Hobgoblin (Roderick Kingsley)

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Created because they wanted the Green Goblin back but didn't want Norman Osborn or Bart Hamilton involved, or have Harry Osborn become him again, creators instead decided to make a new character in the Goblin heritage. With a secret identity as convoluted behind the scenes as it was on the comic pages, Roderick Kingsley ended up being the first incarnation of Hobgoblin. A billionaire fashion desig... read more

Roderick Kingsley was a successful fashion designer and millionaire who had built his empire through underworld ties and unethical practices. One of his criminal associates, George Hill, had stumbled upon one of the secret lairs of the original Green Goblin. He relayed this information to Kingsley, who killed him to ensure the secret would remain hidden. Reading through Norman Osborn's journals and examining the various "goblin" paraphernalia and weaponry, Kingsley found himself enthralled with the idea of becoming a costumed criminal. Therefore he forged a new identity, with an altered costume as the Hobgoblin.

Using information he acquired from journals left behind by Norman Osborn, Kingsley intended to blackmail several key figures including J.Jonah Jameson and Osborn's son Harry. Inevitably, this drew him into conflict with Spider-Man, who Kingsley saw as only a nuisance and had only planned to deal with him in afterthought. After being beaten soundly by the web-slinger several times, Kingsley became obsessed with reproducing Osborn's original strength enhancing formula so he could deal with Spider-Man more effectively. Not wanting to suffer the insanity that plagued Norman Osborn as a result of exposure to formula, Kingsley decided to test it on a small time thug named Arnold "Lefty" Donovan...