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Quote1 Goblin King. Hobgoblin. Green Goblin. Never made a name for yourself, did you, boy? Want to know why? It's your heart, Phil. It just wasn't in it. Quote2
Norman Osborn[src]

History

Early Life[]

Phil Urich was born and raised in New York City, the son of Arnold and Mindy Urich, Phil took to the wing of his uncle Ben who worked as a journalist with The Daily Bugle.[10]

Goblin Formula from Green Goblin Vol 1 1 001

Exposure to the Goblin Formula

Becoming the Green Goblin[]

On a journalism assignment, Phil joined his uncle Ben in an investigation on Oscorp Tower. When his uncle was besieged by attackers in the building, Phil hid and tried to find help. Stumbling upon an experimental new Goblin Armor, Phil also fell into a chamber of the Goblin Formula. Quickly dressing up in the suit, he scared off the hoods. Later on, he decided that the suit and equipment were worth using.[10]

Phillip Urich (Earth-616) from Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 12 001

Green Goblin

After his discovery of the Goblin arsenal and equipment, Phil ran into Spider-Man and together took down Firefist.[11] He next met the Scarlet Spider and fought the Rhino,[12] the Hobgoblin (Jason Macendale),[13] Joystick,[14] and others. Many were unsure of his purpose and motives as they were also curious about this new Goblin on the scene. He teamed up to battle threats from the Ultraverse.[15][16]

It was not until a corrupt judge targeted Ben[17] and sent the assassin Purge to kill him that Phil decided to take on his new persona with responsibility. Teaming up with Daredevil, the pair was able to stop Purge.[18]

This act gave the new hero a lot of attention and he developed a small but devoted following. Liz Allan asked Ben for information on who was using her husband's former identity.[19] She later gave Phil her "blessing" after he saved her and her son Normie from Angelface.[20] He then went up against Netshape.[21]

During Onslaught's attack, the Goblin costume was heavily damaged after battling the Sentinels.[22] Phil soon decided to retire as an active hero.[23]

He began working at the Daily Bugle as a full time reporter.[24] and continued to report on Spider-Man's adventures.[25][26]

Runaways[]

The Loners Vol 1 1 Textless

"Excelsior"/"The Loners"

He left New York to join the Los Angeles Times. He formed Excelsior as an outreach organization, a 'support group' for teen heroes and tried to help the Runaways.[27]

The Team later changed their name to the Loners. However after a mental breakdown, Phil attacked Mickey Musashi and Chris Powell, stealing the Darkhawk Amulet and giving in to his psychosis. Afterwards, Phil was depowered, but escaped with Hollow.[28]

Phillip Urich (Earth-616) from Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 649 0001

Urich kills Daniel Kingsley

Hobgoblin[]

In New York, Phil helped out his uncle at the new Front Line offices.[29] Having a crush on his co-worker Norah, who was looking into "Goblin gangs" for a story, Phil ran off to one of the old Goblin hideouts, hoping to find something there to impress her with. Phil encountered and murdered Daniel Kingsley, the twin brother of Roderick Kingsley, who was Hobgoblin at that time. After killing him, he became the Hobgoblin. Operating as a supervillain, he attacked a local think tank, and was confronted by Spider-Man. Catching the hero off-guard with his Goblin laugh, Phil attempted to decapitate him.[30] One of the think tank workers was able to disrupt the sonics to save Spider-Man, but Phil escaped with the experimental metal he came to steal. He delivered the metal to the Kingpin and became one of his operatives.[31] Spider-Man and Black Cat fought Phil and the Kingpin to retrieve the experimental metal. During the fight, Phil's "Lunatic Laugh" caused the building to collapse, and he saved the Kingpin from falling to his death.[32]

Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 649 Textless

Hobgoblin

Phil gave Norah tips about possible Hobgoblin sightings so they could watch together in an attempt to woo her away from Randy Robertson. Phil was jealous of Randy for dating Norah, so when Alistaire Smythe's minions attacked the Front Line offices Phil broke a support beam. This, along with the damage caused by the attack, caused the ceiling to collapse on Randy. Randy survived the collapse, but he was seriously injured.[33] Phil, as the Hobgoblin, fought Hercules after he defeated a gang that worked for the Kingpin. His pumpkin bombs caused debris to fall on Hercules, but he managed to escape the rubble. He then resumed the fight as Hobgoblin filmed the fight with hidden cameras which aired the footage live. Hercules won the fight, ironically boosting his popularity, instead of Phil's as he originally hoped. The Kingpin managed to convince Hercules not to hand him over to the authorities.[34] Phil attacked Spider-Girl after Norah talked about how impressive she was and he wanted to show her that he, as the Hobgoblin, was more impressive. He lured her to him by leaving a destructive path for her to follow. As the fight ensued, Spider-Girl was on the verge of defeating him. However, Spider-Man saw what she was doing and since he thought that she was still too inexperienced to fight such a powerful opponent, decided to intervene. However, by doing this, he only caused the Hobgoblin to get away.[35] Phil finally broke up Randy and Norah through stalking and a confrontation with the couple in his Hobgoblin persona. Norah then kissed Phil shortly after, knowing exactly what to say to seduce her unbeknownst to her, having instigated the break up.[36]

