A running mystery during the years of 1964-66 in the Amazing Spider-Man book was: Who is the Green Goblin? Always donning or discarding his fright mask in shadow or standing behind an object that occluded his face, the Goblin's identity (and the nature of the Goblin himself) appeared to be a point of disagreement between writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko--with Lee reportedly feeling that the character should turn out to be someone that readers would know, in order to take advantage of the dramatic moment when his face was finally revealed; while Ditko is credited for changing Lee's original interpretation of the Goblin from that of a mythical demon to a costumed human villain.
In hindsight, of course, we know that the Goblin was chemical industrialist Norman Osborn; but, back in the day, while his son Harry had become a mainstay among Peter Parker's high school ensemble of characters, Osborn wouldn't be introduced until two issues before Ditko's departure. In terms of the Goblin's secret, that introduction turned out to be timely, indeed--for it was when artist John Romita Sr. replaced Ditko on the book that readers would at last discover the identity of the figure who had been kept under wraps for twenty-five issues. And from the looks of things, there was more than one identity that would be revealed for all to see!
We'd already been made aware of Osborn's feelings toward Spider-Man--feelings also cloaked in mystery, with Osborn becoming concerned that the wall-crawler was a danger to his plans and must be dealt with. But in what would be the character's last shrouded appearance, it's the Goblin who resolves to deal with Spider-Man once and for all, and with a twist that's bound to bring no small amount of worry and fear to the life of Peter Parker.
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