Why the Green Goblin is Spider-Man's Archenemy

Today (August 1st) is National Spider-Man Day. Since Marvel's Spider-Man is one of my favorite heroes, I figured that I would do something in his honor to celebrate. (I also just like running my mouth about Marvel, but don't tell anyone that.) And what way is better than looking at who his greatest rival is?

There are three characters that Spider-Man repeatedly goes up against in his fight against crime.

• Doctor Octopus (also known as "Doc Ock")
• Venom
• The Green Goblin

Doc Ock and Venom are still strong villains in their own right, but The Green Goblin is known to be Spider-Man's most determined villain yet.

He is the self-proclaimed archnemesis of the web slinger, and was the antagonist who was featured in the very first Spider-Man movie. (The movie Spider-Man that was released in 2002, starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker.)

The Green Goblin came into being right around the same time as Spider-Man. Peter got his powers sooner than Norman Osborne did, but he did use his powers to become a star before he decided to do superheroics. It wasn't too long after he became a vigilante (yes, there is a difference between a superhero and a vigilante, I'll explain that in another post) that The Green Goblin emerged as the first true villain and enemy of Spider-Man.

Over time, Norman's split personality causes trouble for Spider-Man, despite being defeated time and time again, and even having his position as the most dangerous villain being threatened. At one point, he even goes to the effort of discovering the secret identity of the wall-crawler, realizing that Peter Parker, the student that his own son was best friends with, and he himself had a mentor-like relationship with, was the face behind the mask. To date, he is the only villain who has succeeded in this, except, perhaps, The Vulture from the Spider-Man Homecoming movie (released in 2017 and starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker.)

This sheer determination that fuels The Green Goblin's rivalry, as well as his physical and intellectual prowess is why he is the archenemy of the web-slinging, wall-crawling, Spider-Man.