Harold Osborn (Earth-96283)

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm your friend."

- Harry Osborn, in reply to Peter Parker

Harry Osborn was the son of Norman Osborn and best friends with Peter Parker. Harry later became New Goblin and Green Goblin's Sucessor.

Spider-Man
"One day Spider-Man will pay. I swear on my father's grave Spider-Man will pay."

- Harry Osborn

Harry Osborn was Peter Parker's closest friend and the son of Norman Osborn, the CEO of Oscorp. He's got many problems with his father, who prefers Peter to him because of his scientific genius, although Harry tries in many ways to make him proud of him. He assists to Peter's change during senior year, but clearly doesn't realize how much his friend has changed. During the final day's ceremony, Norman congratulates with Peter but ignores Harry, thus making him jealous.

Some time after the end of school, Harry goes living by himself in a huge apartment bought by Norman and starts a relationship with Mary Jane Watson, without telling Peter, who loves MJ since he was a child. Peter anyway discovers it but tries to hide his disappointment. During one of the first important dates of the two, during a fair sponsored by Oscorp, Harry and MJ, along with the whole Oscorp council, are attacked by Green Goblin. Harry tries to save MJ, who was falling down from a terrace, but fails, and the girl was saved by Spider-Man. Harry tries again to present his girlfriend to his father, during a dinner with Peter and Aunt May, but Norman, who just discovered that Peter is Spider-Man, doesn't stay and flees, telling Harry that he should leave MJ as soon as he gets satisfied with her. Harry was saddened by the lack of attention by his father, and, more, MJ gets angry at him because he didn't defend her against Norman's accusations that she only liked Harry for his money.

While Aunt May was in hospital after being attacked by Goblin, Harry goes to visit her, but he finds Peter and MJ who are getting along. With his feelings hurt, Harry goes to his father, telling him he was right about everything, MJ included, and unwillingly he reveals to the Goblin Spider-Man's true weakness: Mary Jane. Later that very night, Harry finds Spider-Man in his living room, depositing Norman's corpse on a sofa. He tries to shoot him, but fails. During Norman's funeral, he swears vengeance towards Spider-Man.

Spider-Man 2
"Now... lets see who's behind the mask."

- Harry Osborn

After Norman's death, Harry takes over Oscorp. He supplies Dr. Octavius' researches by giving him money and, especially, the tritium, a particular, very rare element which Octavius needs for his experiment. If the experiment successes, Oscorp will have gained the rights on a new kind of fusion, making it one of the most important, powerful and rich energy companies. The experiment, anyway, fails, and the explosion gives birth to the villainous Doctor Octopus.

Emotively destroyed by the failure, Harry gives himself to alcoholism. During a party, being drunk, he meets his old best friend, Peter, and accuses him of having betrayed their friendship, since he's protecting Spider-Man's identity, the most important secret of the man Harry blames for his father's death. During the argument, Harry slaps Peter, humiliating him (and himself) in public.

His hatred towards Spider-Man goes so far that, when Dr. Octopus arrives to him threatening him, he makes a deal with him: tritium in exchange of Spider-Man's capture. When Doc Ock asks him how can he find the hero, Harry gives him the name of Peter, saying he's the key for reaching Spidey. After a battle, Octavius defeats Spider-Man and brings him to Harry, who, after giving Ock the tritium, unmasks the hero. He's shocked when he realizes that his worst enemy was actually his best friend, but he reveals the villain's whereabouts to him.

Still under shock, Harry has visions of his father's ghost, who claims his revenge towards Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Harry doesn't want to hurt his friend and struggles against Norman's will, trying to make the ghost go away: throwing a vase through the mirror in which Norman appeared, Harry shatters it and discovers the Green Goblin's secret hideout, with all his weaponry and equipment. Now, Harry has got both the motives and the tools for his revenge.

Spider-Man 3
"It's a funny feeling, not knowing who you are. I get a bump on the head and I'm free as a bird."

