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"You're insane," Spider-Man said flatly. "I'm not joining you."
The Green Goblin's face twisted behind his mask.
"Then DIE!"
He pulled razor-sharp throwing blades from his belt and hurled them at Spider-Man.
Peter twisted and dodged, the blades whistling past him. The Goblin closed in for hand-to-hand combat.
They fought viciously. Peter was holding his own—until another blade caught his arm, slicing through his costume and into flesh.
Peter grunted in pain and punched the Goblin with full force.
The villain flew backward fifteen feet and crashed into burning debris.
The flames were spreading. Peter didn't want to stay and fight—he turned and escaped through a window.
When the Goblin got up, Spider-Man was gone.
The Goblin snarled in frustration. Nobody defied him. Nobody.
Later that evening, Norman Osborn returned home.
He'd changed out of the Green Goblin armor, showered, put on a suit. Tonight was Thanksgiving dinner with Harry and his friends.
Peter Parker was there when Norman arrived. So was Mary Jane.
Norman sat down at the table, making small talk, pretending everything was normal.
Then he noticed Peter's arm.
The bandage was visible under Peter's sleeve. Same location as where the Goblin's blade had cut Spider-Man.
Norman's eyes widened slightly.
Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
He stood abruptly. "I need to leave. Business emergency."
Harry looked confused. "Dad, what? I wanted you to meet—"
"That gold-digger?" Norman gestured dismissively at Mary Jane. "I can see exactly what she is. A social climber looking for money."
The room went silent.
Mary Jane's face went pale, then red.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Norman grabbed his coat. "Harry, you're a fool if you think she actually cares about you."
He walked out.
Mary Jane stood, shaking with anger and humiliation. "I'm leaving."
"Mary Jane, wait—" Harry reached for her.
"Don't." She pulled away. "I'm not staying here after that."
She left.
Harry turned to Peter, devastated. "What just happened?"
Peter had no answer.
Norman went straight to his private lab and put the Green Goblin armor back on.
If Peter Parker was Spider-Man, then Peter's family was vulnerable.
He knew exactly how to hurt the masked vigilante.
The attack came when Peter was out.
The Green Goblin crashed through the Parkers' home, terrorizing Aunt May and injuring Uncle Ben when he tried to protect her.
Both ended up in the hospital—again.
When Peter found out, he was furious. And terrified.
The Green Goblin knew who he was. That was the only explanation.
Peter stayed at the hospital for days, barely leaving his aunt and uncle's side. If the Goblin came back, Peter would be there.
Mary Jane visited too. She and the Parkers had always gotten along, and she wanted to check on them.
Peter and Mary Jane kept running into each other. Talking. Reconnecting.
When Harry came to visit—awkwardly, still reeling from the dinner disaster—he found Peter and Mary Jane laughing together in the hallway.
Something inside Harry broke.
He turned and left without saying a word.
Norman noticed the growing distance between Harry and Peter.
And he noticed Harry's mood darkening.
Time to make Spider-Man pay for that too.
Norman planned his final move carefully.
He kidnapped Mary Jane. He also hijacked a tram full of children.
Then he positioned them on opposite sides of a bridge, dangling over the river.
And he waited for Spider-Man to arrive.
Peter swung through the city at top speed.
Mary Jane was in danger. Children were in danger.
And it was all because of him.
He found the bridge easily—the Green Goblin wasn't hiding.
Spider-Man landed on top of one of the bridge's massive support towers.
The Goblin hovered on his glider, holding Mary Jane by one arm and a cable in his other hand. At the end of that cable was the tram car, packed with terrified children.
"Green Goblin!" Peter shouted. "Let them go!"
The Goblin laughed. "This is the price of heroism, Spider-Man. You never know when a madman will present you with an impossible choice."
He spread his arms wider. "So choose—your girlfriend, or these innocent children? Who dies today?"
Mary Jane and the children stared at Spider-Man, pleading silently.
Peter's mind raced. He couldn't let anyone die. He wouldn't.
"Choose!" the Goblin roared.
And he let go.
Both of them.
Mary Jane and the children fell simultaneously toward the water far below, screaming.
Peter moved instantly.
He ran to the edge of the tower, dove toward Mary Jane, caught her—then shot a web back toward the tower and swung under it, arcing toward the other side.
