Harry Osborn was NOT the Hobgoblin...

Okay, buddy of mine looked this up for me, it's long, but if you're interested in the whole green goblin/hobgoblin thing, it's worth it.

You know, when a comic has been around for so long its storylines get convoluted and stagnant. Sometimes outright confusing and stupid. The whole SpiderMan, Green Goblin, Hobgoblin story is a prime example...
From the SpiderMan FAQ.

The first Green Goblin was Norman Osborn, scientist and millionaire, who first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #14 (July 1964). He was responsible for the death of Gwen Stacy in ASM #121 (June 1973) and apparently "died" in the following issue. It was revealed years later in ASM #418 (February 1997) that he was still alive, and he is now considered to be the one, true Green Goblin.

After his "death," however, Norman's son and Peter's friend Harry Osborn became the second Green Goblin, debuting in ASM #136. Harry was often unaware of his activities as the Goblin, which was a manifestation of a split personality disorder brought on by his father's "death." Harry's career as the Green Goblin II ended with his death in Spectacular Spider-Man #200 (May 1993).

Harry's psychiatrist, Dr. Barton Hamilton, became the third Green Goblin. His mostly uninteresting career lasted from ASM #176 to ASM #180 (February - May 1978).

Green Goblin IV debuted in Web of Spider-Man #125 (June 1995). Phil Urich was a strange kind of anti-hero, using Harry's old costume and equipment, and had his own Green Goblin comic book. He retired from the game with it's cancellation in Green Goblin #13 (October 1996).

A fifth Green Goblin appeared in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #88 (February 1998). A humanoid construct of Norman Osborn's design, he required a special formula to stay alive. He decomposed after an extended battle with Spidey in Spider-Man v.2 #18 (June 2000).

While the man under the mask changes frequently, the Green Goblin's modus operandi is almost always the same: His plots always involve revenge against Spider-Man. He uses his cunning and guile to put Spidey into terrible predicaments, but he's also a considerable physical force, using his pumpkin bombs and jet-powered bat-glider to keep Spider-Man constantly on the defensive in a fight.

Back to Spider-Man FAQ

Who is the Hobgoblin? The Hobgoblin, a villain and thief who duplicated the Green Goblin's look and his weaponry, debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #238 (March 1983), written by Roger Stern. Stern was the only one to know the Hobgoblin's secret identity, and it was information he took with him when he left the title some months later. That left it up to writers Tom DeFalco and Peter David to create a secret ID for Hobby. They decided upon Ned Leeds, a character who was killed in Spider-Man vs. Wolverine #1 (February 1987). So, when they explained the identity of Hobgoblin in ASM #289 (June 1987), they further pointed out that Leeds had been killed on the orders of the new Hobgoblin, Jason Macendale.

Roger Stern returned to further confuse matters with his Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives! mini-series (January - April 1997) by revealing that Leeds was not the first Hobgoblin at all. That honor belongs to Roderick Kingsley, who had duped several others into playing the Hobgoblin role, including Leeds, Flash Thompson, and Lefty Donovan. Kingsley has retired, leaving the role to Macendale.

The Demogoblin, another "Goblin" spinoff character, was a demon who had temporarily possessed Macendale, according to his origin in Web Of Spider-Man #48 (March 1989). Not much was ever really done with this character, and his fate is currently a loose plot thread.

 

By the way JO...there's your proof of another spidey villain with his own title

 

You proved me wrong... god, out of everyone, JD proved me wrong, i'll go kill myself now lol

 

yeah i knew that but only cause i followed the comics for 10 years or so and got a decent collection going, including the death of harry osborn (course hes a green goblin)... but yeah, its still an interesting read even if you knew that info, thanks JD...