Commentary: ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ Channels Lex Luthor Through Norman Osborn
by Frank Martin
Norman Osborn is undoubtedly one of Spider-Man’s greatest villains. But it’s usually his alter ego, the Green Goblin, that gets all the attention as a foe. It’s also important to remember that Osborn is a brilliant scientist and businessman. This side of his acumen usually plays second fiddle to the Green Goblin, supporting it in terms of weaponry and machinations. However, it appears that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is playing the long game with Norman’s origin. He spends the entire first season as nothing more than a businessman, thus having the character seem more Lex Luthor like than he ever has before.
Within the series, Norman Osborn (Colman Domingo) first meets Peter Parker (Hudson Thames) when he visits his apartment to offer him a spot in an exclusive internship at Oscorp. In reality, Norman offered Peter the job along with several others because he thought they might have ties to Spider-Man. Once Norman learns Peter’s secret, he becomes a mentor to the teenager, creating suits for him and offering him advice and guidance. It’s not until the season finale that Peter sees Norman as the cutthroat businessman that he is and realizes he has to cut ties with him.
The relationship between Peter and Norman is extremely important in the comics and other Spider-Man adaptations. But this appears to be the most developed form of the relationship yet. Norman has really attached himself to Peter as a mentor, and his motives seem completely altruistic at first. Also, an most importantly, Norman’s actions aren’t clouded by the Green Goblin just yet. They are his and his alone. He leverages all aspects of his business to create dominance within the superhero community, just like Lex Luthor. Without any powers, Luthor has become the epitome of a brilliant and ruthless capitalist. It’s awesome to see Norman Osborn embody that same mentality before he eventually becomes the villain everyone is familiar with.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is now streaming on Disney+.
