Concept art developed for Spider-Man: No Way Home suggests Ned Leeds originally came into possession of his own Goblin Glider.
The image, which found its way to Reddit but originally appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home – The Art of the Movie book, depicts Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds astride a glider that appears to be similar to the vehicle used by Willem Dafoe‘s Green Goblin in Sam Raimi‘s 2002 Spider-Man film. He also appears to be on the verge of hurling one of Goblin’s iconic Pumpkin Bombs with a design also seemingly lifted from the Dafoe’s take on the villain.
While Ned never gets to mount his own Glider in Spider-Man: No Way Home, many fans suspected Peter Parker‘s best friend in the Marvel Cinematic Universe would ultimately embrace a life of evil, possibly due to the influence of the Green Goblin. In the comics, Ned Leeds is revealed to be the first character to take on the mantle of the Hobgoblin in 1987’s Amazing Spider-Man #289; shortly after he’s exposed, he’s assassinated by The Foreigner.
A Different Hobgoblin for a Different Time
Despite the shocking reveal at the time, Ned’s double identity ultimately didn’t stick. In 1997, Marvel retconned the aforementioned story, making Roderick Kingsley the real Hobgoblin. Ned Leeds didn’t stay dead either, having been resurrected in 2021, becoming the Hobgoblin once again in 2022.
As many fans continue to wonder about Spidey’s fate in the MCU, Batalon has noted that he’s been kept in the dark about his future in the franchise. He has previously stated that he’d be open to taking on a more villainous role in a future installment, but whether this transpires remains to be seen.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is available to stream on Starz on the Starz Channel through a subscription to Apple TV, the Roku Channel, and Prime Video.
