Philip Benjamin " Phil " Urich ( / ˈ j ʊər ɪ k / ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . He first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #125 (June 1995). He was a superhero as the Green Goblin , and a supervillain as the Hobgoblin . He was later crowned the Goblin Knight before dubbing himself the Goblin King .
122-755: The character first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #125 (June 1995) as the Green Goblin. Phil Urich's identity and origin was revealed in Green Goblin #1 (October 1995). The character later first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #649 (January 2011) as the Hobgoblin. The nephew of Ben Urich of the Daily Bugle , Phil stumbles upon one of Harry Osborn 's old Goblin hideouts. Using
244-674: A Sentinel in the " Onslaught " crossover; Urich sacrifices his glider to destroy a Sentinel by ramming the robot in the head, but a fragment of metal ricochets off the explosion and damages his mask's circuitry. Urich is unable to repair or replace the technology and retires from being the Goblin. Phil later forms a superhero self-help group with Mickey Musashi in order to prevent teenagers from becoming superheroes, and to help young former superheroes get over their pasts, attempting to convince them and others that their powers had damaged their lives. His intentions are pure, but he accepts funds from
366-903: A "full-fledged Avenger" by way of Goliath's announcement to the press during the first annual "Avengers Day". Hercules also guest starred in Marvel Team-Up #28 (December 1974) and Marvel Premiere #26 (November 1975) before starring along with four other heroes in The Champions which ran for 17 issues (October 1975–January 1978). After this, Hercules made a guest appearance in Marvel Two-In-One #44 (October 1978). Hercules starred in two limited series by writer-artist Bob Layton , with both set in an alternate universe. A 24th century version of Hercules starred in Hercules, Prince of Power #1–4 (September–December 1982), which
488-506: A bank. They had all recently escaped from the Raft during the breakout caused by Juggernaut, who was transformed into Kuurth: Breaker of Stone. Hercules soon discovers that the woman is actually the witch goddess Hecate . During the fight, Hecate looks into the Shield of Perseus and regains her memories of taking over Brooklyn. She then teams up with Kyknos (the son of Ares) in order to take over
610-558: A bar in order to incapacitate him. Hercules, however, manages to return to Avengers Mansion and singlehandedly engages the Masters of Evil, being eventually beaten unconscious by Goliath , Mister Hyde , and the Wrecking Crew . Although the Masters of Evil are defeated, Hercules remains in a coma as a result of his injuries. The next storyline, titled, "Assault On Olympus" deals with the consequences of Hercules's injuries, as he
732-644: A call about a supervillain attack, and spring into action. Hercules and the other Avengers joined forces with the Champions in order to prevent the High Evolutionary from merging Earth 1 and Earth 2. The original Champions (Hercules, Iceman, Angel, Ghost Rider and Darkstar) reunite at the location of their former headquarters in Los Angeles to mourn the death of the Black Widow. They battle
854-588: A celebratory kiss, having apparently convinced himself that he and Mickey had feelings for each other though she only saw him as a friend. He attacks Mickey and Chris and steals the Darkhawk amulet from Chris. The Loners join together to fight Urich, but he is able to escape with Hollow . Urich is next seen in the Big Time storyline in New York helping out his uncle at the new Front Line offices. He develops
976-638: A classic. The tale parallels Hercules and the Hulk's titanic strength, short temper, and simple-mindedness, while contrasting their lot in life: Hercules being a beloved hero and pampered celebrity, while the Hulk is a hated and feared fugitive. The character teamed up with the Avengers in issue #38 (March 1967), but was not yet an official member; he was merely a guest of the Avengers during his banishment from Olympus. In issue #45 of The Avengers , Hercules became
1098-522: A contract which he thinks is for a film, but actually states that he will now rule the Netherworld instead of Pluto. Hercules is eventually rescued by Thor (now at full strength) who battles and defeats Pluto's underworld minions. Pluto opts to void the contract rather than accept the destruction of his realm. While under the contract, Hercules has a chance encounter with the Hulk , fighting the monster to
1220-454: A crush on co-worker Norah Winters who is looking into Goblin Gangs for a story. Urich goes to one of the old Goblin hideouts, hoping to find something there to impress Norah. He encounters Daniel Kingsley (posing as the original Hobgoblin) who is also looking for some new Goblin technology. Kingsley is about to kill him when Urich snaps and uses his Lunatic Laugh to incapacitate Kingsley. Using
1342-777: A disruption in New York City caused by the Olympian Ares , the Avengers travel to Olympus and free both Hercules and the Olympian gods who have been turned to crystal by Ares using the Ebony sword. They find out from the Black Knight's spirit he lost his memory after being thrown from Olympus and drifting for six days and nights. Hercules continues to aid Thor in several connected storylines. Thor mistakenly battles Hercules when trying to rescue an Asgardian goddess from
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#17327918600881464-463: A fictionalized version of himself, Zeus punishes him for this "travesty" by sending him on a mission to restore the lost faith of Magma , an active worshiper of the Greek gods. Hercules's demonstrations of strength and heroism fail to convince Magma that he is the real Greek god, and Zeus ignores his pleas to show her Olympus. However, she comes to believe Hercules after witnessing his eloquent reaction to
1586-480: A god, competing against Vali Halfling and the Pantheon and teaming up with Thor. Once Cho becomes a god and attains omniscience, he realizes that he is inadequate to wield such power. First he returns Hercules to Earth, then transfers all his new powers into him. During the events of Chaos War , Amatsu Mikaboshi arrives on Earth with an army of slave gods, destroying the dream dimension and causing people all over
1708-626: A good guy. While the celebration of Hobgoblin Day is being held with a parade in Kingsley's honor, Missile Mate betrays the Hobgoblin and attempts to murder in the Goblin King's name. Kingsley, however, had already expected the betrayal and had been using a hologram decoy which took Missile Mate's blow. As soon as Kinglsey confronts Missile Mate, the Goblin King appears with his Goblin Nation and attacks
