Breadcrumbs for Norman Osborn or his son, Harry Osborn, inevitably becoming a Goblin antagonist have been littered inMarvel’s Spider-ManandMarvel’s Spider-Man 2as messily as a dry granola bar. So far, notable works of Oscorp’s include the glider and invisibility tech that are displayed at Oscorp’s Grand Central Station exhibit, as well as the helmet and spherical explosive devices—soon to be called pumpkin bombs, surely—that are discovered in the Osborns’ penthouse. Devil’s Breath and the alien symbiote, however, are key figures in the plots ofMarvel’s Spider-ManandMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, respectively.
It’s endearing thatMarvel’s Spider-Man’s Devil’s Breathand the symbiote (before Oscorp knew it was anything other than a restorative substance) were a means of Norman curing Harry. This has resulted in a much more nuanced take on Norman as a father who loves his son, but Insomniac’s iteration shows how misguided Norman is as he resorts to excessively experimental science out of desperation. In fact, it’s hypocritical that Norman would beg Spider-Man to save Harry and then condemn the Spider-Men for Harry’s condition afterward, only to then demand the ‘G-SERUM’ presumably be used on his son in what’s sure to be a third failed attempt at curing him.
Marvel’s Spider-Man’s Devil’s Breath Got Off on the Wrong Foot
It’ll never be known if Devil’s Breath, originally designated as GR-27, could’ve eventually become a viable cure for whatever ailed Emily Osborn and now ails her son because it was stolen and weaponized byMartin Li’s Mr. Negative and Otto Octavius’ Doctor Octopus. It’s a relatively preposterous concept regardless, as whatever Oscorp could manufacture ever making it to the stages of a curative formula seems doomed from the beginning.
It’s a neat explanation as to why such a disastrous virus would’ve been in Oscorp’s hands, and yet it is also incredibly convenient that super-villains would later get their hands on it and wield it to cause mayhem in New York City. Devil’s Breath on its own would never have been a sensible omen for Norman, but thesymbiote invasion inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2should have been.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Venom is Proof Norman Osborn and Oscorp are in Over Their Heads
The alien symbiote was conveniently found byDr. Curtis Connors and Oscorp, suggesting that they had known about its imminent arrival on Earth and knew roughly where it would crash-land in a tiny meteoric crater. Otherwise, Oscorp might’ve merely known about something entering Earth’s atmosphere and been the first on-site to retrieve it (much less multiple symbiote samples, including the one Cletus Kasady’s Flame steals).
Either way, Connors and Oscorp weren’t knowledgeable enough about the substance to know that the symbiote making contact with Connors wasn’t worrying enough to warrant the scientist violently losing his arm, much less that they shouldn’t allow it to adhere itself to Harry’s body in a stasis tank.
Ultimately, Norman is wholly responsible for Harry eventually becoming Venom and to then blame the Spider-Men for Harry being back in a coma when they defeat him is baseless, as the alternative would be him dead or subsumed by Venom. Norman’s grief thereafter foreshadows his and/or his son’s imminent transformation into some semblance of a Goblin. But, if he chooses togive Harry the G-SERUM and Harry becomes a Goblin, this’ll be a third foolhardy yet sympathetic effort that wasn’t sufficiently thought through and will only be more harmful.
It wouldn’t follow Norman’s painful, obsessive, and self-sabotaging pattern if the G-SERUM subverted expectations and healed Harry with no ramifications, and Norman taking the G-SERUM wouldn’t make any sense yet given the context of the story. So, unless a huge curveball is hurled at players, it seems fairly clear what can be anticipated fromMarvel’s Spider-Man 3.
