10 Things Only Spider-Man Comic Fans Know About Peter Parker’s Friendly Rivalry With Harry Osborn

Peter Parker and Harry Osborn have had a tumultuous relationship to say the least, one that has been explored in no less than four different Spider-Man movies over the past few decades. Their alter-egos as Spider-Man and Green Goblin, respectively, have not aided in the matter of their love-hate relationship.

Nevertheless, the films depicting Harry and Peter’s friendly (and sometimes unfriendly) rivalry have never been able to portray every aspect of the relationship, leaving plenty of material unadapted. As a result, there is much about the two’s past that can only be gleaned from a keen understanding of the comic source material.

They Had A Rough Start

Most fans know that Harry Osborn and Peter Parker are college friends at Empire State University, but not everyone knows that their relationship did not get off to the best start. In fact, Harry’s first impressions of Peter were quite awful, making it difficult for the two to get along in their early relationship.

As a result of his activities as Spider-Man, Peter was often preoccupied when on campus, too distracted to make light conversation with his fellow students. Not knowing about Peter’s second life, Harry perceived Peter’s aloofness as snobbery, immediately deciding that he didn’t like Parker much at all. Thankfully for their friendship, Harry eventually came to see Peter’s friendlier side.

They’ve Dated The Same Girl

Spider-Man has had plenty of love interests over the years, most notably, of course, Mary Jane Watson. Many casual Spider-Man fans may not realize that MJ had dated other guys before settling down with Peter Parker. One such ex happened to be Harry Osborn himself.

During the time that Peter was dating Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane and Harry engaged in a relatively long-lasting relationship themselves. The two couples often hit the town together, going on double dates, hanging out at coffee shops, and spending time on campus together. It was only after Gwen’s death and MJ and Harry’s breakup that Peter went steady with Mary Jane.

Peter Helped Harry Through Rehab

The comic book version of Harry has had a history of substance abuse, often misusing psychedelic drugs that negatively altered his mental state. His addiction to drugs and subsequent rehab is something that only Spider-Man comics readers might know about Harry Osborn. Indeed, this proved to be a major facet of Harry’s story in his early days.

After breaking up with Mary Jane, Harry overdosed, bringing his ordeal to his friends’ attention. And, while Harry’s father Norman was little help to his son, Peter and Harry’s other friends came to the young Osborn’s side, supporting him as he completed a rehabilitation process and returned to a normal life.

They’ve Lived Together

After college, Peter Parker and Harry Osborn, at the very height of their friendship, got an apartment together in the city, similar to the one they shared in the original Spider-Man film. While this was a mutually beneficial living arrangement, the situation occasionally got ugly.

In the wake of the tragic series of events that saw the deaths of Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn, Harry became quite vengeful toward Spider-Man, believing him to be responsible for his father’s death. This vengeful attitude drove Harry to violence, causing him to actually blow up his and Peter’s apartment while trying to kill the superhero.

Secrets Revealed

After his father’s death, Harry became aware of Peter Parker’s secret identity as Spider-Man after finding his costume in the apartment they shared. This revelation would shortly lead Harry to become one of Spider-Man’s most fearsome (and most sympathetic) villains of all time.

As a result of Harry learning Peter’s secret, the Spider-Man mythos was changed forever, even after the young Osborn conveniently forgot this truth after sustaining an injury as the Green Goblin. From that point onward, Peter was always walking on eggshells around his best friend, worried that he would accidentally reawaken the Goblin persona buried deep within.

Family Bonding

After a brief stint as the Green Goblin, Harry managed to get his life together, eventually marrying Liz Allan, Peter’s first crush. Harry and Liz later had a son, whom they named Norman, or “Normie,” after Harry’s deceased father, whom he continued to idolize even after his death.

Harry’s family started to form right around the time that Peter and MJ began to get serious about their relationship, eventually getting married and settling down as well. The two families were very close during this period of time, even living in the same apartment at one point–until Harry’s return to supervillainy brought that to an end.

It Isn’t Always So Friendly

Many fans know that, as a result of one of the greatest Green Goblin story arcs of comic history, Harry Osborn adopts the mantle that his father made so infamous before him. This has been portrayed twice in live-action Spider-Man films, but never to the same extent as in the comics.

The comic book Harry Osborn battled against the Goblin persona within him for a long time, struggling to keep this identity buried deep within his subconscious. Peter did his best to help Harry with this fight, but couldn’t protect his friend forever, eventually leading the two to become mortal enemies.

Fighting Side-By-Side

Though Harry is primarily thought of as a villain after taking on the Green Goblin identity, some fans may not realize that this wasn’t always the case. Just before his villainous turn in the “Child Within” storyline, Harry actually used his father’s alter-ego for good, at times even fighting side-by-side with Spider-Man himself.

After years of suppressing the urge to become the Green Goblin, Harry eventually donned the cowl in order to save his family on several occasions and even contemplated beginning a life as a superhero akin to Spider-Man. Peter talked him out of this decision, however, knowing just how dangerous the Goblin could be.

Friends In The End

Though their battles were fierce and brutal, Spider-Man and Harry’s Green Goblin managed to come to good terms just before the latter’s ultimate demise. In the landmark Spectacular Spider-Man #200 by J.M. DeMatteis, with art by Sal Buscema, Harry sees the error of his ways and proves himself to be a hero, only for the Goblin formula in his body to kill him.

Harry’s final moments involved a brief but touching conversation with Peter, where he revealed his own heroic nature and praised Peter for inspiring him to be something more. Though they had been bitter rivals at multiple points in their young lives, they had always been friends–and Harry’s final moments proved it.

Post-Mortem Haunting

Despite Harry’s epiphany at the end of his life, there were several schemes that he had put in motion before his demise that he was never able to stop. The most egregious of these includes recruiting the Chameleon to make Peter Parker believe that his parents had returned from the dead, only to later reveal that they were synthezoid robots the entire time.

Even months after Harry’s death, Peter was haunted by the evil machinations of his late best friend. The constant struggle with a deceased foe devastated Spidey, with Harry’s post-mortem catchphrase “Gotcha” haunting him even years after the villain was gone.

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