With Mary Jane clinging to him, Peter grabbed the tram cable with his free hand, then shot another web to anchor them to the bridge.
The weight hit all at once. The web strand stretched tight, holding everyone—Mary Jane, Peter, the tram full of children—suspended above the river.
Peter's muscles screamed. The web creaked ominously.
But everyone was alive.
Marcus had driven to the bridge when he'd heard about the situation.
He watched Peter save everyone and smiled.
Classic impossible choice. Spider-Man's finest moment.
Of course, the Green Goblin hadn't planned well enough. He'd left too many ways for Spider-Man to win.
And now there were complications.
A cargo ship was approaching, searchlight illuminating Spider-Man. Someone on deck was shouting through a bullhorn: "Spider-Man! We'll bring the boat directly underneath! Lower them onto the deck!"
"Hurry!" Peter called back.
The Green Goblin saw his plan collapsing. He summoned his glider and swooped down toward Spider-Man.
Marcus got out of his car, pulled a sniper rifle from his trunk—well, from his system space, but nobody was watching closely—and moved to the bridge railing.
People nearby stared at him like he was crazy.
Marcus ignored them, aimed, and waited.
"Mary Jane," Peter said urgently, "you need to climb down. The Green Goblin's coming."
"I can't!"
"Yes, you can. I believe in you."
The web stretched further. They dropped several feet. More screaming.
"Mary Jane—please. You can do this. Trust me."
She forced herself to calm down, grabbed the cable Peter was holding, and started climbing toward the tram.
Peter exhaled in relief.
The Green Goblin accelerated toward him, laughing.
Peter couldn't dodge. If he moved, everyone would fall.
He braced for impact—
CRACK!
A bullet hit the Goblin square in the chest, knocking him sideways.
The Goblin wobbled on his glider, barely staying airborne.
"Who dares?!" He looked around wildly and spotted Marcus on the bridge, rifle raised. "WHO ARE YOU?!"
"Just a concerned citizen," Marcus called back.
Peter, hanging from the web, also saw Marcus.
"Marcus?!"
He recognized the clothes despite the mask.
Why is he here? With a gun?
No time to think about it. The cargo ship was in position below him.
Peter released his grip and let the tram—and Mary Jane—drop the remaining few feet onto the ship's deck. The children scrambled out, safe.
The Green Goblin tried to interfere—
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Marcus fired three more shots, each one hitting the Goblin and forcing him back.
"Damn you!" the Goblin screamed. "I'll KILL you for this!"
He turned his glider toward Marcus.
Marcus raised his middle finger.
The Goblin roared and accelerated—
Peter shot a web at the glider, yanking hard.
The Goblin lurched off-course, nearly falling.
"ENOUGH!" The Goblin changed direction, flying away from the bridge at high speed. "Come on then, Spider-Man!"
Peter released his web anchor and held on as the Goblin dragged him away.
Marcus watched them disappear, then calmly packed his rifle—back into system space—and drove away before the police arrived.
No point getting caught up in official questioning.
The Green Goblin took Spider-Man to an abandoned factory on the riverbank, throwing him through a wall.
Peter crashed hard, got up—
A pumpkin bomb exploded.
The blast threw Peter backward. Flames seared through his mask, burning away half of it and exposing part of his face.
He hit another wall and fell, groaning.
The Goblin landed nearby. "Nobody's coming to save you now."
Peter struggled to his feet.
The Goblin attacked—fists hammering into Peter's chest and head.
Peter took the hits, vision blurring, then finally recovered enough to fight back.
He punched the Goblin away, then used webs to pull himself closer.
They fought brutally. But the Goblin had made a mistake—engaging Spider-Man in hand-to-hand combat was suicide.
Peter's strength was superior. His reflexes were better.
He landed punch after devastating punch.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
The Goblin screamed in pain.
"Stop! Stop!" The voice changed, became desperate. "Peter, please—it's me!"
Peter froze.
That voice...
The Goblin tore off his mask, revealing the battered face underneath.
Norman Osborn.
"Mr. Osborn?!"
Peter stared in shock. Harry's father. Norman. The man who'd been at Thanksgiving dinner just days ago.
The Green Goblin was Norman Osborn.