1830-631: A group of decommissioned Sentinels while out at a West Hollywood nightclub. When the Human Torch starts losing his powers he asks Hercules for advice on how to restore them. Hercules had recently found a way to get his own powers back after losing them fighting the Chaos King. Johnny and the Thing find him at a bar in Brooklyn drinking non-alcoholic beer. He tells them about how he was healed by
1952-621: A humorous series of events, Hercules is forced to disguise himself as Thor and eventually marry Alflyse, the Queen of the Dark Elves. During the " Dark Reign " storyline Cho finds out that the activities of the Elder God Chthon are causing a "chaos cascade". To meet this threat Cho and Hercules form a new team of Mighty Avengers along with U.S. Agent, Vision, Hank Pym, Stature, Quicksilver and Jocasta. The team goes on to break into
2074-534: A magic sword called the Sword of Peleus, the Shield of Perseus (an unbreakable shield that turns anyone who looks at it to stone), arrows that can penetrate through anything, and the Helm of Hades (a helmet of invisibility). He gets a job bartending at a Greek run bar and restaurant in Brooklyn. He later battles Hobgoblin in a construction site, who was attempting to intimidate the owner of the restaurant into selling it to
2196-408: A mask that delivers a "zap" gives him Goblin-level strength seemingly without the psychotic side-effects of the original Goblin formula, he gains enhanced strength and endurance. Following Harry's death, he tries to gain a reputation as a superhero version of Green Goblin. However, he is sometimes seen as being as maniacal as his villainous predecessors. His equipment is damaged during a battle against
2318-428: A meeting to talk Phil down and convince him to accept a cure for the Goblin formula. But when Robbie Robertson is discovered in the area, Phil believes that Ben had been trying to set a trap and delivers a serious injury to Robbie. Urich is able to get away when Ben convinces Superior Spider-Man to take Robbie to hospital, but Ben makes it clear having no interest in protecting Urich, acknowledging that Phil liked what he
2440-462: A modified version of Norman Osborn 's "Goblin Formula", Urich gains superhuman strength (able to lift upwards of 9 tons), stamina, durability, speed, and reflexes. However, he is unable to access these abilities without the unknown catalyst provided by the Goblin mask he wears. He also possesses a so-called "Lunatic Laugh" capable of creating sound waves disorienting to most people. It is possible that
2562-532: A mortal's death. Together with Thor, Hercules confronts the Wrecking Crew once again, and recovers his confidence and defeats the villains when the Thunder God feigns defeat. After a brief appearance in the "Black Galaxy" saga, where he is trapped inside a Celestial, Hercules rejoins the Avengers as a reserve member and is upgraded to active status during the "Collection Obsession" storyline, aiding
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#17327918600882684-565: A scientist named Rachna Koul. He takes them to her secret lab ( located somewhere in the forests of Colorado ) where she explains that she was able to repair the biological conduit connecting Herc to the source of his godly power. During the events of No Surrender , Hercules is sent to the Roman Colosseum with Rogue ‘s team of Avengers in order to battle the Lethal Legion . The team then traveled to Antarctica to fight against
2806-507: A secret benefactor to rescue the Runaways during the "True Believers" story arc . The groups vows to only don their uniform one last time and help the Runaways defeat Ultron 's clone. The team vows not to use their powers again, but Mattie Franklin secretly uncovers a MGH drug ring. This leads to Nekra attacking the group during one of their counseling sessions. Urich suffers a mental breakdown after watching Chris Powell and Mickey share
2928-472: A share in their plans. During the " AXIS " storyline, Goblin King attempts to rescue Lily Hollister from a police transport; this mission goes awry and Lily is rendered amnesiac. When Goblin King confronts Kingsley in the latter's headquarters, Queen Cat comes to the defense. Goblin King recognizes Hollister as Queen Cat, but Lily does not recognize him. Following the attack, Missile Mate is convinced by Urich that
3050-470: A standstill. Hercules reappears as the thrall of the Asgardian villainess Enchantress who is using water from the spring of Eros and tries to use him to destroy the Avengers, but after being freed from the spell by one of Hawkeye's arrows using brimstone, and being banished from Olympus for one year by Zeus for going to Earth without permission, aids the team for an extended period against foes such as
3172-477: A way to transport the entire Earth into the safety of the Continuum universe. Hercules is able to seal off the Chaos King in the Continuum, saving the world. Hercules then uses up all of his power in order to restore the universe, leaving him reduced to a mortal man once again. Hercules reappears in Brooklyn, armed with an array of Olympian weapons stolen from the armory of his deceased brother Ares. They include
3294-586: Is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books , the character is based on Heracles of Greek mythology (despite using the name of his Roman equivalent, Hercules ). Since his first appearance, he has been a perennial member of the superhero team the Avengers . The character has appeared in various forms of media, including television series and video games. Brett Goldstein portrays
3416-747: Is able to reset reality. Although successful, Athena dispatches Hercules and Cho to Hades to find Zeus as he is needed to counter Hera. The pair are waylaid in Hades by the Dark Elf Malekith the Accursed - disguised as the Asgardian god Balder the Brave - who requests the characters embark on a mission into Svartalfheim, the home of the Dark Elves. Despite Pluto using the spirit of Hercules's adoptive father, they are able to retrieve Zeus. During
3538-474: Is armed with heat-seeking missiles, machine guns, and retractable blades. Other weapons Urich typically uses are incendiary Pumpkin Bombs capable of melting through 3 inches (76 mm) of steel, smoke and gas-emitting bombs with an appearance like a ghost, razor-edged bat-shaped boomerangs and gloves woven with micro-circuited filaments capable of discharging nearly 1,000 volts of electricity. Most of this equipment
3660-507: Is aware of both Peter and Spider-Girl 's identities. Phil resumes the Goblin identity, first under the Golden Goblin name, then as the Green Goblin with Normie Osborn 's assistance. After Urich loses a long series of battles, Normie recreates Urich's original mask, which grants superhuman strength and other abilities, greatly enhancing effectiveness. He is also a founding member of the new New Warriors . While Urich originally required
