Spider-Man Villains

The Hobgoblin: Jason Macendale

Real Name: Jason Macendale

AKA: Jack O'Lantern. And he's likely to change his name again, to the Cyber-Goblin or something similar.

First Appearance: Machine Man 19

Incinerated In: Spider-Man: The Hobgoblin Lives 1.

One of the more moronic deaths I've seen in comics (which, given the genre, is saying something). The whole argument for bringing back the original Hobgoblin is that, with his super-strength, Hobby couldn't be taken down by the Foreigner's goons. Well, why would Macendale, who not only has super-strength but cybernetically enhanced super-strength, stand around and let the "original" Hobby shoot him? Macendale is stronger than the original Hobgoblin; he should have ripped the cell door out and wrapped it around the Hobgoblin's neck! Utter lapse in Spider-continuity, which is probably going to lead to "Spider-Man: The Other Hobgoblin Lives, Too" in a decade or so.

What's His Problem? Ego, pure and simple. Canned from the CIA when he proved too extreme, Macendale turned his talent for killing into a career as an assassin. His first encounters with super-hero types under the nom d'plume "Jack O'Lantern," however, proved that mere skill was not enough in a world filled with meta-humans. Attempting to upgrade, he paid the Foreigner to kill Ned Leeds, thought to be the original Hobgoblin, and took the Hobgoblin's name and equipment for himself. He overlooked one little problem; the real original Hobgoblin had super-strength, and could stand toe-to-toe in a bare-knuckles fight with Spider-Man. Trying to gain superpowers, Macendale attempted to broker a deal with the demon N'astirh during the Inferno crisis. N'astirh turned Macendale into a flesh-and-blood demon. Tortured by what he had become, Macendale struggled to rid himself of his hard-won powers, finally succeeding in Web of Spider-Man 85 when the Demon inside of him ripped free and started a separate existence as the Demogoblin. This left Macendale with his assassin's skills, but once more without powers. Submitting to an experimental program in Russia, Macendale was injected with Kraven the Hunter's secret formula which, after it reacted with an unknown latent factor in his blood, gave him strength greater than that of the original Green Goblin, making him the strongest of all the Goblins Spidey ever had to deal with. After the euphoria of beating up Spidey wore off, however, Macendale decided it still wasn't enough. In another bid to increase his physical power, Macendale permitted himself to be implanted with cybernetic machinery, further boosting his strength and reaction time. The guy just never realized his real problem was mental, not physical.

Heroes He Keeps Running Into: Like his various namesakes, this Hobgoblin continually butted heads with Spider-Man. He has also had run-ins with the second and the forth Green Goblins. The Hobgoblin has accepted contracts to kill Moon Knight and Silver Sable, neither of whom appreciated being targeted. Despite this, Moon Knight tried to help Macendale, whom he had served with in his own mercenary days, free himself of his demonic possession; Macendale naturally turned on him as soon as he thought he was demon-free. Just the kinda guy he was, I'm afraid.

Favorite Quote: "Oh, great. Like I need this!" (Web of Spider-Man 94, when Spider-Man jumps in and prevents a perfectly routine assassination.)

People Who Think He's Not So Bad: Hmmm. Let's see; his ex-wife hated him, his young son was terrified of him, the underworld considered him a loose cannon and only rarely hired him and, as he himself noted, he always ended up alone in an empty warehouse talking to himself. Guess this is one Goblin nobody loved.

Most Despicable Act: As a professional assassin, Macendale did a lot of nasty things before ever going the super-villain route. After becoming Hobby, he offed several of the Forienger's guys and, eventually, his demonic partner Demogoblin. However, kidnapping his own son and threatening to beat the child into obedience puts this Hobgoblin into the "real jerk" category.