Under orders from the Kingpin, Phil teamed up with Spider-Girl to fight the Sisterhood of the Wasp during "Spider-Island".[37] Phil infiltrates a prisoner transport headed to the Raft to kill the Human Fly for stealing money from the Kingpin, but Agent Venom is on the transport and they fight. Agent Venom and Phil fight to a stalemate and the Human Fly escapes during the fight.[38]

During a confrontation with Spider-Man, Hobgoblin used a weapon designed to disrupt Spider-Man's spider-sense. Although it initially appears to have failed, Peter later realized that it had caused his spider-sense to become intense, reacting to the most minor of threats. Peter's dazed mental state, along with a wrongly delivered message from Madame Web, allowed Phil to capture him while him.[39] Peter later found out that Phil and the Kingpin did not know his secret when Phil proclaimed him "Peter Parker, Spider-Man's best friend". Phil and the Kingpin tried to get Peter to tell them who Spider-Man was but failed. Meanwhile Roderick Kingsley dressed in his old costume to go searching for him. When Kingsley engaged Phil, Max Modell got in the way and helped Peter escape. Peter used his web shooters to break the disruptor weapon and escaped. Kingpin then orders the two Hobgoblins after him. Both the Hobgoblins ended up fighting Spider-Man but ultimately gave up as Roderick Kingsley decided to just kill Urich instead. He then changed his mind at the last moment, letting him stay as the Hobgoblin, but only if he gave Kingsley a cut of the profits he made. Reluctant, Phil agreed to the arrangement but quickly began to conspire to kill Kingsley so that he wouldn't get in his way.[40] When Mayor Jameson announced an effort to crackdown on super-villains, Phil debated if it was still worthwhile to be the Hobgoblin because he payed so much to the Tinkerer for his Hobgoblin gear and to Kingsley for being allowed to be the Hobgoblin.[41]

Superior Spider-Man Vol 1 15 Textless

Vs. The Superior Spider-Man

Monstrous Chivalry[]

While receiving his weapons enhancement from the Tinkerer, his apprentice Ty Stone messes with the technology, as vengeance from his mistreatment. Phil later showed his video of Shadowland's destruction, receiving congratulations and a paycheck from Robbie. Behind on his payment from Kingsley, Kingsley suggested that Phil steal as much money to clear him of his payments; causing Phil to start a chain of bank robberies and earning the Superior Spider-Man's ire. While fighting the Superior Spider-Man, Ty tampers with the technology so that Spider-Man may beat Phil. Phil manages to escape and frantically rushes into the Daily Bugle demanding another paycheck from Robbie. Spider-Man then activates the spider-tracer he placed on Phil, and tapped into every TV screen in the city and revealed Phil's identity as the Hobgoblin.[42]

Goblin Nation (Earth-616) from Superior Spider-Man Vol 1 16 001

Rise of the Goblin Knight

With his identity as Hobgoblin revealed to the public, Phil realizes he has nowhere to run and desperately makes excuses as his Daily Bugle co-workers turn against him. Superior Spider-Man learned of Phil's location and arrived at the Daily Bugle and fought with a manic Phil bringing the fight outside where Superior Spider-Man disarms him. He pondered about giving Phil a public execution, but Phil is freed from a prison transport by Green Goblin who upgrades his armor and weapons. Green Goblin asked only for full dedication to Phil's only and new identity as the "Goblin Knight" which he accepts.[43]

He would later prove his loyalty by disposing of the body of Kingsley's impostor when he died in a fight with Norman.[44]

Following downfall of Norman, Urich became the new Goblin King and took the lead of the Goblin Nation remnants, which became one of the main organized crime powers in New York. He called upon two other crime powers, Mister Negative's criminal empire and the Maggia fraction lead by the Eel, to divide the criminal underground. While waiting for the Eel, they were surprised to see him crashing in from a window. They were confronted by the Black Cat, who demanded the Eel's part. Negative refused, saying that she only had reputation until it was destroyed by the Spider. She claimed that they were all outed by Spider-Man, but that she will be successful in defeating him.[1]

AXIS[]

In order to prove his worth as the new Goblin King, Urich began hunting for Roderick Kingsley, who had returned to New York and enfranchised his Hobgoblin persona and those of deceased or retired superheroes. Executing a Hobgoblin impostor, Urich mused on his failed attempt to save Lilly Hollister after her arrest.[45]

To get Kingsley's attention, Urich attacked a building with children playing inside. As he expected, Roderick Kingsley did arrive to save the children, as he had recently been inverted due to the inversion spell. After a short battle, Urich realized how distracted Kingsley was. Instead of fighting, he told him to buy his new book about becoming a superhero before fleeing.