3782-446: Is but fail. Meanwhile, Roderick Kingsley gets dressed in the original Hobgoblin costume to go searching for him. While Kingsley engages Urich, Modell helps Peter escape. Peter (using webshooters) breaks the disruptor weapon and escapes. The Kingpin then orders the two Hobgoblins after Peter. Both Hobgoblins end up fighting Spider-Man but ultimately give up as Kingsley decides to just kill Urich instead. Kingsley however ends up stopping at
Phil Urich - Misplaced Pages Continue
3904-474: Is devastated to learn that the Avengers - and the Fantastic Four - have apparently sacrificed themselves to stop the entity known as Onslaught , although they have really been sent into a pocket universe. Hercules briefly joins the commercial superhero team Heroes for Hire , and travels to Greece with Spider-Man to meet the threat of Dr. Zeus. He eventually reunites with his Avenger comrades, aiding
4026-526: Is dismissed by Iron Man , believing he cannot even spell 'registration'". Hercules helps the Secret Avengers escape after the cyborg Thor clone is first released. Hercules, however, kills the cyborg Thor clone in the final battle between the two sides, claiming that it is an insult to the Odinson, before smashing its head open with a hammer while yelling 'Thou art no Thor. Hercules also stars in
4148-475: Is doing, believing Spider-Girl is still too inexperienced to fight such a powerful opponent. By doing this, Spider-Man causes the Hobgoblin's escape. Urich finally breaks up Randy and Norah after he stalks and confronts the two in his Hobgoblin persona. Urich then seduces Norah—who does not know the role he played in the breakup—and kisses Norah. Under the Kingpin's orders, Urich teams up with Spider-Girl to fight
4270-408: Is highly skilled in archery , boxing , Greco-Roman wrestling , and claims to have invented the martial art Pankration . In combat, he occasionally wields a golden-looking adamantine mace – stated and shown to be equal in durability to Thor's own mystical hammer Mjolnir (though it is not enchanted with additional abilities as Mjolnir is) - forged by the Greek god Hephaestus . As an Olympian, he
4392-401: Is left to fend for himself while the Kingpin escapes. Urich escapes, encountering Spider-Bots which do not detect him. Following the assault on Shadowland, the Hobgoblin goes to Tinkerer and requests upgrades to his gear in order to survive Superior Spider-Man's aggressive campaign. Tiberius Stone (hiding under Tinkerer) does the upgrades, planning revenge for his ruining Stone while working for
4514-583: Is now and was uninterested in redemption or help. Following the conclusion of The Superior Spider-Man storyline where the true Spider-Man returns, Urich now leads the Goblin Nation's remnants as the self-proclaimed Goblin King. He meets with Mister Negative where they wait for Eel to show up in order to divide the criminal underground following Osborn's defeat. The meeting is crashed by Black Cat and Electro . Black Cat mentions to Goblin King and Mister Negative that Spider-Man had outed them and wants
4636-469: Is prevented when Ares warns Zeus. Hercules discovers that Madison was actually a construct created by Zeus to lure out Hera, and attacks his father. Zeus is angered by "his son's lack of respect", and strips Hercules of his immortality and half his strength, forbidding him from ever returning to Olympus. A despondent Hercules helps the Shi'ar warrior Deathcry return to her homeworld, and on returning to Earth
4758-551: Is returned to normal. During the Spider-Island storyline, the Greek owners/operators of the bar where Hercules works have fled the dangers of New York City and returned to Greece, leaving Hercules in charge. He befriends an elderly African man named A. Nancy who loves stories. One night Herc is bitten by a bed bug that gives him spider powers, which he uses to fight crime. The Queen of Spider Island reveals herself to Herc and makes him her slave. She sends Spider-Herc against
4880-709: Is taken from the hospital by fellow Olympian Hermes and returned to Olympus. The Avengers eventually pursue - also aided by sometime member Namor the Sub-Mariner who is kidnapped by Greek god Neptune - and discover they are being blamed by Zeus for Hercules's condition, as Hercules mentioned them in his coma. As the Avengers battle several of the gods and Zeus himself, the Titan Prometheus restores Hercules to full health using part of his life force, Doctor Druid uses his powers to restore Hercules's sanity, and Zeus accidentally attacks Hercules, after which he stops
5002-436: Is the name of two different monthly comic book series starring Spider-Man that have been published by Marvel Comics since 1985, the first volume of which ran for 129 issues between 1985 and 1995, and the second of which ran for 12 issues between 2009 and 2010. The first volume of Web of Spider-Man published by Marvel Comics for 129 issues, cover dated from April 1985 to October 1995. It replaced Marvel Team-Up as
Phil Urich - Misplaced Pages Continue
5124-525: The Black Order . Later Hercules, and his teammates attempt to stop the Hulk from rampaging through Avengers HQ. Hercules and Sunspot use their combined strength to stabilize the "world-engine" that is protecting the Earth while Thor and Lightning recharge it. Herc, Thor, and Wonder Man travel to Asgard to celebrate their victory. When Hercules tried to track down his resurrected family, he instead
5246-605: The Elder of the Universe the Collector is freed (with the other Avengers) by comrade Hawkeye to battle the cosmic entity Korvac who has absorbed power from Galactus's ship, giving him god-like power, and traveled from the 31st century to remake the Universe. Although killed in battle, Hercules and many of the Avengers are resurrected by the entity before dying. Hercules also appears in a humorous story with Fantastic Four member
5368-653: The Japanese gods when they attempt to overrun Olympus. Hercules eventually wins back his lost fortune in a poker match with the Constrictor. During the " Civil War " storyline Hercules is depicted as an opponent of the Superhuman Registration Act , and calls the pro-registration heroes "traitors". Taking the alias of "Victor Tegler" - an information technology consultant with help from Nick Fury - to hide from pro-registration forces, Hercules
5490-583: The Kingpin . After defeating him, Hercules discovers that the owner's daughter sold him out to Hobgoblin and confronts her, until Kingpin appears and tells the owner he can keep the restaurant, taking Hobgoblin with him. After his victory becomes public, the restaurant becomes successful and Hercules becomes a local hero and celebrity. During the Fear Itself storyline, Hercules comes across Basilisk , Griffin , Man-Bull , and an unidentified woman robbing
