Warning: SPOILERS for Venom #15!Red Goblin is one of the weirdest abstractions of the Venom family tree, but he’s back with an Anti-Venom-inspired new look ahead of his first solo series. Normie Osborn has inherited the Red Goblin mantle from one of his grandfather’s most terrifying plots. However, Red Goblin returns with heroic intentions and his new design signals that Normie may be on a different path from his forefathers. All this and more remains to be seen once Red Goblin’s solo title hits shelves on February 8, 2023.
Normie gets back in the goop in the pages of Venom #15 from Ram V, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Scott Hanna, Alex Sinclair, VC’s Clayton Cowles, and Devin Lewis. While Norman Osborn lured his grandson into bonding with a symbiote in the first place, Normie’s friend Dylan Brock calls on him to suit up once more for a noble purpose.
Encouraging his friend while he bonds with a new symbiote, Dylan reminds Normie, “You are not Carnage. You are not your grandfather. You are like me… something new.” Dylan’s words ring true, as this Red Goblin has a new facial design that favors more Klyntar traits than Green Goblin ones, and the white coloring on the body evokes the Anti-Venom symbiote.
Red Goblin’s Redesign Symbolizes A Heroic Shift
Norman Osborn was the first Red Goblin, an identity that was formed out of his bonding with the Carnage symbiote. He did so to reactivate the Goblin serum within himself, and the combination was deadly and monstrous. He also lured Normie into bonding with the Red Goblin, preying on the child’s insecurities and amplifying his darkest intrusive thoughts. The event has been portrayed as traumatic for Normie, and his mother Liz Allan seems keen on moving her family past it. However, Allan’s corporation Alchemax remains at the center of Dylan Brock’s ongoing Venom adventures, so it was only a matter of time before Normie would have the opportunity to reconnect with a Klyntar.
Normie’s new symbiote form bears a few key traits that make him recognizable as Red Goblin. However, this new incarnation plays with an aesthetic that is more familiar to Anti-Venom than most other symbiotes. Historically, the Anti-Venom symbiote has signified a radical new direction for their host, or as visual shorthand for a symbiote host with a more heroic moral leaning. For example, Flash Thompson is arguably the most morally pure hero to be a Venom host, and he is currently the Anti-Venom host. Therefore, it’s safe to interpret that Red Goblin’s new look is meant to communicate that Normie and his symbiote really will be something new, something more heroic in temperament.
Red Goblin Returns Just In Time For The Summer of Symbiotes
With Death of the Venomverse on the horizon, Marvel seems to be priming its key Klyntar cast members. The storyline is part of the larger Summer of Symbiotes event, and it looks set to star Venom, Sleeper, Carnage, Red Goblin, and even Deadpool’s new child Renesmee. The Klyntar crew is spread across timelines, realms, and families, and it’s certain to be a fascinating story that brings them all together. This is why now is the perfect time to reintroduce Red Goblin and establish the journey ahead for Normie’s character. If the design is any hint, then Red Goblin’s riff on an Anti-Venom outfit may signify that the next generation of the Osborn line is finally heading toward heroism.
Venom #15 is available now from Marvel Comics.