Games
Published November 4, 2020

Marvel Games Comic Connection: Red Goblin

The Contest's latest Champion's seething madness and insatiable hunger runs deep.

Red Goblin

Hello, True Believers, and welcome to the latest installment of Marvel Games Comic Connection, where we search through the House of Ideas’ cavernous Comic Book Vault to spotlight the incredible issues that inspire the amazing additions of the coolest characters hitting our most popular video games.

This week’s chilling chapter spins the spotlight on MARVEL Contest of Champions, the free-to-play, one-on-one mobile fighting game which features multiplayer and RPG elements along with a story/quest mode that pits you against a deep roster of heroes and villains from across the Marvel Universe. As our friends at Kabam ramp up the spectacular sixth anniversary of their smash hit game, they’re unleashing the ravenous Red Goblin, one of Spider-Man’s most infamous foes with a fiendish upgrade. So just how did Norman Osborn team with Cletus Cassidy’s sinister symbiote to transform his ghoulish Green Goblin persona into this freakish form? Let’s jump into a short but scary Marvel Games Comic Connection!

Red Goblin

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #121 - #122 (1973)

To truly understand the hate-filled history between Norman Osborn and Peter Parker, this shocking saga will sear their shared scorn into your soul. Not only was this two-part thriller a turning point in the wall-crawler’s history, but it also stands to this day as the moment when a generation of Marvel readers learned that no one was untouchable and that heroes — despite their best efforts — could fail to stop tragedy.

The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #122

The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #122

What is Marvel Unlimited?

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #361 - #363 (1992)

When the Venom symbiote reunited with and freed an imprisoned Eddie Brock, it also left an offspring in the cell, which soon bonded with serial killer Cletus Cassidy. Fueled by Cassidy’s insanity, the resulting deadly duo, known as Carnage, was more violent, powerful and deadly than its parent. Where Venom only sought the death of Spider-Man, Carnage earned his name by seeking absolute and unmitigated chaos and destruction.

The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #361

The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #361

What is Marvel Unlimited?

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #794 - #800 (2018)

Using a combination of his Goblin formula and a captured Carnage symbiote, Norman Osborn became a “super-symbiote” with all the abilities of both personas (enhanced strength, durability, regeneration, shape-shifting and Spider-Sense immunity), with little of the weaknesses (immunity to sonic and flame attacks). Determined to end each other, Norman and Peter squared off in a brutal battle that endangered not only one another, but most of their loved ones — including Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Flash Thompson, Liz Allan, and even Norman’s grandson Normie — in a fatal fight that did indeed result in another tragic milestone in the life of our troubled web-slinger.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2015) #799

The Amazing Spider-Man (2015) #799

What is Marvel Unlimited?

So there you have it, Faithful Ones! I hope you enjoy diving into these classic comics, check out the new thrills and chills in MARVEL Contest Of Champions, and then join us here next time for another illuminating edition of Marvel Games Comic Connection. Have fun, Fearless Front Facers!

Bill Rosemann is VP and Head of Creative, Marvel Games. Follow him on Twitter at @BillRosemann! Follow Marvel Games at @MarvelGames!

Have you tried Marvel Unlimited yet? It’s your all-access pass to over 28,000 Marvel comics, all available at your fingertips. Sign up now!

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