5612-764: The Mad Thinker ; Namor the Sub-Mariner ; Diablo ; Dragon Man ; the Red Guardian ; Whirlwind and the Titan Typhon who has imprisoned the Olympians in the Land of Shades, until leaving for Olympus . The character returns briefly during a storyline set directly after the Kree-Skrull War in which the returning Avengers witness an amnesiac Hercules being abducted by two Titans. After dealing with
5734-623: The Marvel Universe became Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (October 1965), which established Hercules as being a rival of the Norse god of thunder , Thor . Hercules became a regular guest star in the title The Mighty Thor , appearing in issue #126 (March 1966). The character guest-starred in Tales to Astonish #79 (May 1966), and his deadlocked battle with the Hulk , as told by Lee, Kirby, and Bill Everett , has come to be regarded as
5856-536: The Masters of Evil . The story lead directly into the "Assault on Olympus" storyline in The Avengers #281–285 (July 1987–November 1987), in which Hercules left the team. The character starred in the self-titled limited series Hercules vol. 3, #1–5 (June–Sep. 2005), and guest starred in the limited series Thor: Blood Oath #1–6 (Nov. 2005-Feb. 2006), a retrospective story that depicts the second meeting between
5978-557: The Puma , the Prowler , and Rocket Racer . A hologram on the cover of issue #90 (July 1992) marked the 30th anniversary of Spider-Man's first appearance. A four-part crossover with Ghost Rider / Blaze : Spirits of Vengeance began in issue #95(December 1992). Spider-Man donned "Spider-Armor" in issue #100's story by Terry Kavanagh and Alex Saviuk. The " Clone Saga " storyline began in issue #117 (October 1994) and Ben Reilly became
6100-595: The Scarlet Spider in the next issue. After issue #129 in October 1995, the title was renamed Web of Scarlet Spider and started again at #1. After four issues, the series was cancelled to make way for the new The Sensational Spider-Man title. In December 2009, Web of Spider-Man volume 2 debuted as a new anthology title replacing Amazing Spider-Man Family , with the initial story written by J. M. DeMatteis focusing on Kaine . The title also served as
6222-417: The Skrull gods directing the invasion of Earth. Hercules is made leader of the team, as the representative of the Western Gods. When Nightmare asks for the team's fears as they try to get his help to get to the Skrull gods, he sees Hercules's fear from losing his armor bearer Hylas. Hercules and Snowbird form a romantic attachment, and together slay Kly'bn, the leader of the Skrull pantheon by impaling him with
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#17327918600886344-437: The Spider-Man vs. Wolverine one-shot appeared in issue #29. The " Kraven's Last Hunt " storyline by writer J.M. DeMatteis and artists Mike Zeck and Bob McLeod began in issue #31 (October 1987). The "Tribute-to-Teen-Agers" story in issue #35 saw the debut of the creative team of writer Gerry Conway and artist Alex Saviuk . Web of Spider-Man #50 featured guest-appearances by several minor Marvel super-heroes such as
6466-412: The Thing . Hercules reappears during the " Celestial saga", joining an invasion force comprising Olympian gods and other allies that storms the realm of Olympia (occupied by the Eternals ). After a cameo appearance with the Avengers, Hercules reappears and aids the heroes of Earth against an invasion of New York City by the legions of the fire demon Surtur . Hercules rejoins the Avengers and aids
6588-401: The " World War Hulk " storyline, featuring a flashback to a period when the superhero team the Champions are still together. In the flashback the team mistakenly attack the Hulk , with the delay almost killing a gravely ill Jennifer Walters . Hercules and former Champions teammate Angel reconcile with the Hulk. Together with several other super beings, Hercules forms a loose-knit group called
6710-400: The "Renegades" to attempt to stop the Hulk when he invades New York City, then helping with rescue and recovery operations in the ruins of the destroyed city then departing before being apprehended. After the conclusion of World War Hulk, Hercules embarks on series of adventures with companion Amadeus Cho , a teenage genius and "sidekick". Hercules encounters long-time foe Ares, who poisons
6832-452: The Avengers make a plan to defeat Kang for good. They assemble the original Avengers from the past and join forces to attack Kang's alternate versions at the same time. After defeating Kang, each of the Avengers return to their timelines. The Avengers are then recruited by a reformed Doctor Doom operating as Iron Man to defeat a coven of young witches. They later battle Avenger X, a member of the original New Avengers, who attempted to eliminate
6954-413: The Baxter Building, battle the Unspoken in China, visit the Inhumans to return their stolen Xerogen crystals, fight a cosmic cube empowered Absorbing Man, and capture Loki for information about the Scarlet Witch. When Pym requests that Loki join the team, Hercules and the others lose faith in him as a leader and quit. Hercules teams with both the Mighty and New Avengers to stop Hera from remaking
7076-522: The Conqueror. While the others are trapped in limbo as a result of time paradoxes created by Kang, Hercules (immune to Kang's current tactics of targeting the infant Avengers as nobody knows exactly where or when he was born) goes to Vietnam where he fights two versions of Kang attacking a temple who were looking for an infant version of Kang. After Hercules finds the child, the Avengers return from limbo and start fighting until Vision sends Wasp back in time to return baby Kang to his era. After Wasp succeeds,
7198-400: The Goblin King fought and killed the Hobgoblin. Later on, Goblin Knight checks the body to see if it was Kingsley underneath the Hobgoblin mask, and discovers that it is actually Roderick Kingsley's butler Claude who died. Goblin Knight then destroys Claude's body to ensure that the Goblin King never suspects that Kingsley is still alive. Learning of his nephew's identity, Ben attempts to arrange
7320-429: The Goblin Knight. Goblin King trains Goblin Knight who is anxious to jump into action against Superior Spider-Man. The Goblin King reprimands Goblin Knight for causing to shut down his Goblin protocols to avoid detection by Superior Spider-Man. When Monster and Menace attack Kingsley's henchmen ( Ringer , Steeplejack , and Tumbler ), Goblin Knight kills Steeplejack. Goblin Knight (alongside other Goblin Knights) watched as
7442-402: The Hercules and Thor. At the conclusion of the " World War Hulk " storyline, Hercules received a self-titled publication when Marvel changed the name of the third volume of the Incredible Hulk series to The Incredible Hercules , effective as of issue #113 (Feb. 2008), and written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente . The series concluded with The Incredible Hercules #141 (April 2010), and
