Phil Urich
Phil Urich is a male comic character who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Phillip Urich was a male human born in the modern age who was the son of Arnie Urich and Mindy Urich where he had an older brother named Kenneth Urich. At some point, he stopped his education and looked to enter into a career under his Uncle Ben Urich who offered his nephew a part-time job. (Green Goblin v1 #1)
On a journalism assignment, Phil joined his uncle Ben in an investigation into the affairs of the late Harry Osborn and went to Oscorp Tower. Whilst there, they were surrounded by a gang that forced them to flee the scene where Phil became separated from his uncle. This led to him stumbling into the secret headquarters of the Green Goblin. At the lair, he found a range of new equipment that had been developed and came to be accidentally exposed to a vat of Goblin Formula. By this point, Ben Urich had been surrounded by gangsters where he faced certain death leading to Phil deciding to take the equipment and be the Green Goblin to save his uncle. (Green Goblin v1 #1)
At first, Phil became the Green Goblin for the trhill, but as time went on, he became confused about what his real purpose was. He had a run-in with the Rhino, who was paying off a football star for throwing important games. The police showed up in an anti gambling sting and Phil quickly found himself a target of both the Rhino and the police. He easily defeated the Rhino with his greater speed and agility, dropping the grey Goliath head first into the docks. Alexsi was knocked unconscious, his horn jammed into the wood. (Green Goblin v1 #2)
Joystick was assigned to the Scarlet Spider, but being a romantic idiot, Phil went in his place. Scarlet Spider and the Green Goblin managed to save Joystick's life from El Toro Negro, a contestant that she had defeated previously. Phil let Joystick go while Spider dealt with El Toro, much to Scarlet's dismay. The Goblin left him with the quip stating that he only did it for the 'jollies'. (Green Goblin v1 #3)
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 a Sentinel. Urich sacrificed 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. (Green Goblin v1 #12) Unable to repair or replace the technology, Urich ultimately decided to retire from being the Goblin. (Green Goblin v1 #13)
His intentions are pure, but he accepted funds from a secret benefactor to rescue the Runaways. The groups vowed to only don their uniform one last time and help the Runaways defeat Ultron's clone. With their task complete, they agreed to not to use their powers again, but Mattie Franklin secretly uncovered a MGH drug ring. This leads to Nekra attacking the group during one of their counseling sessions. (The Loners v1 #5) Urich suffers a mental breakdown after watching Chris Powell and Mickey share 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. (The Loners v1 #6)
Hobgoblin
He was dispatched by the Kingpin alongside Hand ninjas to recover a briefcase that was obtained by members of the Goblin cult. The biker gang were at a Boston club where they were attacked and the Hobgoblin nearly acquired his target but was confronted by Spider-Man. Urich sent a signal to Tiberius Stone to activate his modified Spider-Sense jammer device but instead of shutting down Spider-Man's ability it simply enhanced it forcing the Hobgoblin to retreat. Afterwards, he was at the Bugle in his civilian identity where he was angered at his girlfriend Norah Winters for not being interested in his pictures of the Hobgoblin who she considered a minor story with her instead focusing on the legacy of Norman Osborn. Whilst there, he learnt from the Bugle's latest news story that Peter Parker was the designer of many of Spider-Man's equipment and also became jealous of the attention Norah gave him. At that point, he received a call from the Kingpin who told him that Stone had modified his Spider-Sense jammer for the entire city which made it a perfect opportunity to capture Spider-Man. This led to Urich in his Hobgoblin guise to kidnap Peter Parker after he had left the Daily Bugle. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #695) He presented Parker to the Kingpin stating that Peter was the person who made Spider-Man's equipment and thus possibly knew a way to contact the hero. With him captive, Urich as the Hobgoblin sent a message to Max Modell of Horizon Labs demanding that Spider-Man return the stolen briefcase where he was to meet them at Shadowland. Instead of Spider-Man, Modell himself arrived at the scene with the case which contained the Goblin Key that opened up the various secrets caches made by Norman Osborn. At that point, Urich came under attack from the original Hobgoblin Roderick Kingsley who was angered at someone taking his supervillain identity. The two goblins battled allowing for Peter Parker to escape with the Goblin Key and forced the two supervillains to fall on the Spider-Sense Jammer thus destroying it. The Kingpin ordered the two Hobgoblin's to recover the Key or face his wrath with Urich making a temporary truce with Kingsley as they sought to capture the two escaping scientists. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #696) Despite their efforts, the Goblin's Workshop was destroyed by Spider-Man with Kingsley turning on Urich. However, rather than kill Phil, Roderick sensed some potential in him being the Hobgoblin and allowed him to live on the condition that he gets a percentage of any profits made by him. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #697)
