The Green Goblin and Norman Osborn: A one-directional portrayal of hallucinations in the media and another example of villainous/violent stereotypes?
The Green Goblin is an alternative identity to Norman Osborn, a character and antagonist in the Spider-Man franchise. The origin of the Green Goblin is reminiscent of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll & Hyde (1886), where Jekyll’s experiments with an enhancement serum led to the development of a sinister, villainous alternative personality. In addition to the violent crimes committed by the Green Goblin throughout the films and comics, Osborn is also frequently tormented by threatening, taunting, and beguiling auditory and visual hallucinations from the Goblin.
Some fan theories1 suggest Norman is experiencing symptoms of dissociative identity disorder, another potential example of characters in the media having dangerous and violent alternative identities (e.g. Split (2016), Psycho (1960), Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)), further reinforcing harmful stereotypes about this particular disorder.
However, the Green Goblin is also an example of auditory and visual hallucinations being portrayed in the media, characteristics of both psychosis and schizophrenia. The former is defined by a loss of contact with reality2, which can be a common symptom of schizophrenia3 alongside delusions, muddled thoughts, changes in behaviour, and other significant impairments in the way reality is perceived4.
Whilst hallucinations can certainly be of “negative emotional valence”5, there is contrasting evidence that in some cases, hearing voices can be associated with companionship, amusement, and assistance in work/study.
For example, Eleanor Longden6 describes her experiences with hearing voices that were initially neither sinister or disturbing, and even helped her in an exam. Over time, Eleanor saw the voices as meaningful responses to traumatic life events and “sane reactions to insane circumstances”6 [00:11:32] helping her understand7 more about herself and what had happened throughout her life. Eleanor is now an advocate for Intervoice8, a charity aimed at sharing knowledge, resources, and support for voice-hearers, emphasising the different ways in which people “find inspiration, meaning and connection in the voices they hear.”9
Questions can therefore be asked as to whether examples like the Green Goblin paint a one-directional picture of voice-hearing as part of psychosis or schizophrenia. In this specific example, Norman’s voice-hearing torments him and his symptoms are again associated with an exaggerated status of villainy and crime. “Mental health is packed to the brim with misnomers”10 and the Green Goblin could potentially be reinforcing these.
