Spider-Man 4 is rumored to see Ned Leeds become the Hobgoblin, but it can introduce the real Hobgoblin thanks to the events of No Way Home.
After the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man 4 is believed to be the introduction of the Hobgoblin, but it might not be Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) who turns into this villain. The adventures of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are not over, and the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home, although heartbreaking, is making way for a variety of storylines that will take Peter Parker on a much-needed different path, in which he will surely face bigger villains.
Holland’s Spider-Man is confirmed to return in another trilogy, but details about Spider-Man 4 remain unknown. Given the events of No Way Home, Spider-Man 4 will finally see the title hero become a street-level hero, but when it comes to who will be the next villain, things aren’t quite clear. It’s speculated that Ned Leeds will finally become the Hobgoblin in Spider-Man 4, more so now that he can’t remember Peter, but Spider-Man 4 doesn’t have to turn Ned Leeds into a villain to introduce the Hobgoblin, as Ned was just a scapegoat in the comics, and the real Hobgoblin was another person.
Roderick Kingsley Is The Real Hobgoblin
The real Hobgoblin was a man named Roderick Kingsley, who made his first appearance in Marvel Comics in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #43 in 1980, but he was retroactively revealed as the Hobgoblin in The Amazing Spider-Man #238 in 1983. Kingsley was a billionaire, socialite, and fashion designer with connections to the criminal underworld, and who had gathered his wealth through unethical business practices and corporate raiding. These activities and more gave him various enemies, so he looked for ways to protect himself and his empire by gaining more power, and one day, thug George Hill told him he found Norman Osborn’s secret lair in hopes to get a reward, but Kingsley killed him to make sure no one else knew about it. Kingsley examined the place and found Osborn’s equipment and notes, and after realizing that all previous Green Goblins were driven into madness, he created the Hobgoblin identity to separate himself from them.
Kingsley also used Osborn’s files to blackmail prominent figures and even tried to buy Oscorp to merge it with his own corporation, and this and more brought him into conflict with Spider-Man. Even though Kingsley had the equipment used by the Green Goblin, he lacked raw physical power, which is why he constantly lost against Spider-Man, and even after perfecting a strength-enhancing formula, he still couldn’t win against Spider-Man. Kingsley’s activities caught the attention of powerful criminals who saw him as a threat, among them the Kingpin, and at one point in his comic book history, he also became a member of the Sinister Six, led by the Iron Spider.
How The MCU Can Introduce Roderick Kingsley
Before his turn into the Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley was Mary Jane’s employer, so the MCU could adapt this part of his comic book story to introduce him in Spider-Man 4. The last time viewers saw MJ (Zendaya) she was still working at Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop, where Peter planned to reintroduce himself at the end of No Way Home but ultimately decided not to. MJ and Ned were accepted at MIT, so she might start working somewhere else while she attends MIT, and Roderick Kingsley could be her new employer. The MCU’s MJ is not one who has shown interest in the fashion world, so the MCU would have to make some changes to Kingsley’s job.
Now, as No Way Home saw Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin crossing over to the MCU with his signature weapons, it could be possible that some of those objects were left in this universe after No Way Home, so Kingsley can come across these and come up with his Hobgoblin persona, which would be quite interesting as he doesn’t know that the previous owner of the weapons was driven into insanity when he became a villain.
Spider-Man 4 Can Still Have Ned Leeds As Hobgoblin (But Not The Real One)
Introducing Roderick Kingsley doesn’t mean that Ned can’t become Hobgoblin in Spider-Man 4. In the comics, Ned Leeds follows the Hobgoblin after an encounter with Spider-Man and discovers his lair, where Kingsley captures Ned. Kingsley brainwashes him and uses him as a stand-in to fool the criminal underworld. The same could happen to the MCU’s Ned Leeds in Spider-Man 4 if it introduces Roderick Kingsley, which would also add another layer of conflict for Spider-Man as he would have to stop his brainwashed best friend, who is believed to be a dangerous villain and is being pursued by the criminal underworld, while also dealing with the real villain behind it all.
