Norman Osborn Will Mentor the Spider-Man Family in Spider-Versity

The past fewer years person marked a precise unusual travel for Norman Osborn successful Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man comics. Once the undisputed king of the elevation erstwhile it comes to Spider-Man villains, Norman has seen his sins erased and his caput restored, becoming an improbable state to Peter Parker successful the process. That narration volition proceed to germinate successful The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity, arsenic the erstwhile Green Goblin becomes a mentor to heroes similar Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity is simply a five-issue bid that spins straight retired of Joe Kelly's ongoing The Amazing Spider-Man series. The publication is co-written by Kelly and Jordan Morris (Predator: Bloodshed), with creation by Pere Pérez (The Amazing Spider-Man: Torn) and covers by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Todd Nauck.

Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli. (Image Credit: Marvel)

Marvel's authoritative logline for Spider-Versity #1 teases, "Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Silk, Araña, Spider-Boy and Spider-Girl person 1 happening successful communal – THEY AREN’T READY. According to erstwhile Resolute Spider-Man NORMAN OSBORN. So helium and Spider-Woman are going to TRAIN THEM to conscionable the adjacent menace – the lone mode the Green Goblin knows how. Because the adjacent menace mightiness good BE the Green Goblin!"

IGN had a accidental to talk with Kelly and Morris to larn much astir the caller bid and what happens erstwhile Osborn tries to mentor a younger procreation of heroes. Unsurprisingly, 1 of the main selling points for some writers with this bid is the accidental to constitute Norman Osborn successful a much heroic light. This is simply a antheral who erstwhile murdered Gwen Stacy and orchestrated the Clone Saga, yet present he's doing his champion to unrecorded by Peter Parker's example.

"Norman is simply a fascinating character, genuinely 1 of the large comic publication villains of each time," Morris tells IGN. "I’m trying to look astatine him similar Pete would. Norman has done truthful galore unspeakable things, galore of them to Pete specifically, but Pete believes successful radical and their quality to beryllium their champion selves. When I’ve been penning for Norman, I’ve been trying to summon my interior Pete and presumption this feline not arsenic 1 of the worst villains successful history, but arsenic idiosyncratic who has made mistakes, identified them arsenic mistakes and is actively trying to change. I deliberation there’s thing heroic astir taking steps to beryllium a amended idiosyncratic and I privation to springiness Norman recognition for that."

Kelly adds, "It's been the amusive benignant of situation for maine since I took connected the book. Norman was near successful this 'sin-free' presumption quo, but he's inactive an egotistical and entitled dude who's speedy to anger... and also, helium wants to unrecorded up to Peter's example. Characters similar that who are astatine likelihood with their ain quality are juicy to write.

Given the turbulent past betwixt Spidey and Norman, it's harmless to presume that determination volition beryllium a batch of friction betwixt Norman and his young charges. Not everyone is thrilled astatine the thought of the ex-Green Goblin calling the shots.

"The younger Spiders each person their ain take," Morris says. "Some of them are stoked, immoderate are much wary (specifically the ones Norman has killed before). To a definite extent, they’re each students of Pete. Even the ones who haven’t trained with him specifically spot him arsenic a role-model. Since Pete has forgiven Norman, the different Spiders are consenting to springiness him a chance. Even though definite members of the squad are much prickly, they each stock the try-and-see-the-best-in-people ethos that is truthful important to Pete."

"Not to notation that helium handed them their webs the archetypal clip they crossed paths!" Kelly says. "'Complicated' is simply a connection that comes to mind."

Perhaps the astir instantly fascinating happening astir Spider-Versity is the thought that Norman volition beryllium teaching Gwen Stacy. This is the mentation of Gwen from Earth-65, not the 1 Norman killed, but still, we person to ideate there's a batch of atrocious humor betwixt these characters worthy exploring.

"The Norman/Gwen narration is FASCINATING and thing the squad has been talking astir a lot," Morris says. "Yes, there’s gallons of atrocious blood. Not lone does Gwen person the rockiest past with Norman but her armor is simply a small thicker than immoderate of the different Spiders to statesman with. It would beryllium precise understandable for her to conscionable footwear his butt and beryllium done with it, but successful the caller pages of Amazing Spider-Man, Norman has done immoderate genuinely heroic things. Gwen volition beryllium keeping an oculus connected Norman for definite but I deliberation heavy down she wants him to person changed."

Also intriguing is the information that Norman volition beryllium partnered with a seasoned Spider successful the signifier of Spider-Woman Jessica Drew. How does she woody with this improbable confederation and the thought of becoming colleagues with Norman Osborn?

"Spider-Woman is present to support an oculus connected the kids and mostly beryllium awesome astatine each times," Morris says. "She’s skeptical of Norman’s 'let’s bid the Spiders' connection but she decidedly knows the worth of a bully team-up. She’s been an Avenger, S.W.O.R.D agent, S.H.I.E.L.D agent, and should astir apt beryllium fixed honorary X-Men presumption astatine this point. The Spiders squad up reasonably often but it’s astir ever impromptu, disorganized and much than a small chaotic (Spiders gonna Spider, aft all). Jessica is of people wary of Norman, but she sees this arsenic a imaginable way to the Spiders leveling up so, to her, it’s worthy the risk."

With Kelly co-writing the series, we were funny conscionable however intimately Spider-Versity connects to The Amazing Spider-Man. What menace is Norman trying to hole his students for anyway?

"Joe and Co. person been doing immoderate genuinely chaotic and fantastic worldly successful the pages of Amazing Spider-Man," Morris says. "As a reader, there’s been moments successful each contented that person sent my jaw straight to the floor. It’s not lone a large communicative for Pete but for truthful galore of the characters successful his extended cast. So yes, this communicative volition beryllium dealing with immoderate of the much delightfully bonkers elements of Joe’s tally truthful far. If you’ll let maine a little detour to geek retired a bit: I’ve been a scholar of Joe’s for years. He’s written immoderate of my favourite comics ever. To beryllium capable to archer this communicative with him has been specified an honor. I perfectly cannot judge this is happening."

Morris continues, "Anyway, what were we talking about? Ah yes, the circumstantial threat. I don’t privation to accidental excessively overmuch and spoil the astonishment but yes, there’s a precise chill large atrocious successful the shadows that volition enactment this caller Spider-team to the test. The Spiders privation to beryllium connected the level of teams similar The Avengers and X-Men but that means going up against the benignant of threats those teams woody with connected the reg. Does that bedewed your whistle? Seriously, however bedewed is your whistle close now?"

Kelly adds, "Spider-Versity spins straight retired of the events of Amazing Spider-Man, and Norman has a definitive menace successful caput that he's trying to support the young Spiders against. One helium knows intimately. But adjacent for a maestro planner similar Norman, things whitethorn possibly spell awry, and the kids volition look immoderate unexpected threats. Nothing similar learning connected the job!"

Finally, Morris praised Pérez's artwork connected the series, saying "I’m beyond stoked to beryllium moving with Pere connected this book! I’m specified a instrumentality of his enactment connected Marvel’s caller TVA mini-series. His team-up enactment is awesome and his characters are truthful wonderfully expressive. So acold he’s nailing not lone the thwip-heavy Spider combat scenes but the drama and play bits arsenic well. I can’t hold for readers to spot this gorgeous book!"

The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity #1 volition beryllium released connected April 22, 2026. You tin preorder a transcript astatine your section comic shop.

In different comic publication news, find retired which bid was selected arsenic IGN's champion comic publication of 2025, and spot which comics we're astir excited for successful 2026.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.