Green Goblin III

Amazing Spider-Man #169

by Ross Andru, 1978

After taking Harry hostage and leaving him bound and hooded in the warehouse, Dr. Hamilton's first task as the Green Goblin is to raid the apartment that Harry shares with Flash Thompson. Flash comes homes and is confronted by the Green Goblin. However, Spider-Man (after seeing the destruction in Dr. Hamilton's office) interrupts. The new Green Goblin proves to be little match for Spider-Man, but he manages to escape when he distracts the web-spinner by throwing Flash Thompson out the window of the apartment highrise.

The Goblin then embarks on his plan to become the city's crimelord. He hears of a meeting of the city's top criminals, and he shakes down the city's lowlifes and mobsters until he finds the location of the meeting. Silvermane has gathered the heads of the city's organized crime in order to unite them together as one criminal conglomerate under his leadership. The Green Goblin crashes the meeting and proposes an alternative. In return for being declared the city's top crimelord, he promises to bring in the hero that has cause the most trouble to the assembled criminals - Spider-Man.

The Green Goblin then catches Spider-Man as Spider-Man heads to the hospital to save Aunt May. Spider-Man brushes the Green Goblin aside (literally in one scene) while he heads to the hospital. The Green Goblin's assault has almost no effect on Spider-Man until the Green Goblin manages to ensnare the web-slinger in a plastic bag. The Green Goblin flies off to deliver his prize to the city's top criminals.

However, Silvermane has stationed teams of his men around the city in order to ambush the Green Goblin in the event the Green Goblin does manage to capture Spider-Man. One of those teams blasts the Green Goblin with a bazooka causing him to drop Spider-Man and damaging his Goblin Glider. The Goblin manages to get back to warehouse to get some more weapons and a new glider. At this point, the Goblin realizes that, in order to take charge of the city's criminal organizations, he would have to remove Silvermane as an obstacle.

The Goblin attacks Silvermane while Silvermane is attending a show at the Radio City Music Hall. Spider-Man arrives on the scene, and a three-way melee breaks out that ends with Silvermane unconscious and hospitalized after a large fall, and the Goblin flying off with an unconscious Spider-Man.

The Goblin takes Spider-Man to the incinerator where Spider-Man recently disposed of the body of his clone. As the Goblin tries to pitch Spider-Man down the incinerator smokestack, Spider-Man recovers and avoids falling to his death. The two fight until Spider-Man manages to unmask Dr. Hamilton. While Dr. Hamilton summarizes his origin, Harry Osborn, also wearing a Green Goblin costume, arrives and squares off against Dr. Hamilton.

The two Green Goblins battle it out, but Harry finally gets the upper-hand. After ripping off his costume and declaring "The Green Goblin is dead!", Harry is knocked aside by Dr. Hamilton who then pulls a small bomb out of his sleeve. Demanding an apology from Harry, Dr. Hamilton does not realize the conveyor he is standing on is about to pitch him down a long trash chute. The fall and resulting explosion kills Dr. Hamilton ending his short reign as the Green Goblin.