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#17327918600887564-418: The Hobgoblin would soon abandon the heroes that were trained. Missile Mate goes to the Goblin Nation's headquarters and asks Goblin King to join and be a supervillain. Goblin King is reluctant, but Missile Mate shows him that he has also gathered all the supervillains that the Hobgoblin had "abandoned" (consisting of 8-Ball III, Killer Shrike II, Melter III, Tiger Shark II, and Unicorn IV) after becoming
7686-422: The Kingpin from falling to death. Urich gives Norah tips about possible Hobgoblin sightings so they can spy together in an attempt to woo Norah away from Randy Robertson . Urich's jealousy of Randy also causes him to break a support beam when Alistair Smythe 's Spider-Slayers attack the Front Line offices. This, along with the damage caused by the attack, causes the ceiling to collapse on Randy. Randy survives
7808-436: The Kingpin. When Superior Spider-Man finally confronts him, his tech fails as a result of Stone's revenge. He escapes, but not before Superior Spider-Man manages to put tracers deep enough into Urich's skin to hear his name over the transmitters. Superior Spider-Man then publicly reveals Urich as Hobgoblin at the Daily Bugle . Seeing the feeds, Urich realizes that he has nowhere left to run. With his Hobgoblin identity revealed to
7930-503: The Sisterhood of the Wasp in Spider-Island . Urich infiltrates a prisoner transport headed to The Raft to kill the Human Fly for stealing money from the Kingpin. On the transport, he encounters Agent Venom and the two fight. The fight results in a stalemate and the Human Fly escapes. During a confrontation with Spider-Man, Hobgoblin uses a weapon designed to disrupt Spider-Man's spider-sense. Although it initially appears to have failed, Peter Parker later realizes that it has intensified
8052-420: The X-Men are forced to watch. While Arachne is preoccupied, A. Nancy breaks into her home and steals her mythical woven tapestry. He reveals himself as the African spider god Anansi , a collector of stories, when he's attacked by Elektra , who takes the tapestry from him. Hercules is later cured of his spider transformation by Peter Parker, along with everyone else infected. Hercules later encounters Zeus, who
8174-434: The X-Men students remain at Avengers Academy while many join the fighting, and Hercules reflects that while the older generation has only found war, at least some of the kids were able to find peace. As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel event, Hercules, isolated and shunned by the hero community, attempts to regain his reputation as a true hero, by adapting himself into modern society. During that time, he takes on
8296-455: The X-Men, who were in town after fighting lizard people in the sewers. They try to reason with him, but he attacks them with the Sword of Peleus. Due to the mutagenic properties of Spider-Man's powers, Spider-Herc mutates into Herc-Spider mid-battle. Shortly after, the X-Men are trapped in a magic web, and the Greek goddess Arachne appears. Instead of fighting, it is revealed that Arachne is very attracted to Herc's new form and they embrace, while
8418-418: The academy) escapes and the faculty members of both schools try to keep him from reaching the students. Hercules is defeated because Shaw is able to absorb the magic energy from his weapons. Shaw then tells the X-Men students to escape before fleeing himself. Hercules urges Tigra to let the kids join the fight if they want to, believing they had no right to hold them against their will in the first place. Some of
8540-408: The alien was presumed to have died after that. The first issue featured a cover painting by artist Charles Vess . In issue #18 (September 1986), Peter Parker is pushed in front of an oncoming train. He thinks to himself that this should not have happened, as his spider-sense would have warned him of the danger. Writer David Michelinie has said that he wrote this as the first "teaser" appearance of
8662-414: The ancient heroes, known as the Gods of War, Hercules informs them of the situation when the Uprising Storm suddenly show up. They begin to battle, with the Uprising Storm getting the upper hand. In the middle of the fight, Hercules begins to destroy the city when Cryptomnesia uses the brand he placed on him to turn him into a God of Chaos, forcing the others to fight him while the Uprising Storm watch. During
8784-455: The apartment to kill them, while Catastrophobia and Cryptomnesia are killed by Gilgamesh and Hercules respectively. After killing Cryptomnesia, Hercules is congratulated by Athena, who offers him a place in Olympus. Hercules turns it down so that he can continue to live on Earth as a true hero. In the aftermath of Civil War II , Hercules rejoins the Avengers, where they foil an ambush by Kang
8906-556: The battle, Hercules is confronted by Steve Rogers, Captain Marvel , Spider-Man and Medusa who attempt to stop his rampage. After a brief fight, the Gods of War inform the heroes of the Storm and the curse placed on Hercules, though they don't see them. Steve and Gilgamesh then go to free Hercules from the curse which Steve does by yelling "Avengers Assemble". After the brand disappears and
9028-523: The beating of Hercules by the Masters of Evil. Hercules finds and attacks Josten until former Avenger Hawkeye (now leader of the Thunderbolts) convinces him to stop, although at the cost of their friendship. Hercules also aids the Avengers against the avatar group, the Exemplars . Hercules becomes a drunkard, dismayed at the dissolution of the Avengers during the " Disassembled " storyline, and
9150-506: The celebration. The Hobgoblin bests Goblin King in combat and delivers him and the Goblin Nation members with him to the authorities. Having escaped prison under undisclosed circumstances during the " Go Down Swinging " storyline, Urich raids one of Osborn's old gentlemen's clubs to acquire the Goblin weaponry Osborn stored there, but Osborn, currently wielding the Carnage symbiote , kills Urich by tearing his heart out. Due to ingestion of
9272-409: The character Venom , whom he was planning to introduce at a later date. Venom is an amalgam of reporter Eddie Brock and the alien costume. The costume could nullify Spider-Man's spider-sense, and this was the first clue of a puzzle that Michelinie was planning to weave to introduce Venom. Web of Spider-Man Annual #2 (1986) featured stories drawn by Arthur Adams and Mike Mignola . A followup to
