Spider-Man Theory: How Harry Osborn Became Kindred | Screen Rant
Marvel Comics writer Nick Spencer has finally revealed Spider-Man's new nemesis Kindred is actually his old pal Harry Osborn - and fans aren't happy about it. The Spider-Fan discourse following the reveal has focused on characters who would be better suited to the role, and how sparse the actual clues to Harry's involvement really were, but we're here to tell you that Harry's journey to the Kindred persona makes a lot more sense than you may think.
When Nick Spencer took over as scribe on The Amazing Spider-Man in 2018, he decided to play the long game. He introduced a mysterious new villain for Spider-Man, a mystical being who clearly delighted in manipulating Spider-Man's life. Little by little, the mask has been lifted, and in The Amazing Spider-Man #50 Spencer revealed Kindred is actually Harry Osborn, one of Peter Parker's oldest pals.
Rather than bringing an end to Kindred's menace, this appears to mark the point at which he steps out of the shadows and becomes a force to be reckoned with, and presumably the many unanswered questions will finally be resolved. Spencer is no stranger to controversy - his was the mind behind Hydra Cap and the Secret Empire event, after all - but in this case, he's really going to have to work hard to pull off a convincing story. Fortunately, there are some subtle clues that suggest Spencer is working on a smart plot that could leave a lasting impact on the Spider-Man lore, stretching all the way back to Harry's supposed death.
The son of wealthy industrialist Norman Osborn (aka the Green Goblin), Harry was a good friend of Gwen Stacy's who attended Empire State University. Although Harry initially clashed with Peter Parker, he was one of the first to realize Peter was just shy and introverted, and he took the effort to reach out to his fellow student. As time passed the two became best friends, almost like brothers to one another, with Peter helping Harry deal with the pressure his father consistently put upon him. Ironically, the escalating conflict between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin pushed Peter and Harry closer together, with Norman growing increasingly distant from his son, and Harry turning to Peter for support. Finally, Norman Osborn was apparently killed in battle with Spider-Man, and a guilty Peter did his best to console his grief-stricken friend.
Peter Parker's career as Spider-Man has brought a great deal of sorrow to his life, and in the case of Harry, it destroyed his greatest friendship. Harry became obsessed with Spider-Man after his father's death; and when he learned Spider-Man's secret identity, he proclaimed himself the new Green Goblin. He ultimately managed to suppress this madness with the help of psychological treatment, and began to settle down to an ordinary life with a wife and child - but that is impossible in the New York of Marvel Comics, and a demonic invasion tore Harry's mind apart once again. Harry modified his father's Goblin formula and ingested it, becoming more powerful than even Norman Osborn's Green Goblin. The experiment had tragic consequences, and Harry found himself torn between his love for Peter and the Goblin's hatred of Spider-Man. In the end, he sacrificed himself saving Peter from a trap he had set himself, and succumbed to a fatal heart attack.
Years later, Spider-Man struck a deal with Mephisto, the Lord of Hell, to rewrite history and preserve his secret identity. This was the controversial "One More Day" storyline, and it afforded Mephisto an opportunity to adjust the timeline in order to excise the marriage of Peter and Mary Jane in exchange for saving Aunt May from an assassin's bullet. In this altered timeline, Harry secretly survived that fateful heart attack and was sent to Europe to convalesce. He returned to New York, even briefly suiting up as a superhero called American Son during his father's reign as head of HAMMER. He's now back with his wife Liz and their son Normie, and he's rebelled against his father outright, even going head-to-head with him during the "Maximum Carnage" event.
As you can see, it's difficult (frankly, impossible) to place the two portrayals of Harry Osborn side-by-side. How can he be both a heroic figure who has overcome his father's influence and a bitter and twisted individual who hasn't once mentioned his wife and child? The recent identity reveal doesn't make any sense at all - unless you consider the possibility there are in fact two versions of Harry Osborn.
It's worth remembering we don't quite know what happened when Mephisto rewrote history. It's possible he created an entirely new timeline; if so, the soul of the original Harry Osborn would still be in Hell, even though a new version of him was walking around now. Resurrections are a dime a dozen in superhero comics, but as a result of "One More Day" this original Harry would have a new reason to hate Spider-Man; as a result of Peter's actions, another Harry had filled the void left by his death, serving as husband to his wife and father to his son. Peter's deal with Mephisto would have literally stolen everything from Harry Osborn - and, even more infuriatingly, Peter himself had no recollection of this.
The original Harry Osborn had planned to torment Peter, to twist his life around, to take everything from him little by little. As Kindred, he was given the opportunity to fulfill his goal, and it's possible he's been working in the shadows for far longer than Nick Spencer has been writing Amazing Spider-Man. Finally, Mephisto - or another Hell Lord - allowed Kindred to walk the Earth himself, and Kindred began to form a new body. In one rant to the captive Norman Osborn, Kindred declared he fashioned his body out of all Peter Parker's nightmares, creating a form his old friend would find absolutely terrifying. It makes sense for him to have to do this; he had no old body to occupy, given he had been replaced.
If this theory is correct, Peter Parker is finally confronting the consequences of "One More Day." No doubt this was Mephisto's plan all along; the torment of Kindred neatly explains why Mephisto agreed to rewrite history and seemingly resurrect Harry Osborn in the first place. But the irony is that Spider-Man is dealing with the repercussions from a decision he cannot even remember. He has no idea he once struck a bargain with a Hell Lord, and consequently he has no way to understand the depths of Kindred's hatred of him. Spider-Man could be about to face off against an enemy he will find absolutely bewildering - and whose supernatural power is infinitely greater than his own.