Marvel has revealed that Carnage and Norman Osborn have reunited to form the Red Goblin, one of Spider-Man's most powerful villains, in a preview of *The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity* #5. The development follows the previous issue, in which Spider-Girl arrived at Osborn's school fully possessed by Carnage, prompting Osborn to welcome the symbiote back and revert to his villainous ways. The reunion threatens the young "Spider" heroes Osborn had been training and marks a dramatic escalation in the ongoing storyline.

The Red Goblin first appeared in 2018's *The Amazing Spider-Man* #798, when Osborn bonded with the Carnage symbiote to become an omega-level threat capable of overpowering both Spider-Man and Venom, as well as other heroes such as the Human Torch. *Spider-Versity*, written by Jordan Morris and Joe Kelly, had depicted a reformed Osborn mentoring a new generation of Spider-heroes, albeit through morally dubious methods, including secretly hiring villains to attack the school as a training exercise. Issue #4 ended with the students confronting him over this scheme, moments before Carnage-possessed Spider-Girl interrupted, setting up the Red Goblin's return in the newly previewed Issue #5.