9394-660: The character Hercules, introduced in Young Allies #16 ("Battle of the Giants" by artist Charles Nicholas ; summer 1945), was incorporated in the version of Hercules introduced in 1966. Hercules first appears when pulled from the past by the villain Immortus to battle the Thunder God Thor . This story is not referenced in the character's next appearance, which depicts Hercules and Thor as apparently meeting for
9516-653: The character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). Hercules was adapted from the Greek mythology god Heracles by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby . The character debuted in The Avengers #10 (November 1964) as a minion of Immortus , although that appearance was revealed to be an impostor in the limited series Avengers Forever (December 1998–November 1999). The character's first formal appearance in
9638-484: The city. The pair manage to turn some people against Hercules due to the chaos that the Serpent 's Worthy created. Basilisk and Man-Bull flee when they see Hercules use the Shield of Perseus. The Griffin has an unexpected reaction to the magic forces at work, which cause him to devolve into a savage beast. He saves Hercules's life and becomes his new steed, allowing him to fly around the city. Hercules recovers upon hearing
9760-470: The collapse, but is seriously injured. Urich (as the Hobgoblin) fights Hercules after a gang that works for the Kingpin is defeated. His pumpkin bombs cause debris to fall on Hercules who escapes from the rubble. He then resumes the fight as the Hobgoblin films the fight with hidden cameras while airing the footage live. Hercules wins the fight, boosting the latter's own popularity instead of Urich's, which
9882-613: The dead Atum's spine (with Amatsu-Mikaboshi assuming this role and ending the intervention by Skrull divinity). This event is immediately followed by the storyline "Love and War", in which Hercules and allies Cho; Namora and the goddess Athena attempt to thwart Amazon leader Artume, who reshapes so that the world is dominated by the Amazon females. Hera and Pluto take advantage of the chaos and an absent Zeus to attempt to kill Hercules and Athena. Hercules aids Cho's lover - Delphyne - slay Artume and take her place as queen , and with Athena
10004-528: The destruction of Asgard and disappearance of Thor. Hera takes advantage of Hercules's vulnerability and via her pawn Eurystheus (an ancient rival of Hercules during the Twelve Labors) proposes he complete a modern version of the classic Labors for a reality television show . Despite opposition from villains such as the Abomination , the organization HYDRA , and awkward tasks such as retrieving
10126-451: The facility be used to hold the younger members of the X-Men until the fighting is over. Kavita Rao and Madison Jeffries urge their students to comply with the Avengers, but many are resentful of the confinement. Hercules arranges an Olympic competition between the two schools in order to ease tensions and avoid an actual fight from taking place. Sebastian Shaw (who was also being held at
10248-489: The fight. He hears from his son that the Avengers are not at fault. After that Zeus decides to ban the Olympians from Earth. During the "Evolutionary War" storyline, Hercules defeats a misguided High Evolutionary by mutating "beyond godhood". Hercules eventually returns to his normal form and aids Thor against villains such as the Mongoose and Doctor Doom . After Hercules stars in a Hollywood film of dubious quality as
10370-437: The fire sword that Kingsley had just found, Urich decapitates Kingsley and steals the new Goblin equipment from Norman Osborn 's secret lair. Urich then assumes the Hobgoblin identity for himself now operating as a supervillain. He attacks a local think tank , and is confronted by Spider-Man who save Max Modell from being attacked by the Hobgoblin. Catching Spider-Man off-guard with his Lunatic laugh, Urich tries to decapitate
10492-410: The first time. The discrepancy is eventually explained when it is revealed that the first "Hercules" encountered was actually an alien Space Phantom in disguise. Hercules guest-stars in an extended Thor storyline, defeating a depowered Thunder God (punished by Odin for loving the mortal woman Jane Foster ). Hercules unwittingly becomes the slave of fellow Olympian god Pluto when he signs
10614-536: The formula also increased his intelligence since he has shown to have an unusual cleverness when it came to strategy and modifying his equipment, as the Goblin formula had done for other users. Whether or not he needed the mask for this was unknown. As the Goblin, Urich wears an alternate/spare Goblin costume composed of a chain-mail mesh capable of deflecting small arms fire. He travels on a bat-shaped, one-man, rocket-propelled " Goblin Glider ". Like other Goblin gliders, it
10736-585: The hero with venom from the mythical Hydra . After being driven mad by the venom and embarking on a destructive rampage, Hercules is eventually stopped by former Champions teammate the Black Widow (who also neutralizes Cho when he attacks spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D. ). Hercules plays a pivotal role in the " Secret Invasion " storyline, forming a team called the God Squad (consisting of Ajak ; Amatsu-Mikaboshi ; Demogorge and Snowbird ) to neutralize
10858-545: The hero. Bella Fishback, one of the workers at the think tank, is able to disrupt the sonic waves to save Spider-Man, but Urich escapes with the Reverbium he had come to steal. He delivers the metal to the Kingpin and becomes one of his operatives. Spider-Man and the Black Cat fight Urich and the Kingpin to retrieve the experimental metal. During the fight, Urich's Lunatic Laugh causes the building to collapse, but he saves
10980-687: The imprisoned Inhumans. While attacking Hydra forces at the United States Capitol, the Underground are surprised by Steve Rogers, who was wearing a Cosmic Cube-powered armor. They later witness the final battle between the Hydra Steve Rogers and the real Steve Rogers and the restoration of America. In the aftermath of the event, Hercules and Vision go to a coffee shop where they discuss about immortality and its ups and downs. They're later signaled by Sam and Thor, who received
11102-681: The infirmary to heal until Hydra arrives and attacks the base. The heroes then battle Hydra's Avengers and a revived Bruce Banner as the Hulk until the base explodes. After their hideout is destroyed, the heroes witness Sam Wilson reassuming the mantle of Captain America. With the use of the Cosmic Cube fragment, they manage to help destroy the Planetary Defense Shield and the Darkforce dome over Manhattan and liberate all
11224-417: The island of Manhattan (though this was later retconned to be merely a boast he had made, and not a genuine feat). His superstrong legs allow him to run at speeds of over 100 mph, and leap over a hundred feet into the air. He can withstand blows from Thor, and possesses a complete resistance to high caliber bullets. He is able to recover from injuries with superhuman speed and efficiency. Hercules