When Mayor Jameson announced an effort to crackdown on super-villains, Phil debated if it was still worthwhile to be the Hobgoblin because he payed so much to the Tinkerer for his Hobgoblin gear and to Kingsley for being allowed to be the Hobgoblin. (Superior Spider-Man v1 #6) While receiving his weapons enhancement from the Tinkerer, his apprentice Ty Stone messes with the technology, as vengeance from his mistreatment. Phil later showed his video of Shadowland's destruction, receiving congratulations and a paycheck from Robbie. Behind on his payment from Kingsley, Kingsley suggested that Phil steal as much money to clear him of his payments; causing Phil to start a chain of bank robberies and earning the Superior Spider-Man's ire. While fighting the Superior Spider-Man, Ty tampers with the technology so that Spider-Man may beat Phil. Phil manages to escape and frantically rushes into the Daily Bugle demanding another paycheck from Robbie. Spider-Man then activates the spider-tracer he placed on Phil, and tapped into every TV screen in the city and revealed Phil's identity as the Hobgoblin. (Superior Spider-Man v1 #15) With his identity as Hobgoblin revealed to the public, Phil realizes he has nowhere to run and desperately makes excuses as his Daily Bugle co-workers turn against him. Superior Spider-Man learned of Phil's location and arrived at the Daily Bugle and fought with a manic Phil bringing the fight outside where Superior Spider-Man disarms him. He pondered about giving Phil a public execution, but Phil is freed from a prison transport by Green Goblin who upgrades his armor and weapons. Green Goblin asked only for full dedication to Phil's only and new identity as the Goblin Knight which he accepts. (Superior Spider-Man v1 #16) He would later prove his loyalty by disposing of the body of Kingsley's impostor after the man had died in a fight with Norman. (Superior Spider-Man v1 #26)
Goblin King
Following downfall of Osborn, Urich became the new Goblin King and took the lead of the Goblin Nation remnants, which became one of the main organized crime powers in New York. He called upon two other crime powers, Mister Negative's criminal empire and the Maggia fraction lead by the Eel, to divide the criminal underground. While waiting for the Eel, they were surprised to see him crashing in from a window. They were confronted by the Black Cat, who demanded the Eel's part. Negative refused, saying that she only had reputation until it was destroyed by the Spider. She claimed that they were all outed by Spider-Man, but that she will be successful in defeating him. (Amazing Spider-Man v3 #5)
In order to prove his worth as the new Goblin King, Urich began hunting for Roderick Kingsley, who had returned to New York and enfranchised his Hobgoblin persona and those of deceased or retired superheroes. Executing a Hobgoblin impostor, Urich mused on his failed attempt to save Lilly Hollister after her arrest. (AXIS: Hobgoblin v1 #1) To get Kingsley's attention, Urich attacked a building with children playing inside. As he expected, Roderick Kingsley did arrive to save the children, as he had recently been inverted due to the inversion spell. After a short battle, Urich realized how distracted Kingsley was. Instead of fighting, he told him to buy his new book about becoming a superhero before fleeing. Urich later confronted Kingsley at the latter's headquarters, remarking that Kingsley was insane. Urich attempted to kill Kingsley, but was soon confronted by Lily Hollister. She had amnesia, and had joined Kingsley's cause and taken the alias of the Queen Cat. Urich battled some of Kingsley's leased superheroes before being forced to escape through the window, leaving the message "Find Me Lily". Back to his base, Urich was visited by John Myers, one of Kingsley's leased heroes (aka Missile Mate), who stepped out and wanted to be a villain. Urich was reluctant on inviting him to his army, which was being formed by half of the leased villains Kingsley had abandoned, however, Myers revealed he had allied himself with the other half of those leased villains. (AXIS: Hobgoblin v1 #2) Urich was visited in his base by the Queen Cat, who had agreed to double-cross Kingsley. During a celebration being held for the declaration of Hobgoblin Day, Missile Mate failed to kill Kingsley, which prompted Urich and the Goblin Nation to jump into action. Even though he was bested in combat by Kingsley, Urich expected the Queen Cat to betray the Hobgoblin. However, Lily revealed to have merely pretended to have any regard for their past relationship, and stated that having forgotten her criminal life might have been a gift she wasn't going to waste. After a failed attempt by the Missile Mate to escape with Urich, the Goblin King and the members of the Goblin Nation present at the scene were taken into custody. (AXIS: Hobgoblin v1 #3)
