Green Goblin

Few villains in Marvel history have cast as long a shadow as the Green Goblin, who burst onto the scene in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 in 1964, conjured by the legendary partnership of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko at the height of the Silver Age. Over six-plus decades and 346 catalogued appearances — eight of them recognized as key issues by collectors — this cackling, pumpkin-bomb-hurling menace has proven himself one of comics' most enduring and consequential antagonists. His world is populated by heavy hitters: the likes of J. Jonah Jameson, Otto Octavius, Captain America, and Mary Jane Watson have all shared the page with him, a testament to how deeply woven into the Marvel tapestry he truly is. If you want to understand why Spider-Man's corner of the Marvel Universe carries such dramatic weight, the Green Goblin is essential reading — full stop.