11346-704: The last moment, letting Urich retain the Hobgoblin identity, on the condition that he gives Kingsley a cut of the profits he makes. Urich reluctantly agrees to the arrangement but quickly begins to conspire to kill Kingsley. When Mayor J. Jonah Jameson announces an effort to crack down on supervillains, Urich debates whether it is worthwhile to remain Hobgoblin while paying a lot of money to the Tinkerer for his Hobgoblin gear and to Kingsley for being allowed to be Hobgoblin. When The Superior Spider-Man ( Otto Octavius ' mind in Spider-Man's body) raids Shadowland , Urich
11468-658: The new home for Spider-Girl , who was written by Tom DeFalco and illustrated by Ron Frenz , the character having first appeared on Marvel.com as The Spectacular Spider-Girl . The stories feature characters tied to " The Gauntlet " storyline, such as Electro , the Rhino , the Lizard , and many more from Spider-Man's colorful rogues gallery, each titled "Gauntlet: Origins, ...". The series ended in November 2010 with issue #12. Hercules (Marvel Comics) Hercules Panhellenios
11590-472: The new leader of the Olympus Group. Amadeus travels to Hades, only to discover that Hercules is, in fact, not dead. Cho tells Athena he intends to use all their resources to find Hercules and bring him back. Cho teams with Bruce Banner to build a machine that can scan all of reality, but discovers it would take over a billion years to locate Hercules. Amadeus then embarks on a quest to gain the power of
11712-438: The other heroes leave, Hercules informs his friends about the Storm's true intentions, total destruction, and that they must be stopped. Later, while Hercules, Sigurd, Gilgamesh, Beowulf and Theseus ambush the Storm in their hideout, an abandoned hotel, Ire, Lorelei and Tiresias perform a ritual to weaken the Storm. Initially, the ritual has no effect until Horrorscope is defeated and killed by Ire and Lorelei, when she teleported to
11834-467: The other heroes, Hercules encounters the Uprising Storm, who tell him of their plan to destroy the world and turn him into one of them by teasing him into believing that the other heroes don't want him anymore. Back home, he confines his encounter to his friends and, after a pep talk from his landlady Sophia, decides to reunite the ancient heroes in order to battle the Uprising Storm. Upon gathering
11956-563: The prayers of his worshipers and finds himself in the Griffin's care, only to discover that Brooklyn has been reshaped into a nightmare landscape. Hercules and the Griffin manage to find where Basilisk and Man-Bull are hiding and recruit their help. The villains approach Hecate and Kyknos using a ruse involving Hercules being turned to stone. Hercules quickly revives and saves the villains by killing Kyknos, then prevents Ares from being resurrected by kicking over his altar. Hecate flees and Brooklyn
12078-609: The public, Urich desperately makes excuses as his Daily Bugle co-workers turn against him. Superior Spider-Man, learning Urich's location, arrives at the Daily Bugle and fights with the unstable Urich and disarms him. He seems to consider giving Urich a public execution, but Urich is freed from a prison transport by Menace and brought to the Goblin Nation to get upgrades to his armor and weapons. The Goblin King asks only for full dedication to his only identity from then on as
12200-511: The shield of Captain America , Hercules is successful. Hercules is also forgiven by former wife Megara , who Hercules accidentally killed - a deception revealed by a humbled Hera. Hercules encounters Thor for the second time in a retrospective story; and guest stars in a humorous story with heroine She-Hulk , Hercules being successfully sued by the villain Constrictor for injuring him. Hercules also aids fellow Greek god Ares against
12322-418: The spider-sense, causing it to react to the most minor of threats. Peter's mental state, along with a wrongly delivered message from Madame Web, allows Urich to capture Peter while still dazed. Peter later finds out that Urich and the Kingpin have not discovered Parker's secret identity when Urich refers to Peter as "Spider-Man's best friend". Urich and the Kingpin try to get Peter to tell the two who Spider-Man
12444-539: The team against Morgan Le Fey . before choosing to remain an inactive member. After a misunderstanding Hercules is manipulated into fighting Thor, but aids the Thunder God (together with the Asgardian entity the Destroyer ) against the Dark Gods, who have conquered Asgard. Hercules decides to locate Erik Josten - now reformed and renamed "Atlas" and a member of Thunderbolts - who as "Goliath" participated in
12566-540: The team against Thane Ector and the Elder of the Universe the Collector and then during the Operation: Galactic Storm storyline. The other gods continue to feud with Hercules, with Ares - possessing the body of Eric Masterson who currently wields a missing Thor's power - launching an unsuccessful attack. When Hercules falls in love with a mortal woman called Taylor Madison, the goddess Hera intervenes and attempts to kill her, although this
12688-532: The team against threats such as Maelstrom ; the Blood Brothers ; the android Vision when malfunctioning; Terminus ; the space pirate Nebula and the villains Kang the Conqueror and Immortus . During the "Avengers Under Siege" storyline, Baron Helmut Zemo assembles an army of supervillains to form the fourth version of the Masters of Evil . Courtesy of a paid pawn, Hercules is drugged at
12810-478: The team goes to locate a Cosmic Cube fragment which is in possession of Ultron. Upon arriving, they encounter Hydra's Avengers led by Steve Rogers and are captured by Ultron. They later manage to escape while Ultron gives the team his fragment. During a mission in Madripoor, Hercules got turned to stone by Gorgon though he managed to knock him down amongst his petrification. Back at their hideout, Hercules goes to
12932-527: The team until Wasp shrinks her to sub-atomic levels. During the Secret Empire storyline, Hercules appears as a member of the Underground following Hydra's conquest of the United States. Hercules and Quicksilver lead a strike force to find the Cosmic Cube fragments so that they can use it to restore Captain America to normal. Upon convincing Sam Wilson to smuggle them out of the country,
13054-511: The technology in the Goblin mask to enhance his physical abilities, he retained one power that he is able to activate without the Goblin mask. Urich is capable of using his laughter as a sonic weapon of sorts. His "lunatic laugh" has been shown to disorient opponents and even shatter their eardrums. He once used the laugh while out of costume to defeat the Venom symbiote after taking possession of Peter. Web of Spider-Man Web of Spider-Man
