Hobgoblin vs. Green Goblin: What Is the Difference Between Hobgoblin and Green Goblin?

Green Goblin and Hobgoblin are both villains in the Spiderman comic book series. But what are the differences between the two? Read on to find out their pros, cons and key differences.
Hobgoblin vs. Green Goblin: 5 Key Differences, Pros & Cons, Similarities

Hobgoblin vs. Green Goblin: The Hobgoblin and Green Goblin are the two most famous enemies of Spider-man.  While there are a lot of similarities in Marvel characters, they are also different in many ways. The Green Goblin was the only enemy of Spiderman, but the writers brought Hobgoblin into comics because they did not want to resurrect Green Goblin after his death. The main difference between Hobgoblin and Green Goblin is their sanity.

Let’s take a closer look at Green Goblin versus Hobgoblin

PurposeBoth Wanted to defeat Spider-Man
IdentitiesBoth of these characters have numerous identities
Arch NemesisBoth have similar arc nemesis: Spider-Man
Costume ColorsGreen Goblin has a green and purple color costume, while Hobgoblin has orange and blue colors.

What Is a Hobgoblin?

What Is a Hobgoblin? The first Hobgoblin in the Marvel comics was a businessman named Roderick Kingsley. He was a complete narcissist and would not stop at anything to get what he wanted. When Roderick Kingsley got to know about  Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin formula, he decided to test that formula on someone else and then test it on himself. After some testing, he created modifications to the formulas. And when he exposed himself to the modified formula, he gained all the power that Green Goblin had without going insane and became Hobgoblin. The Hobgoblin appeared almost 20 years later than the Green Goblin. Just because the writer did not want to resurrect the Green Goblin.

The first Hobgoblin in the Marvel comics was a businessman named Roderick Kingsley. He was a complete narcissist and would not stop at anything to get what he wanted. When Roderick Kingsley got to know about  Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin formula, he decided to test that formula on someone else and then test it on himself. After some testing, he created modifications to the formulas. And when he exposed himself to the modified formula, he gained all the power that Green Goblin had without going insane and became Hobgoblin. The Hobgoblin appeared almost 20 years later than the Green Goblin. Just because the writer did not want to resurrect the Green Goblin.

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What Is a Green Goblin?

What Is a Green Goblin? While there are a lot of characters that fall into the category of the Green Goblin over these years. But the original title belongs to the rich businessman named Norman Osborn. He created a formula to get superhuman abilities. He named the formula "the Goblin Formula." While he got a lot of superhuman strength and speed through this formula, it also made him go insane. This formula makes Norman Osborn hear voices in her head and creates destruction within him. Moreover, Green Goblin did not ally with any other enemies of Spiderman and worked on his own to achieve his mission.

While there are a lot of characters that fall into the category of the Green Goblin over these years. But the original title belongs to the rich businessman named Norman Osborn. He created a formula to get superhuman abilities. He named the formula “the Goblin Formula.” While he got a lot of superhuman strength and speed through this formula, it also made him go insane. This formula makes Norman Osborn hear voices in her head and creates destruction within him. Moreover, Green Goblin did not ally with any other enemies of Spiderman and worked on his own to achieve his mission.

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5 Key Differences Between Hobgoblin and Green Goblin

