Spider-Man is hands down one of the most iconic Marvel characters out there. Who doesn’t love our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? But the character wouldn’t have been the fan favorite he was if it had not been for the magic weaved by Spider-Man: The Animated Series. The series was invaluable to Marvel, making innumerable characters household names for the people at large. Most of the characters featured in the series were loved by the fans. There were a few exceptions – one being the Hobgoblin.
The Hobgoblin was one of the lesser-known characters in Marvel Comics
The Hobgoblin is one of the lesser-known characters in Marvel Comics. Having been associated with numerous characters over the years, including Ned Leeds, Peter Parker’s co-worker at the Daily Bugle, and Roderick Kingsley, MJ’s former boss amongst other major stars.
The list of characters that have donned the mantle of the Hobgoblin goes on. But its popularity is nothing to write home about. For more than half a century since its first appearance, the character has gone under the radar, being overshadowed by the more popular antagonist, The Green Goblin. The villain associated with Norman Osborne has been the fan favorite for years.
Hobgoblin was the antagonist in Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Green Goblin’s popularity meant that the Hobgoblin was always not the leading villain. But that trend was about to change with the release of Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Courtesy of one of the strangest calls by the team behind the series.
Opening up about the decision, John Semper Jr. revealed how the decision to introduce the Hobgoblin took place. Semper would inherit not only the opportunity to make his mark felt as the Screenwriter & Producer of Spider-Man: The Animated Series. He also inherited the duty of doing justice to one of the most controversial calls taken on the set of the show.
John Semper Jr.’s desperate attempt to remove The Hobgoblin went in vain
John Semper Jr. would learn soon after joining the show that, much to his shock, The Hobgoblin was all set to be the primary villain on the show. The first thing that crossed the renowned screenwriter’s head was that he should switch the antagonists and bring back the OG Goblin. Only if he knew that it was not meant to be in the end.
Semper went to producer Avi Arad with a plea to replace the villain. The reply was disheartened. At that time, only of the primary ways to commercialize the show were toy figures. And as it happened, the Hobgoblin had already been manufactured. He said,
“I had to do the Hobgoblin first, or else Avi would have lost millions of dollars on useless Hobgoblin toys that no kid wanted. Even with our two-part episode, nobody really liked the character that much.” (The Marvel Animation Age)
But he was proud of the way he weathered the storm. He told,
“However. I am proud of how I made the Hobgoblin and his Goblin technology naturally segue into the origin of the Green Goblin by having Norman Osborne be the one who made the technology in the first place. That made it all seem rather neutral and less idiotic.”
Eventually, fans were treated to the sight of their favorite villain. The Hobgoblin? Well, he continues to dwell where he did. In the shadows.
