Noon.
The absolute peak of the New York City rush hour.
In an era before smartphones ruled the world, the radio was still the undisputed king of daytime media, and tuning in was the favorite pastime of millions of New Yorkers stuck in gridlock traffic.
Right on cue, the Daily Bugle’s midday news program hit the airwaves.
“Good afternoon, New Yorkers!”
J.
Jonah Jameson’s opening remarks were as enthusiastic and intensely passionate as ever.
The news script in his hand had been hastily drafted in under an hour, but it was undoubtedly his proudest work to date.
“Two years ago, that lunatic in green armor, riding a flying skateboard and throwing pumpkin bombs around like toys…
he is still alive!
Lingering like a disease in some dark corner of our beautiful city!”
Jameson paused for half a second, letting the tension build before his voice dripped with heavy, venomous sarcasm.
“But guess what this master of horror did?
He vanished!
Like a frightened rat, he rolled over and played dead!
He has been playing dead for two whole years just to escape trial!
What an absolute disgrace!”
Down on the street, a truck driver could not help but laugh out loud.
Within seconds, half the drivers on the block were joining in.
“Green Goblin, if you are listening, I am talking directly to you,” Jameson taunted over the airwaves.
“Your little trick has been exposed.
Did you really think New Yorkers would just forget your ugly green face?
Let me tell you something, we do not even forget the price of yesterday’s lunch, let alone a psychopath who throws bombs off a hoverboard.”
Laughter echoed through countless idling vehicles across the city.
The Daily Bugle’s ratings were absolutely soaring.
“And now!” Jameson continued, his voice rising to a fever pitch.
“A new masked freak has appeared, calling himself Spider-Man Number Two.
Oh God, one Spider-Man was already enough of a headache for me, and now there is a second one.”
“But this Spider-Man Number Two has publicly declared war on the Green Goblin!
Three days from now!
Times Square!
Right at the busiest intersection in the entire world!
Green Goblin, you have been called out.
You have been challenged by another guy in a tight suit in your own area of expertise, and you are too scared to utter a single sound?”
The traffic lights turned green, but not a single car moved. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Every driver in the city was completely hooked, listening intently to the broadcast.
“So grab your little skateboard, your pumpkins, and all your cheap Halloween props, and get ready to be beaten to a pulp!
Three days from now in Times Square.
Do not be late, you green coward!”
As Jameson delivered his final, roaring line, car horns across the entire city erupted in unison.
New Yorkers had officially declared war on the Green Goblin, cheering wildly for Spider-Man.
In that single moment, the Daily Bugle’s listenership hit an unprecedented seventy-eight percent, setting a monumental record in New York broadcasting history that would likely never be broken.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the streets of New York City.
Inside the dark, echoing sewers, a specially modified radio crackled with Jameson’s final roar.
A hand with thick, bulging veins gripped the device tightly.
In an instant, the voice coming from the speaker turned into violent static, and then died completely.
Shattered pieces of plastic and metal fell from between the fingers, clattering loudly against a stainless steel lab table.
The Green Goblin slowly raised his head.
In the dim light, his pupils shrank to tiny pinpoints as a terrifying, bloodthirsty smile slowly spread across his face.
“Coward,” the Green Goblin whispered.
His heavy fingertips traced the surface of the metal table, sending a shower of bright sparks flying into the air.
“He actually called me a coward.”
“Jonah Jameson is provoking you.”
From the pitch-black shadows behind the Green Goblin, the heavy silhouettes of three massive figures slowly emerged.
The first to step into the light was a man covered head-to-toe in dark green armor, with a deadly, two-meter-long mechanical scorpion tail extending from his spine.
“Should we go teach him a lesson?” the Scorpion hissed, a vicious rattle sounding from deep within his throat.
The second figure stepped forward.
It was a man with horrific, highly mutated arms.
His skeletal structure had been completely altered, growing a massive pair of green wings that stretched from his wrists all the way to his shoulder blades.
With a wingspan of over three meters, the dense feathers concealed rows of razor-sharp, pale white bone spurs.
“And destroy the Daily Bugle while you are at it.
I absolutely hate that place,” the Vulture added, his voice sharp and grating, like metal scraping against glass.
The Green Goblin did not answer him.
Instead, he turned his gaze to the third figure.
It was a gigantic, hulking humanoid monster that blended the features of a man and a rhinoceros.
Its entire massive body was covered in a thick, dark green layer of keratin that acted like impenetrable biological armor.
A brutal, spiraling rhinoceros horn, a full meter long, extended from its forehead.
Clearly, during his two years of faking his own death, the Green Goblin had perfected his serum.
Using the modified formula, he had successfully created three terrifying supervillains: the Scorpion, the Vulture, and the Rhino.
But they were not his only trump card.
The Green Goblin slowly walked around to the other side of the lab table.
Lined up in the shadows were ten giant glass cylindrical tanks, each filled with a murky, dark green culture medium.
Suspended dormant inside each tank was a massive man with dark green skin.
Their bodies were unnaturally muscular, their ears were pointed, and their teeth were as jagged and sharp as a shark’s.
“I am going to let all of New York watch Times Square turn into a graveyard.
My Goblin army is going to tear both Spider-Men to shreds, and then this pathetic city will finally understand one simple truth,” the Green Goblin said.
His voice echoed from behind his metal mask, chilling and dripping with pure arrogance.
“New York City has only one true ruler.
And I have returned.”
For the next three days, J.
Jonah Jameson used every ounce of the Daily Bugle’s resources and connections to aggressively promote the showdown.
The Battle of Times Square instantly became the hottest, most inescapable topic in the entire city.
Every single New Yorker was practically vibrating with excitement and anticipation.
The three-day wait felt like an absolute eternity.
Even citizens from neighboring cities booked last-minute trips and drove hours to New York, desperate to witness the epic, historic battle firsthand.
The day before the showdown officially began, Peter and the older Spider-Man arrived at Harry Osborn’s luxurious penthouse apartment.
The heroes were not taking any chances; they were meticulously preparing for the massive fight ahead.
Since they could not assemble a multiversal Avengers team in this world, Peter had chosen the next best option.
He was putting together his own highly specialized strike team.
“Harry, are you sure you are really ready for this?” the older Spider-Man asked, looking at his best friend with deep concern.
“Of course I am.
I have been preparing for this ever since the day I found out my father was the Green Goblin,” Harry replied.
Harry Osborn’s entire demeanor had completely changed.
His gaze was rock-solid and incredibly sharp.
He walked over to the wall and pressed his hand against a hidden panel in the living room.
With a smooth hiss, a secret door slid open, revealing an armory filled with rows of advanced, high-tech weaponry and tactical gear perfectly displayed under bright LED lights.
Tomorrow, Harry Osborn was going to step onto the battlefield.
But this time, he would be fighting as a superhero.