Urich later confronted Kingsley at the latter's headquarters, remarking that Kingsley was insane. Urich attempted to kill Kingsley, but was soon confronted by Lily Hollister. She had amnesia, and had joined Kingsley's cause and taken the alias of the "Queen Cat." Urich battled some of Kingsley's leased superheroes before being forced to escape through the window, leaving the message "Find Me Lily."

Back to his base, Urich was visited by John Myers, one of Kingsley's leased heroes (aka Missile Mate), who stepped out and wanted to be a villain. Urich was reluctant on inviting him to his army, which was being formed by half of the leased villains Kingsley had abandoned, however, Myers revealed he had allied himself with the other half of those leased villains.[46]

Urich was visited in his base by the Queen Cat, who had agreed to double-cross Kingsley. During a celebration being held for the declaration of Hobgoblin Day, Missile Mate failed to kill Kingsley, which prompted Urich and the Goblin Nation to jump into action. Even though he was bested in combat by Kingsley, Urich expected the Queen Cat to betray the Hobgoblin. However, Lily revealed to have merely pretended to have any regard for their past relationship, and stated that having forgotten her criminal life might have been a gift she wasn't going to waste. After a failed attempt by the Missile Mate to escape with Urich, the Goblin King and the members of the Goblin Nation present at the scene were taken into custody.[47]

Philip Urich (Earth-616), Norman Osborn (Earth-616), and Carnage (Symbiote) (Earth-616) from Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 797 0001

Norman Osborn kills Urich using the Carnage symbiote

Death and Undeath[]

Urich later resurfaced again during Alchemax's representation of new energy source, trying to steal it. Even though Spider-Man and Agent Anti-Venom appeared and defeated his henchman, Urich managed to escape using his sonic scream.[48] Not long afterwards, he searched for new weaponry in one of Osborn's old caches. He happened to break into Norman's abandoned Upper East Side club where he was holding J. Jonah Jameson hostage. Osborn caught notice of Urich's presence in the lower levels of the building, and confronted him. Unaware of Norman's new symbiote and the return of his goblin powers, Phil attacked him with his sword. Norman stopped the attack and killed Phil by impaling his chest with his symbiote blades.[49]

Some time following his funeral, Phil was reanimated by the Goblin formula infusing his body. Unable to return to human civilization due to his undead state, he instead took refuge in the sewers, where he found to remnants of the Goblin Nation and took command of them.[8] Nursing a grudge against Norman not only for having killed him but for having been allowed to escape punishment for his crimes after his sins were exorcised, Urich began following and plotting revenge against him. When a new Red Goblin picked a fight with some of his goons, Urich concluded that Norman had bonded the Carnage symbiote to an assassin to maintain his guise of redemption and sent his minions to capture the former Green Goblin by force.[50] Harvesting Norman's Goblin formula-saturated blood, Phil and the other Goblin Nation solders injected themselves with it to empower themselves. When the Red Goblin arrived to rescue Norman, Phil -- believing him to be bonded to the Carnage symbiote -- incapacitated him with his Lunatic Laugh and managed to tear off the nametag of Normie Osborn's uniform, which had been borrowed from a classmate.[8]

Attributes

Power Grid[57]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Multiple Types:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/On Contact:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Bulletproof:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Superhuman:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (800 lbs-25 ton):Category:Power Grid/Strength/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

Goblin Formula: Much like the Green Goblin, the Goblin Formula gave Phil superhuman powers.[51]

