When Norman Osborn encountered the resurrected Sin Eater during Nick Spencer's Amazing Spider-Man run, his "sins" were removed, leaving Norman Osborn the man he was before taking the Goblin Formula which transformed him into the evil Green Goblin.
Since then, he's attempted to make amends for past mistakes by using Oscorp for good, befriending Peter Parker, and even suiting up as the heroic Gold Goblin.
That's all happened under writer Zeb Wells' watch, though we've since seen Norman's sin transferred into a spear by Kraven the Hunter which he eventually plunged into Spider-Man. That pushed Peter over the edge and gave him a villainous new outlook on life before Norman stepped in and seemingly reabsorbed his Goblin persona.
There have since been hints he'll return as the Green Goblin, but it seems Wells has something very different in mind for the character.
As you can see in the teaser below, Spidey is once again going to carry the weight of Norman's sin, transforming him into the villainous Spider-Goblin. This feels a tad repetitive based on the fact this has already happened, but seeing as he's getting a new costume and will clash with the Sinister Six, there's likely fun to be had here.
Marvel Comics has revealed too much about Spider-Goblin's debut; the publisher has, however, shared the following:
Peter Parker carries the weight of Norman Osborn’s sins, and takes to the skies as the SPIDER-GOBLIN!
Don’t miss this mind-blazing moment in Peter and Norman’s heavy history when Zeb Wells, Ed McGuinness and Todd Nauck kick off the all-new "Easy Being Green" arc in next month’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #50. Right now, check out McGuinness’ cover for #53, on sale in July!
Needless to say, we'd expect this to be yet another Amazing Spider-Man creative decision which splits the opinions of fans. We're sure the change won't be permanent, but any time a hero is portrayed in a villainous light, there's typically a fair bit of backlash.
Either way, we're hoping this is leading to the Green Goblin himself returning in time for the landmark Amazing Spider-Man #1000 a couple of years from now.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #53
Written by ZEB WELLS
Art by ED McGUINNESS & TODD NAUCK
Cover by ED McGUINNESS