Black Cat used a Goblin Formula antidote that turned Urich along with his followers back to normal. Felicia later told Silk to kill him and she threw him off the building but she knew he would survive the fall. He was arrested and taken in by Mockingbird who had him shipped to the new prison named the Cellar. (Silk v2 #6)
Urich later resurfaced again during Alchemax's representation of new energy source, trying to steal it. Even though Spider-Man and Agent Anti-Venom appeared and defeated his henchman, Urich managed to escape using his sonic scream. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #796) After his escape, he raided an old hide-out of Norman Osborn to raid it for weapons and supplies. He was then surprised to find Norman Osborn there and decided to kill him as he had heard that Spider-Man had depowered him thus preventing him from becoming his Green Goblin persona. However, he did not know that Osborn had become host to the Carnage Symbiote who then ripped through Phil's body leaving him for dead. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #797)
Some time following his funeral, Phil was reanimated by the Goblin formula infusing his body. Unable to return to human civilization due to his undead state, he instead took refuge in the sewers, where he found to remnants of the Goblin Nation and took command of them. (Red Goblin v1 #2) Nursing a grudge against Norman not only for having killed him but for having been allowed to escape punishment for his crimes after his sins were exorcised, Urich began following and plotting revenge against him. When a new Red Goblin picked a fight with some of his goons, Urich concluded that Norman had bonded the Carnage symbiote to an assassin to maintain his guise of redemption and sent his minions to capture the former Green Goblin by force. (Red Goblin v1 #1) Harvesting Norman's Goblin formula-saturated blood, Phil and the other Goblin Nation solders injected themselves with it to empower themselves. When the Red Goblin arrived to rescue Norman, Phil -- believing him to be bonded to the Carnage symbiote -- incapacitated him with his Lunatic Laugh and managed to tear off the nametag of Normie Osborn's uniform, which had been borrowed from a classmate. (Red Goblin v1 #2)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Joining the Goblin Nation, he gained a new identity as a member of the organisation where he went by the name of Goblin Knight. (Superior Spider-Man v1 #16) After taking over the Goblin Nation, he came to take over the title of its leader as the Goblin King. (Amazing Spider-Man v3 #5)
His uncle Ben believed Phil to had been a good kid and a hard worker on the rare occasions he applied himself but that he seemed to lack direction or initiative. (Green Goblin v1 #1)
However, when Roderick attempted to kill Norah, Phil found that he did not care largely if she lived or died. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #697)
Powers and abilities
He came to be accidentally exposed to a batch of Goblin Formula whilst in the secret headquarters of the Green Goblin. This was partly responsible for him gaining a degree of superhuman strength. (Green Goblin v1 #1)
Urich came to take on a new set of Goblin gear that Harry Osborn had developed prior to his death. Part of it worked by increasing the wearers powers by stimulating the brain. The mask changed his voice where he was able to unleash a sonic attack that sounded like an insane laugh. It was said to sound weird but grew more intense the longer it went on to the point that targets felt like their ear-drums would shatter. (Green Goblin v1 #1)
For weapons, the Green Goblin identity made use of pumpkin bombs that he threw at targets. (Green Goblin v1 #1)
For transportation, he made use of a bat-winged Goblin Glider that allowed him to fly in the air. (Green Goblin v1 #1)
Notes
- Phil Urich was created by Terry Kavanagh and Steven Butler where he made his first appearance as the Green Goblin in Web of Spider-Man v1 #125 (June, 1995)
- He later debutted as Hobgoblin in Amazing Spider-Man v1 #649 (January, 2011)
- Urich later featured as the Goblin Knight in Superior Spider-Man v1 #16 (October, 2013).
- He later adopted the mantle of the Goblin King in Amazing Spider-Man v3 #5 (October, 2014).
Alternate Versions
- In Spider-Girl v1 #1 (1998), an alternate version of Phil Urich appeared in the Marvel Comics 2 reality that was designated as Earth-982 in the Multiverse.
- In Armor Wars v1 #½ (2015), an alternate version of the character appeared in the Technopolis reality on Battleworld that was designated as Earth-12311 in the Multiverse. This incarnation was a merger between Phil Urich and Peter Parker who was named Peter Urich.
Appearances
- Web of Spider-Man v1: (1995)
- Amazing Spider-Man:
- Green Goblin v1:
- Silk v2:
- Red Goblin v1:
External Links
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