  • Superhuman Strength: Phil became super-strong. Coupled with his armor which further augmented his abilities, he was strong enough to at least match Spider-Man's strength. He can lift approximately 8 tons.[52]
  • Superhuman Speed: Phil can run and operate at superhuman speeds.[52]
  • Superhuman Stamina: Phil's body produces less fatigue toxins, allowing him to work at peak capacity for several hours before fatigue begins to wear him down.[52]
  • Superhuman Durability: Phil's body tissues, skeletal and musculature structure were enhanced by the Goblin Formula, making it more stronger than any human beings. He is durable enough to survive punctured and gunshot wounds, blunt force traumas, powerful impacts (e.g., falls from great heights) and being struck by another superhumanly strong opponent.[52]
  • Healing Factor: It is still possible for Phil to sustain injury. If he does, his body's augmented chemical composition allows him to heal damaged tissue much faster and more extensively than a normal human is capable of. While not as efficient as other superhumans', he can heal from injuries from a matter of days that would prove lethal to an ordinary human. Roderick's regenerative ability is considered greater than Osborn's, thus giving him an immunity to all sorts of radiation, toxins, forms of aging factors and diseases.[52]
  • Superhuman Agility and Reflexes: Hobgoblin's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. His reflexes are similarly enhanced and are superior to those of the finest human athlete.[52]
  • Lunatic Laugh: Unlike the Green Goblin, Phil developed a sonic attack he called the Lunatic Laugh. Initially thought to be part of the mask, the laugh seems to be an actual power of Phil's.[52]
    • Lunatic Laugh resistance: Phil seems to be immune to his Lunatic Laugh. It's unknown if he is immune to other sonic attacks too.[52]

Abilities

High Intellect: Though inferior when compared to Osborn or Kingsley, Phil is actually very intelligent. He was able to outsmart the Kingpin on at least one occasion, and has repeatedly escaped capture from both superheroes and the law. He has also proven to be a highly efficient criminal strategist and organizer as the Goblin King.[52]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Goblin Armor: The Goblin's costume incorporated chain mail in the tunic, giving him further protection from high impacts, such as the punches or kicks inflicted during his battles with Spider-Man.[52]

  • Goblin Mask: The Goblin Mask causes a chemical reaction with the Goblin formula, giving Phil superhuman strength and durability while wearing it.[10]
  • Goblin Gloves: The gloves contains finger blasters which could shoot electricity or a blinding flash.[11]
  • Goblin Boots: The Goblin costume's boots have small jets that let him hover, although he mainly used the Glider for transportation.[citation needed]

Goblin Glider[53]

  • Glider Cam: A camera fixed onto the nose of the Goblin Glider.[citation needed]

Weapons

Bag of Tricks filled with pumpkin bombs, gas ghosts, razor batwings, flaming sword and a device set to debilitate Peter Parker's Spider Sense.[10]

Transportation

Flight: Wings;[54] formerly Goblin Glider, Goblin Boots.

The Excel: a Rick Jones-designed hovercraft, controlled in the same fashion as Phil's Goblin Glider.[55]

Notes

Trivia

  • As Hobgoblin, Phil used Twitter.[35]

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 3) #5
  2. Superior Spider-Man #16
  3. Web of Spider-Man #125
  4. Amazing Spider-Man #649
  5. The Loners #56
  6. The Loners #6
  7. Amazing Spider-Man #797
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Red Goblin #2
  9. Red Goblin #8
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Green Goblin #1
  11. 11.0 11.1 Spectacular Spider-Man #225
  12. Green Goblin #2
  13. Green Goblin #4
  14. Green Goblin #3
  15. UltraForce/Spider-Man #1A
  16. UltraForce/Spider-Man #1B
  17. Green Goblin #5
  18. Green Goblin #6
  19. Green Goblin #7
  20. Green Goblin #8
  21. Green Goblin #911
  22. Amazing Spider-Man #415
  23. Green Goblin #1213
  24. Osborn Journals #1
  25. Amazing Spider-Man #422433
  26. Spider-Man #98
  27. Runaways (Vol. 2) #16
  28. The Loners #15
  29. Amazing Spider-Man #648
  30. Amazing Spider-Man #649
  31. Amazing Spider-Man #650
  32. Amazing Spider-Man #651
  33. Amazing Spider-Man #654
  34. Herc #12
  35. 35.0 35.1 Spider-Girl (Vol. 2) #6
  36. Spider-Island: Deadly Foes #1
  37. Spider-Island: The Amazing Spider-Girl #13
  38. Venom (Vol. 2) #16
  39. Amazing Spider-Man #695
  40. Amazing Spider-Man #697
  41. Superior Spider-Man #6
  42. Superior Spider-Man #15
  43. Superior Spider-Man #16
  44. Superior Spider-Man #26
  45. AXIS: Hobgoblin #1
  46. AXIS: Hobgoblin #2
  47. AXIS: Hobgoblin #3
  48. Amazing Spider-Man #796
  49. Amazing Spider-Man #797
  50. Red Goblin #1
  51. Marvel Legacy: The 1990s Handbook #1
  52. 52.0 52.1 52.2 52.3 52.4 52.5 52.6 52.7 52.8 52.9 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12
  53. Web of Spider-Man #125
  54. Amazing Spider-Man #649650
  55. Runaways (Vol. 2) #56
  56. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12
  57. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 12
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