ComponentsHobgoblinGreen Goblin
AppearancesRoderick Kingsley redesigned the Goblin suit with a striking blue and orange palette. He also added a hooded cloak to make the costume look more roguish and made the mask with a pale, sinister design with red eyes.The battle suit of the original Goblin was an experimental design made with the motif of Norman Osborn. The main purpose of the motif was to strike terror in Osborn’s enemies. The costume has a green and blue color scheme.
Motivation Norman was interested in using his Goblin persona to get what he wanted until the spider man stopped him and his motive became to destroy the spider-man The two most notable Green Goblins: Norman and Harry Osborn were both obsessed with taking revenge on Peter Parker.
Super PowersHobgoblin used the same Goblin serum but refined it to fix the faults. But he shares the same powers as Green Goblins but without going insane.Norman Osborn becomes Green Goblin by taking the Goblin serum. This serum gave him super strength, stamina, and durability. 
AffiliationHobgoblin allied with several supervillains to increase his power and achieve large goals. He fights alongside Magneto, Richard Frisk’s descent as Rose, and Jason Macendale’s Iteration.The Green Goblin worked on his own and rarely interacted with the Sinister Six; Norman was also involved in the Ravencroft Institute, the brotherhood of Scryers, and the power elite.
Psychological StateIf we compare Hobgoblin versus Green Goblin,  the Hobgoblin is mentally sound. Because Roderick recognized the deleterious effects of serum and modified it to avoid insanity while he enjoyed all the superhuman abilities.The Green Goblin was mentally disturbed. The original Goblin formula caused an explosion on Harry’s face. While supercharging his physical strength, as well as his genius level. Which drove him insane

Hobgoblin vs. Green Goblin Similarities

  • Whether Hobgoblin or Green Goblin, both have the same superpowers and abilities like strength, speed, agility, and regenerative abilities.
  • Both have spider man as their main enemy and want to destroy him as he gets in their ways.
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Hobgoblin vs. Green Goblin Examples

Hobgoblin Examples

  • Roderick Kingsley
  • Macendale
  • Phil Urich

Green Goblin Examples

  • Norman Osborn
  • Harry Osborn
  • Bart Hamilton

Hobgoblin vs. Green Goblin Pros and Cons

Hobgoblin Pros and Cons

Hobgoblin Pros and Cons

Pros of Hobgoblin

  • Green Goblin contained various weaknesses, but Hobgoblin fixed the formula and removed all of its faults.
  • Hobgoblin was able to make some calculated decisions that allowed him to defeat his enemies better. Moreover, he also has some advanced weapon systems.

Cons of Hobgoblin

  • Roderick Kingsley, or Hobgoblin, was an extreme narcissist and would not stop at anything to get what he wanted.
  • He has a lot of powers and abilities, but in the end, he is defeated by his enemy.

Green Goblin Pros and Cons

Green Goblin Pros and Cons

Pros of Green Goblin

  • Green Goblin uses Goblin serum which gives him a lot of superpowers and abilities, including strength, stamina, and speed.
  •  Green Goblin mostly handled all the things on his own and did not go for a villain army like Hobgoblin.

Cons of Green Goblin

  • The Goblin serum used by Green Goblin makes him insane, and he ends up causing more harm to himself than good.
  • Green Goblin only relied on his weapons to defeat Spider-Man, as he was not so strong physically.

Comparison Chart

Green Goblin and Hobgoblin are both villains in the Spiderman comic book series. But what are the differences between the two? Read on to find out their pros, cons and key differences.

Comparison Video

Green Goblin vs Hobgoblin: Powers, Differences, Similarities

Conclusion 

Green Goblin and Hobgoblin are both comic characters and terror-based supervillains of Spider-man. But if we look at Hobgoblin’s meaning and Green Goblin’s meaning, both are different in many ways. There are various Hobgoblin vs. Green Goblin differences, the main one is Hobgoblin is completely sane, but the Green Goblin loses his sanity because of the Goblin Serum. That’s because Hobgoblin had modified the formula of Hoblin’s serum and removed all of its faults. Moreover, there are various other Green Goblin vs. Hobgoblin differences as well. Like both have different costumes, different weapon systems, and different allies. But the main purpose of both of them was to defeat the spider man.

Alex Stantor
Alex Stantor

Alex Stantor is a Sorbonne University (Paris, France) graduate in Philosophy and Data Analysis. Currently, he is an Author and Researcher at Difference 101, he writes articles/blog posts on topics such as "thinking differently" and "the importance of difference". Alex is a passionate advocate of diversity in the workplace and in companies, and diversity and inclusion in corporate communications. He currently lives in Brooklyn.

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