- Harry Osborn Harry was now using the formula that his father used that turned him into the the Green Goblin. With Green Goblin's war gears, Harry becomes the New Goblin and attacks Peter Parker, seeking revenge. On their first battle, Harry loses his memory after hitting his head on a security stair. He forgets everything about his vendetta, Peter's true identity and Goblin's powers and weapons. Harry and Peter become friends again, like nothing ever happened between them: they go out and play together like old times. Sometimes Harry, having forgotten taking the Goblin Serum, was surprised by his own physical capacities, such as his incredibly sharp reflexes.

When Peter's personality was affected by the new costume, Mary Jane finds solace in Harry, but something she says unlocks something in Harry's mind and he's healed from his amnesia. Again haunted by his father's ghost, who gives him advice in the art of war. Harry decides to hit Peter through Mary Jane and, after threatening her, he forced her to break with Peter. Later, Harry encounters Peter in a bar and declares to him that he's MJ's new boyfriend. Enraged, Peter goes to the Osborn mansion and they have a fight: Harry was defeated and humiliated by Peter, and when tries to hit him with a pumpkin bomb, he's disfigured by the same weapon thrown to him in return.

Later, during Spider-Man's fight with Venom and Sandman, Osborn's butler, Bernard, reveals to Harry the truth about Norman's death. This makes Harry change his mind regarding his old friend and, putting his New Goblin suit on again, helps him. During the battle, Harry defeats the Sandman, but was defeated and killed by Venom. With his final words, he apologized to Peter, and confirmed that despite everything, they were still, and would always be, best friends. Harry dies in Peter's arms, and the two friends forgive each other. During Harry's death, all of his old friends are present.

Harry has a funeral after his death and Peter stood at his grave.

Character traits
Harry was a good man and a loyal friend, having always considered the nerdy Peter Parker his best friend and protected him in high school. And he never allowed his wealth to make him spoiled or arrogant. However, he was also prone to stress, depression and obssession, and his obsession to please his father may strain his judgement and relationships, inluding treating his then girlfriend Mary Jane as a trophy to impress his father, and developing a jealousy towards his best friend, Peter. After his father's death, Harry becomes obsessed with Spider-Man, and develops a strong vendetta upon him.

After using the same performance enhancing drug his father used on himself, Harry gains all of his father's powers: superhuman strength, speed, stamina and reflexes, and access to all the Green Goblin's weapons. His weapons are an improved versions of the Green Goblin's: his glider, especially, has drastically changed, being much lighter and with a greater mobility. Though, fortunately, his insanity caused by the performance enhancer was much less severe compared to his father.

The New Goblin is the concretization of Harry Osborn's hatred towards Spider-Man and only exists for completing his vendetta. But after Harry comes to terms with his misguided hatred and his friendship with Peter, with no more doubts, he reconciled with his best friend, and the two formed an effective teamwork.

Relationships

 * Peter Parker - Best friend, foe and finally friend again
 * Spider-Man - Enemy, turned ally
 * Norman Osborn - Father
 * Mary Jane Watson - Friend, Ex-girlfriend
 * Doctor Octopus - Ally
 * Sandman - Enemy
 * Venom - Enemy
 * Bernard - Butler

Appearances/Actors

 * Non-canon (3 film)
 * Spider-Man (First appearance) - James Franco
 * Spider-Man 2 - James Franco
 * Spider-Man 3 - James Franco

Behind the scenes

 * Before being cast as Harry Osborn, Franco was screen tested for the lead role of Peter Parker.
 * Sam Raimi wanted to conclude Harry Osborn's storyline with the addiction of the New Goblin, specifying that he wouldn't follow Norman's footprints but be something between the Green Goblin and Spider-Man.

Trivia

 * New Goblin is a cross between The Green Goblin and The Hobgoblin.
 * At the beginning, the New Goblin's name was supposed to be "The Night Surfer".
 * In the begining New Goblin was mistaken for The Hobgoblin, the Green Goblin's original sucessor in the comics.