Hey everyone! Thanks for swinging by for another installment of Marvel’s Spider-Man on Disney XD. Peter Parker is no longer being controlled by Otto Octavius, and this week he has to face his biggest challenge yet, a nation of goblins! Being a teenage superhero can be hard, especially if your best friend’s supervillain father is still alive! Pull up a web and enjoy as we give you five thoughts about Season 2, Episode 24, “Goblin War, Part 2.”
1. Not who he seems
The theme of trust and redemption continues this week as Peter goes off with his friend Harry to investigate the Osborn Mausoleum, you know, as ya do. After the confrontation with Doc Ock, Harry went to the family mausoleum to think, only to discover that it’s been broken into. They never found Norman’s body, there are bootprints about Norman’s size, and instead of a vault, there is a secret staircase. Harry decided to get Peter to investigate.
As the episode progresses, it starts to feel like perhaps Peter is in a trap. Harry starts slipping information to suggest that he hadn’t been studying in Europe like he claimed he was. There are the mysterious sounds of machinery working in the background. Harry knows how to disarm the traps and his voice controls the lights. Peter starts to get suspicious. The growing mystery is well-executed. Peter thinks he can trust his friend, but as the pieces start to fall into place we can feel the tension building. It’s eventually revealed that Harry was not in Europe, instead he was working on secret plans his father left him to continue his wealth and keep the family’s legacy intact. Harry simply didn’t tell Peter because he didn’t want him interfering.
At the end of the episode, Harry still is not connected to the Goblin Nation, but the Goblin King did extract important information from Harry’s Goblin suit. It’s possible that Harry is connected, especially now that it’s clear that Harry is adept at keeping secrets.
2. Anya and Gwen make for a fun B-plot
While they factored into the plot of last week’s episode, it was fun seeing Gwen and Anya back in action. They are a classic buddy team dynamic, Gwen being free-spirited and more improvisational and Anya being more no-nonsense and by the books, but they are starting to rub off on one another. They even have a secret handshake!
Their team also gets the majority share of the web-slinging action we want from a Spider-Man show, featuring their different fighting styles. That is one of the strengths of Spider-Man adaptations, showcasing how a similar skill set can be used differently. Gwen’s style is that of a dancer. Anya is more tech-oriented, showcasing her genius combined with her physical prowess. In any case, the nice thing about the subplot is that it’s clear that Gwen and Anya have a life outside of the show, and it was fun to see how their friendship and team dynamic have grown.
3. Ock struggles to get others to see his redemption
At this point, it seems like Otto has truly been redeemed. Not only is he helping Peter as Spider-Man’s “guy in the chair,” he is going above and beyond to help. The problem is that others are not so quick to see Doc Ock as the hero he’s become. This is especially true of Gwen and Anya, finding it laughable that Ock has their best interests at heart. But while Ock isn’t making many waves in the world of Superheros, his friendship with Peter seems to be working to his advantage.
Peter continues to be the biggest advocate for Otto’s rehabilitation, again explaining to Harry how their experiences were not that different. But the moment comes early in the episode when the owner of the cafe explains that if Ock is a friend of Peter’s he can’t be that bad. (By the way, props to that cafe owner for being ok with a supervillain in his shop.) While they might not be giant steps, Otto is finally experiencing a world that is treating him with some level of kindness.
4. Multiple goblins, multiple styles
Continued belowWhat Peter and Harry find in the Osborn Mausoleum is a factory producing Goblin tech. As the episode progresses, both teams discover that the Goblin gangs seem to have powers that reflect other villains. Gwen and Anya are dealing with Goblins who are using electric shocks and powers, while Peter and Harry are dealing with Goblins who have more skills with the hoverboards. They soon realize that the Goblin King is producing different armors to enhance those skills. It also becomes clear that the Goblin Nation has smaller factions, each of which answers to the Goblin King.
The inner working of the Goblin Nation is interesting, especially considering that last week they seemed monolithic, but it’s clear that they are a remedy to the problem. During the reign of the Superior Spider-Man, Ock created a power vacuum by removing all of the different bosses. The Goblin King is exploiting that dynamic and is ready to take New York with it.
5. The Goblin King revealed
Through the episode, Harry is convinced that the Goblin King is his father. They had never found the body, Goblin tech was being built, and it seemed that Norman was back bigger and badder than ever. There was also a moment where I thought it would be revealed that the Goblin King was no more than a mech controlled by Harry, a face for his evil organization. It was neither of those things. It was the Vulture.
Yes, the Goblin King is none other than Adrian Toomes who wants revenge on Norman Osborn for sullying his good name and stealing his ideas. Toomes took advantage of the power struggles of New York’s underworld, creating a criminal nation to bring New York to its knees. It also appears that his plans are even bigger than originally thought, with enough Goblin tech to equip a small army. It will be interesting to see where the war goes from here but with one of Spidey’s first foes in the mix, you know it won’t be boring!
[break]So there you have it! The Goblin King is revealed! The war wages on! Anya and Gwen are missing! What has become of Miles? All this and more will be covered next week I’m sure, but until then what did you think? Sound off below!
