Norman Osborn is Spider-Man's greatest nemesis. As the Green Goblin and as himself, Osborn has caused the web-slinger an immense amount of pain. Osborn expanded his horizons, however, when he took over the Marvel Universe during the Dark Reign era.
Norman's "Dark Reign" began at the end ofSecret Invasion#8, by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu. Up until this point, Osborn had established himself as the leader of the Thunderboltsand controlleda group of serial killers like Bullseye and Venom. When the Skrull invasion reached New York, the Thunderbolts helped Marvel's heroes fend off the attack. In the ensuing battle, Osborn himself scored the killing shot against the Skrull queen, Veranke.
Everyone in the world saw Osborn's actions on live television. From this seemingly heroic act, Norman was named head of world security, replacing Tony Stark as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Immediately, however, Osborn established his own secretgroup of villains. ThisCabal consisted of Doctor Doom, Loki, the Hood, Namor and Emma Frost. Osborn also replaced S.H.I.E.L.D. with H.A.M.M.E.R., a harsher, more militaristic organization.
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The Dark Avengers were formed, with Osborn in charge. This new team was comprised of super-villains from the Thunderbolts, disguising themselves as heroes such as Spider-Man and Hawkeye. Osborn himself became the Iron Patriot, with his own suit of armor.
As an enforcer of the Superhuman Registration Act, Norman went on the hunt for all unregistered heroes. Even registered heroes were discreetly targeted for Osborn's agenda. InInvincible Iron Man #19, by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca, Osborn nearly beat Iron Man to death in order to gain access to the registered heroes' identities.
TheIron Patriot compiled a list of threats he needed to deal with so he could fully assert his control. Several heroes and vigilantes suffered due to Osborn's machinations. InDark Reign: The List- Daredevil#1, by Andy Diggle and Billy Tan, Bullseye blew up an apartment full of families in Hell's Kitchen. InDark Reign: The List- Punisher#1, by Rick Remender and John Romita Jr., Osborn sent Daken to kill Frank Castle, who was decapitated during this encounter.
Osborn also persecuted the mutant population in San Francisco, secretly capturing and experimenting on a few of them. InUncanny X-Men#513, by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson, Osborn formed his own Dark X-Men for good publicity while he hunted down the real X-Men. Of course, when Marvel's Mutants established the island-nation of Utopia inDark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus #1, by Fraction, Dodson and Mike Deodato, Jr., Osbornwas forcedto back off.
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Dark Reign solidified Osborn's villainous nature outside of the Green Goblin persona. Several times before, Osborn himself was depicted as quite sinister, albeit usually under the influence of the goblin's insanity. For this period of time, however, Osborn seemed to control the situation, thinly veiling his insanity. This guise of normalcy went a long way in convincing the public, placing Osborn on top for a change. Rather than a disturbed villain, Norman was seen as a benevolent general. This manipulation of public perception made Norman Osborn a formidable villain in his own right. While Osborn sat on the throne of world security, Marvel's real heroes were made out to be villains.
Naturally, this "Dark Reign" had to end sometime. InSiege: The Cabal#1, by Bendis and Michael Lark, Osborn had a falling out with Doom, virtually ending his Cabal. Emma Frost and Namor had previously left the group during "Utopia," so Norman's allies were dwindling. InSiege#1, by Bendis and Olivier Coipel, Loki manipulated Osborn into invading Asgard. This siegecaused the government to losefaith in Osborn, allowing the real Avengers to go in and arrest the former goblin.
Looking back, "Dark Reign" portrayed a very different version of Norman Osborn than his historical iteration that truly made him a villain to the entire Marvel Universe, not just Peter Parker.
More recently inAmazing Spider-Man#50, by Nick Spencer and Patrick Gleason, Norman was apparently "cleansed" of his sins by the Sin-Eater. With all of the evil in his heart vanquished, a kinder, gentler Norman has existed since then. This is a stark contrast to "Dark Reign," which might be Norman's villainous peak. As a corrupt ruler, Norman had never been more sinister himself, without the aid of the Green Goblin. Now, Osborn seems muchkinder and more earnest in his attempts to do good.Withouthis previous sin, Norman is free to be a decent, honest man. For now, it seems that Norman Osborn's Dark Reign days are in the past.
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