Shades of Green: The Green Goblin in Film and TV (Part 3)

By Jason Lethert

1999: Counter Goblin

In 1999, Fox premiered Spider-Man: Unlimited, a brand new take on the character, and a marked contrast from any previous incarnation - comic or animated. This show stranded Spidey in CounterEarth, a parallel Earth from the comic books (though this was quite different from the comic version). This CounterEarth was run by the despotic High Evolutionary and his genetic mutations, which lorded over the "regular" humans. Here, Peter Parker worked for a website, and Spidey helped the John Jameson-led resistance against the High Evolutionary.

As you could imagine, fan reaction was quite mixed. Most were repelled by the abrupt change in their once recognizable hero. Adding to the ire of the purists was the fact that Spidey wore a techno-suit of nano-robots, which fit on him much like the alien costume - but with tons of gadgets and abilities. These types of radical changes from the core of Spider-Man were rejected by many fanboy circles. But the show was NOT a failure.

In fact, after a late start in the fall of 1999, Spider-Man: Unlimited opened to good ratings. For three episodes, the show was sailing along to success, despite the negative reaction from the hardcore fans. But ultimately, S-M:U was a victim of timing. In the end of the 90s, America was just entering the Pokemon craze, and Fox ditched it's entire lineup for Pokemon clones - primarily, Digimon.

And so ended the experiment. As a result, many simply dismiss the show as a Batman Beyond ripoff, even though Spider-Man: Unlimited was in development before BB became public. Fox eventually brought the series back last winter, and aired the 13 completed episodes until summer. But the show couldn't overcome the lack of publicity momentum from the year long hiatus.

The show exists as an interesting curio. The comic book industry is fond of alternate universe storylines, but Spider-Man: Unlimited goes down as one of the most unique and bizarre. Some of the alternate takes on Marvel characters were provocative, such as portraying Machine Man as an escaped Sentinel.

One of the most popular supporting characters on the show was the Green Goblin, which is quite the paradox of his comic persona.

In S-M:U, the Goblin has no connection to Norman Osborn. He is a Latino man, more Goblin-esque (mutated with wings and thusly, no need for a jetglider), as well as his general appearance. And in keeping with the general visual themes of the show, the Goblin was laden with technology and equipment. However, the biggest change was that the CounterEarth Goblin was a vigilante, fighting against the High Eveloutionary and collaborators.

After the obligatory initial showdown, the Goblin became an ally of Spidey, and guest starred in several episodes. The series even delved into the Goblin's past, exploring the wife and son he left behind when the Goblin persona took over his life. An interesting addition to the Goblin mythos, but the best is yet to come.

Goblin for a new millennium

The Spider-Man movie is certainly going to give us another altered interpretation of the character as well. No doubt the debate over costume/character changes will continue to keep internet servers busy up to the release of the film. But many high profile industry types have come out in support. At the San Diego ComiCon last summer, Peter David took issue with the nay-sayers: "People complain about the Goblin and Spider-Man's organic web shooters? Screw you! Be happy his costume is red and blue! And the Green Goblin does not need a funny purple hat to be cool."

Sam Raimi's crew seem to have a cocky assuredness that if people will just give their new take on the Goblin a chance, the fans will love it. And the most recent round of publicity shots released were met enthusiastically by most. But the biggest boost to the Goblin's buzz was the exclusive teaser footage of the Goblin in action - with jet-glider in all it's glory.

The clip showed footage of a gondola full of people looking out the window as the goblin hovers past them, looking for Spider-Man (who is not in the clip). The goblin and his glider were complete CGI, but very realistic. The Goblin also shows off his jet-glider's arsenal, firing rockets at an unknown target. The clip was coupled with an equally exciting clip of Spidey webswinging into his apartment window.

In light of the latest footage, it appears the positive buzz on the Goblin clearly outweighs the negative. From the get-go, Raimi's team made it clear that faithfulness to the source material was paramount, and that message seems to be getting through to the fans - despite, some of the liberties the film is taking. The general sense is, people trust Raimi. "I talked to Sam once, years before he was doing the Spider-Man movie, and I wanted to talk about his movies, but all he'd talk about was my run on Spider-Man comics," said comic writer Marv Wolfman at the ComiCon.

No doubt, there's plenty more of the Green Goblin to be revealed before the movie comes out. The official trailer may not come out for months. Yet, there seems to be a growing feeling of inevitability regarding the film. Many feel this could finally be the perfect super hero adaptation - the action of the Matrix with the heart of Superman. And that means that despite the cosmetic changes, the Green Goblin is going to make his mark in the realm of action movie villains.

Epilogue

It is unknown whether the storyline for the Spider-Man movie sets up or even allows for the Goblin to appear in the likely sequel. But that's not the last we'll see of the Goblin in multi-media.

Folks can check out a holographic battle between Spidey and the Goblin while riding a rollercoaster through their fight on the Spider-Man ride at the Marvel Islands of adventure in Florida. [Editor's Note: We've learned that it is actually the Hobgoblin who appears in Universal's Spider-Man attraction, and not the Green Goblin. Thanks to Spyder Man for the info]. Further, a new Spider-Man cartoon is in development, as has been reported on this website. The series reportedly will be based on the Ultimate Spider-Man line of books, and there's a good chance Norman Osborn and his alter-ego will be back in TV animation.

The line of Ultimate comics was created in part as a showcase for creators to do stories not mired in continuity. Thusly, we may see yet another wild take on the Goblin, or a more traditional approach. Either way, GG has proved for decades a formidable villain.

The Green Goblin is the greatest villain from the greatest era of Spider-Man comic books. And this mythic match-up has elevated the Goblin to a part of pop culture. After all, a hero is always measured by his nemesis. GG is on the verge of becoming an icon of evil. Across the world, people who don't even read comics know Lex Luthor, Joker, and Magneto. Soon, the Green Goblin will have his day.

Send tips, press releases and other scoopage to news@comics2film.com or fax to (805) 669-3863.  Click here for more contact info.