of lovers, we have Harry Osborn / Mary Jane Watson, Aunt May / Uncle Ben Parker, Peter Parker (Spider-Man) / Mary Jane. But neither Norman Osborn nor Green Goblin is paired with anyone. Are they celibate or just not simply interested in any one?
As for Norman, he expressed his distaste for certain types of women by lecturing Harry about Mary Jane: "Women are after one thing, money. Get them laid and move on." Norman did have at least one woman with whom he was intimate with – Harry’s mother. What happened to her? Did she die or leave him? How did Norman become so embittered about women? How is it that a single father is raising his son without even a nanny or housekeeper? It boggles the imagination. The closest thing that Norman has to a woman in his life is his assistant.
Love on the Rooftops
Like Norman, the Goblin shows no interest in women in general. But unlike the uptight Norman, the Green Goblin oozes sexuality. And who is he interested in - Spider-Man. On a rooftop in New York City, he propositions a distraught Spider-Man. "There’s no one who could possibly understand . . .except me." Later, he tells Spider-Man, "Imagine what we could accomplish together. What we could create."
At first glance, Spider-Man believes that the Goblin is simply offering a business partnership. But on further thought, the Goblin’s subtext of sex becomes obvious to him. Spider-Man realizes that the Green Goblin has offered himself as a lover to the only one he considers his equal.
What could they create together? Could Spider-Man return the love the Goblin was offering? Peter Parker (Spider-Man), a firm heterosexual, was in love in M.J. The Goblin’s sexuality is unknown and ambiguous. Could he be feminine to Parker’s masculinity? Goblin was the dominant in his relationship with Norman. Could he submit to Spider-Man?
When Spider-Man refuses his offer, the Goblin screams, "I don’t forgive and I don’t forget! It breaks my heart!" Planning his revenge, the Goblin convinces Norman to attack Peter. He tells Norman, "Plucked your heart strings like a master. Connived his way into your heart. Betrayal must not be countenanced." Like the scorned lover, he plots to destroy what Spider-Man loves.
At the Queensboro Bridge, Green Goblin forces Spider-Man to choose between M.J. and the children, who he captured. If M.J. dies, Peter’s heart is shattered. If the children die, Spider-Man fails his beloved uncle. Either way, the Goblin is avenged.
When Spider-Man saves both, you can almost hear the Goblin thinking, "I offered you my love and you stepped on it! You not only saved that b**tch but those mewling rugrats as well. Now, die, spider!"
Die Spider! Die!
Enraged, the Goblin snags Spider-Man with a steel cable and drags him to an abandoned building on a nearby island. Hurt beyond feeling, he prepares to stab Spider-Man through the heart. But, the Goblin dies instead impaled by his own glider, with his love unrequited.
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Va. Carper
September 19, 2006