“Revenge of the Green Goblin” was a three-issue miniseries that led directly into double-sized issues of the two ongoing Spider-Man titles.
Norman Osborn has been subtly inserting hallucinogenics into Peter Parker’s diet–through gasses and even by contaminating his toothepaste.
In the present, Peter Parker is still struggling to come to terms with MJ’s death. While out and about, pondering, Peter is exposed to gasses that dull his spider-sense, so he fails to notice his mailman is a disguised Norman Osborn who delivers toothpaste laced with hallucinogens.
While that’s going on, he’s also forming a cult, “The Order of the Goblin,” and treating us readers to all kinds of memories about his childhood. This series is a deep dive into Norman Osborn’s history.
Norman needs an heir–now that Harry is dead (or “dead”)–and guess who it’s gonna be?
Spider-Man himself!
Now that Peter is drugged, he can’t resist putting on the Goblin costume and attacking all his friends and relatives.
For the coup de grace, Normal reveals to Peter that he is in fact the new Green Goblin and tries to torture him, for weeks (long enough for Peter to grow a full beard), into accepting his new role.
Of course Spider-Man ultimately shakes off Osborn’s influence and beats him up. Goblin escapes in the end.
I grant you that this is one of the most far-fetched Green Goblin stories, but it is done well. It’s also a solid entry into Norman Osborn’s arc, as he moves to a senior level threat–from one who does bad stuff to one who engineers master plans that change the course of history.
I thought this was a good enough change in their dynamic that Norman’s return was finally justified. It gets run with for awhile until Sins Past and Norman’s role in Thunderbolts changes that trajectory. Recent Spidey has come back around to this via Norman’s attempt to reform.