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The Goblin Formula was a performance enhancer created by Oscorp, a company owned by Norman Osborn. The formula increases its subjects' speed, strength, and stamina, while also turning them insane. The only two subjects it has been given to are Norman and his son, Harry Osborn. A variant of Norman was subsequently cured by an anti-serum created by Peter Parker.

History[]

Spider-Man[]

The formula was used on lab rats and only one of them had the insanity effect. Later, Norman Osborn ordered his assistant, Mendel Stromm, to give him the formula. After Mendel gave him the formula, Norman killed him. The next day, not remembering anything from the previous night, Norman is informed that Mendel was murdered. Soon, Norman was being controlled by the Green Goblin, Norman's second personality created by the formula, and becomes the first villain of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Eventually, Spider-Man found out that the Green Goblin was Norman Osborn. The Goblin tried to impale Spider-Man with his glider, but accidentally impaled himself. Harry was devastated about his father's death. He thought Spider-Man killed his father because Spider-Man brought Norman's dead body to the mansion that he lived in before he died. Harry swore to avenge his father.

Spider-Man 2[]

Goblinformula

Harry finds the Goblin Formula.

Harry Osborn is now the new owner of Oscorp. He saw a ghost in a mirror of his father telling him to avenge him. After disagreeing, Harry, in rage, throws a vase at the ghost and the window breaks, making Harry discover the Green Goblin's lair. Now Harry has everything he needs to kill Spider-Man.

Spider-Man 3[]

Harry took the formula more times than his father. This outcome brought down his insanity levels and increased the speed, strength, and stamina even further. Soon, Harry goes out to kill Peter, but is defeated and loses his memory. After that, Harry and Peter are best friends again. Then one day, Harry's amnesia went away and he had another encounter with his father's ghost (this is probably where Harry's insanity part of the formula kicks in), telling Harry to temper with Peter's emotions. Eventually, Harry makes Peter think that Mary Jane Watson, Peter's girlfriend, is cheating on him with Harry. Peter tries to get his revenge (with the Venom Symbiote controlling him). He and Harry engaged in a battle in Harry's mansion that ended with Peter defeating Harry. Then Harry tries to throw one of the pumpkin bombs used by his father at Peter, but misses and Peter deflects it, throwing it back at Harry, disfiguring the right side of his face. Later, after separating himself from the symbiote, which bonded with Eddie Brock and transformed him into Venom, Peter asks Harry to help him fight Venom and Sandman, who have captured Mary Jane in order to kill Spider-Man, but Harry turns him away. Then Harry's butler, Bernard, tells him that he cleaned his wound and noticed the blade that pierced him came from his glider. Harry, now understanding that Peter didn't kill his father, goes out to help Peter save Mary Jane. When he finally gets there, Peter was nearly killed by Sandman. Luckily, Harry appears and saves him just in time. Harry and Peter keep working together until they finally save Mary Jane. Soon, Venom traps Peter and Harry comes to save him. Harry makes the blades in his glider come out so he could stop Venom, but Venom takes the glider from under Harry. Venom tries to impale Peter with Harry's glider, but Harry jumps in the way to sacrifice himself to save Peter.

Spider-Man: No Way Home[]

Norman Osborn was transported into an alternate universe shortly before his death. After attacking that universe's Peter Parker and Otto Octavius on a bridge, Norman regained control from the Goblin persona and sought help from Spider-Man with Aunt May convincing Peter to help cure Norman and the other villains from alternate universes. Norman aided Peter in creating cures for the others, but as he worked on his own cure, a conversation with Octavius, who was given a new inhibitor chip by Peter, brought the Goblin persona back into control and he convinced the other villains to turn against Peter. During the battle, May managed to inject the Goblin in the neck with an anti-serum that Norman had developed, but it didn't work on him.

After two other Peter Parkers arrived, Peter-Two, the Peter Parker from Norman's own universe, revealed that he can create an anti-serum for the Goblin Formula, telling Peter-One that he'd "been thinking about it a long time". Using the Midtown High science lab, Peter-Two successfully created the anti-serum. During the final battle at the Statue of Liberty, Peter-Three threw Peter-One the anti-serum after the latter was stopped from killing the Goblin by Peter-Two. Peter-One injected the Green Goblin in the neck with the anti-serum, destroying his Green Goblin persona and reversing the effects of the Goblin Formula. Norman was left cured, horrified and remorseful by his own actions.

After Doctor Strange cast a spell to make everyone forget about Peter Parker, Norman was returned to his own universe, cured and with a chance at a better fate.

The Formula's Effects on its Subjects[]

According to Mendel Stromm, the formula not only increased a subject's strength and speed, but also brought on increased violence and aggression to go with the insanity effect.

  • Norman Osborn, the first human given the formula, was eventually fully controlled by the insanity turning him into the Green Goblin. Soon, he stole weapons from his own company. However, because he took a earlier variant of his formula, he did not gain an accelerated healing rate.
  • Harry Osborn, who took a more refined variant of the formula than his father, seemed to have more of the speed, strength, and stamina than the insanity. The insanity effect must have come in the form of the visions of his father's ghost and his hatred for Spider-Man. It also increased his healing to a limited extent, thereby allowing him to completely recover from a severe head injury overnight as well as healing from a damaged face with almost no signs of injury other than slight disfigurations. It may have also extended his health, pain resistance, and longevity.
  • Norman Osborn, a variant of Norman pulled into an alternate universe from shortly before his death. As a result, he had all of the same effects as the original Norman with the Green Goblin acting as a split personality. According to Norman, he often lost time while the Goblin was in control, leaving him with little to no memory afterwards. He was cured of the Goblin Formula by an anti-serum created by his universe's Peter Parker, removing the powers granted by the formula and destroying his Green Goblin persona.

Trivia[]

  • Harry saw the ghost of his father before being exposed to the formula, bringing into question how sane he was before he took the formula.
  • CX. 00009 is the label on the container which holds the dose of the formula Norman used on himself, suggesting it is the name of the formula in the Raimi series.
  • OC 0001 is the label of the vial Harry holds at the end of Spider-Man 2, suggesting that the formula is slightly altered.

Gallery[]

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