13176-414: The third major Spider-Man title of the time. Web of Spider-Man Annual ran for ten issues from 1985 to 1994. The series was launched with an April 1985 cover dated issue by writer Louise Simonson and penciller Greg LaRocque and featured the return of Spider-Man's alien black costume , which attempted to rebond with Peter Parker. Peter managed to rid himself of the costume again using church bells and
13298-480: The threats of the Uprising Storm, a group of new gods consisting of Catastrophobia: God of War, Horrorscope, and Cryptomnesia: God of Data as they plan to wipe out the old gods. During the Civil War II storyline, Hercules is seen at a bar talking to Amadeus Cho, who has become the new Hulk, when the city is suddenly under attack by a Celestial and both spring into action. During the battle, while Amadeus helps
13420-575: The title Thor , aiding Asgardian goddess Sif locate an artifact called the Runestaff of Kamo Tharnn. Hercules also visits California and battles old foe Typhon. Hercules becomes a founding member of the superhero team the Champions , aiding the mortal heroes against the machinations of Olympians Pluto and Hippolyta . The character appears during the Korvac saga, and after being kidnapped by
13542-582: The underworld, but together they defeat instigators Ares and Pluto who are trying to take over Olympus; battle the Destroyer and then Herald of Galactus Firelord before a confrontation with Ego the Living Planet on Galactus's behalf, as Galactus has been defeated by Ego. Hercules is temporarily possessed by the entity the Dweller-in-Darkness and guest stars with hero Spider-Man in title Marvel Team-Up . before reappearing in
13664-624: The universe with a device called Continuum. Hercules battles Typhon in the alternate Continuum universe and defeats him. Athena appears after the fight, but instead of coming to help she seemingly destroys the Continuum universe with Hercules still inside. She explains that he had to die so that Amadeus Cho could replace him as the new "Prince of Power". A funeral service is held at the Parthenon in Athens, where many of Hercules's comrades pay their respects and share memories. Athena appoints Amadeus as
13786-421: The vampire invasion. Hercules possesses the typical powers of an Olympian god, including superhuman strength, durability, speed, reflexes, stamina and endurance. He is the strongest of the Olympians, being capable of feats such as lifting and hurling a giant sequoia tree, smashing rocks to powder, sealing an entire cliff around an opponent with his bare hands, knocking out a yellow-crested Titan, and dragging
13908-401: The witch's home and Herc, with Elektra's help, defeats Baba Yaga. He then lets Zeus absorb the magic from the artifacts, restoring his godly powers, and they part ways. Hercules is called upon to act as a guest instructor at Avengers Academy when most of the main faculty are preoccupied with the events of Avengers vs. X-Men . The school is suddenly visited by Captain America, who asks that
14030-509: The world to enter a sleep-coma. He then destroys the afterlives of all the cultures of the world, freeing the dead to walk the Earth. The newly super-powered Hercules assembles a second God Squad to battle Mikaboshi, who now calls himself the Chaos King. The combined efforts of the God Squad, Alpha Flight , the Hulk family, and deceased members of the Avengers and X-Men manage to keep the Chaos King's armies at bay, while Cho and Galactus work on
14152-406: Was Urich's original intent. The Kingpin convinces Hercules not to hand him over to the authorities. Urich attacks Spider-Girl after Norah talks about how impressive Spider-Girl is; he wants to show Norah that he (as Hobgoblin) is more impressive. He lures Spider-Girl to him by leaving a destructive path to follow. Spider-Girl almost defeats him, but Spider-Man intervenes after seeing what Spider-Girl
14274-592: Was captured by them. He was freed by the reformed Guardians of the Galaxy . He aided the Guardians in stopping the mad gods, but at the cost of Star-Lord 's life. Following the battle with Gamora 's West Spiral Arm Guardians, Hercules began a relationship with Noh-Varr . During the " Blood Hunt " storyline, Hercules is among the superheroes who join Captain America's branch of the Avengers when fighting
14396-520: Was completely destroyed or rendered inoperable during Urich's final battle with the Sentinel. As the Hobgoblin, Phil wears an orange Hobgoblin costume with wings on the back that allow him to fly without the use of a Goblin Glider and he took Roderick Kingsley 's mask as his own. He uses the traditional Pumpkin Bombs all Green Goblins and Hobgoblins before him have used, but he also has a new flaming sword. He still retains his "Lunatic Laugh" from when he
14518-632: Was depowered by his wife Hera because of his infidelity and womanizing. During that time, he discovers Elektra stealing a museum artifact from the Hand. After battling the Hand ninjas, Hercules discovers, through Kingpin, that Elektra is stealing mystical artifacts for Baba Yaga , a Slavic witch who was summoned by the Russian mob, who plans to absorb the magic of the artifacts to gain a youthful appearance and increase her power. He manages to locate Baba Yaga after Elektra steals his weapons. Herc and Zeus infiltrate
14640-443: Was followed by the 2-issue mini-series Hercules: Fall of an Avenger (March–April 2010). The mini-series is scheduled to lead into the relaunched new title, Prince of Power #1 (May 2010), also written by Pak and Van Lente. Writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente started a brand new Hercules series, entitled Herc , featuring the hero without powers, but wielding mythical arms. Marvel Comics continuity has been retconned so that
14762-477: Was popular enough to spawn a sequel, Hercules, Prince of Power #1–4 (March–June 1984). The storylines dealt with Hercules's exile from Olympus , completion of a series of quests and opportunity to leave his past behind and create a new identity. Hercules remained a constant guest star in both Thor and The Avengers , playing a significant role in the "Avengers Under Siege" storyline in The Avengers #270–277 (August 1986–March 1987), involving supervillain team
14884-480: Was the Goblin and he also has superhuman strength, speed, durability, stamina, reflexes and senses, and enhanced intellect. For unknown reasons, he no longer needs his mask to activate this power. With the help of Reverbium, his "Lunatic Laugh" was able to cause a building to collapse. In the MC2 timeline, Phil Urich marries his girlfriend Meredith Campbell and becomes a forensic scientist and friend of Peter Parker . He
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