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Appearing in "With Friends Like These!"

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Synopsis for "With Friends Like These!"

After his failed attempt to steal the chemical Diox-3, Tombstone had managed to break out of the chemical testing chamber and crawl his way out to FDR Drive. There he is surrounded by a trio of muggers who attempt to rob him. Reaching out, he crushes one of the thieve's hands. Another pulls a gun and tries to shoot him, but the bullets don't penetrate his skin. As Tombstone arises from the ground, looking for a fight, the three thugs rightfully panic and run away. While not far away, Spider-Man confronts the Green Goblin about his sudden return. The Goblin tells the wall-crawler to leave him alone but then agrees to land his glider so they can talk. Removing his mask, Harry Osborn explains that after he defended his family from the Hobgoblin recently, he found his costumed identity exciting and decided to renew the career of the Green Goblin, as a force for good.[Continuity 1] Spider-Man points out that costumed heroics are dangerous, reminding Harry that he has a wife and child at home. Harry puts his mask back on and tells Spider-Man that he finds such reasoning strange coming from him and tells the web-slinger to mind his own business. As the Green Goblin leaves the scene, Spider-Man is worried that Harry may be remembering his repressed memories of his true identity.[Continuity 2]

Having other concerns to deal with, Spider-Man returns to Osborn Chemicals where he convinces the authorities that the Molten Man assisted in stopping the robbery. He then joins Joe Robertson and Detective Frank Farrow to search the Diox-3 chamber in order to determine what happened to Tombstone. That's when Harry Osborn arrives on the scene and explains to them Diox-3 prevents the decomposition of plants.[Continuity 3] Later, Peter Parker returns home to the apartment he shares with his wife Mary Jane.[Continuity 4] He tells her his concerns about Harry's memories returning. Peter decides to go and talk to Harry, but when he goes knocking on his door, he discovers that the Osborns are not home. He decides to break in and look around. The only clue he can find is a receipt for renovations to an industrial building that Harry had recently paid. As Spider-Man, Peter goes to the construction company and sneaks into their records to find the address of the building.

Meanwhile, the Green Goblin heads to his newly constructed hideout through an access tunnel under the Brooklyn Bridge. There he finds Spider-Man waiting for him. The wall-crawler demands to know what Harry is doing. Harry explains that he has decided to become a hero in order to vindicate his father's name. Spider-Man points out that Norman Osborn was insane and a murderer.[Continuity 5] Spider-Man attacks Harry, in the hopes of teaching him that he is ill-prepared to take up a costumed identity. However, Harry refuses to listen to reason and begins to give into delusions that his father was a good man who cared for him. The battle takes them both outside near a docked ship. Realizing that he is not getting through to Harry, the wall-crawler decides to stop pulling his punches.

After quickly defeating Harry, he drags him back to his hideout where he unmasks Harry and forces him to see facts. Harry is defiant, telling Spider-Man that he doesn't need his help. However, the web-slinger shows Harry a picture of his wife and son, reminding him that he has other, more important responsibilities. Harry finally sees sense and thanks the hero as he is swinging out. Spider-Man however, doesn't hear it when Harry calls him Peter. That evening, someone attacks the Long Island mansion owned by Hammerhead. This interrupts the mobster during a screening of his favorite mobster movie. The guards are horrified when their bullets have no effect on the intruder. The intruder turns out to be Tombstone, whose body has become indestructible and he has come back to inform Hammerhead that things are going to be run his own way from now on.

Solicit Synopsis

Tombstone gets new powers and watch out for the Green Goblin!

Notes

Continuity Notes[]

  1. Harry became the Green Goblin again in Amazing Spider-Man #312 to protect his family from the Hobgoblin.
  2. Harry discovered that Peter was really Spider-Man over the course of Amazing Spider-Man #122137 when he first took on the mantle of the Green Goblin. These memories were repressed after extensive therapy.
  3. Harry states that he got a call from security via his car phone. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 as car phones are an obsolete technology.
  4. Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage was erased from existence by the demon Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such they should be considered a common-law couple as opposed to husband and wife.
  5. Norman Osborn was the original Green Goblin, first battling Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #14. Norman was responsible for the death of Peter's first love, Gwen Stacy in Amazing Spider-Man #121. At the time of this story, everyone believes Norman Osborn is dead after he was impaled with his own Goblin Glider in Amazing Spider-Man #122. However, Osborn survived as revealed in Osborn Journals #1 and will resurface again in Amazing Spider-Man #412.

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