After Peter finished setting the ground rules with Norman and Dr. Connors about keeping their identities secret,
he told them he'd put Herman to work on a new battery and was preparing to enter the mobile-phone market.
Norman looked very interested.
A bold idea even began to form in his mind.
He knew better than anyone how rotten things had become inside Oscorp, but with death so near he hadn't had the luxury of thinking long-term.
Now that his health was restored, Norman figured he could jettison the company's dead weight and let it rise from the ashes—better than before.
For instance, he could back Peter's company in Harry's name.
Once the new firm was strong enough, Oscorp would be driven straight into bankruptcy.
Peter could then buy back the choicest pieces of the old company.
A simple left-hand-to-right-hand shuffle would let Oscorp dump its idiot shareholders and mountains of toxic assets.
After the diet, a new-and-improved lizard serum plus the physique enhancement potion could be unveiled, and a reborn Oscorp—controlled entirely by father and son—would soar again.
Without hesitation Norman laid the whole scheme on the table; Peter loved it, and the two quickly drafted the "Operation Oscorp" plan.
With that, Peter's business empire officially set sail.
Once every detail was locked in, Peter still made sure to fleece the pair:
[Green-grade sacrificial item detected: Dr. Lizard's white coat]
[Dr. Lizard's favorite white coat, witness to many breakthroughs—and to the monster he became.]
[Sacrifice for 400 points?]
[Blue-grade sacrificial item detected: Proto-Green Goblin armor]
[First-generation battle-suit personally designed by the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn. Rugged, weapon-packed, the very hardware that turned him into a spider-verse super-villain—and a priceless keepsake.]
[Sacrifice for 1,000 points?]
The two items handed Peter a tidy 1,400 sacrifice points, pushing his balance to 5,200.
Now he only had to wait for next month's new stock.
With that happy thought, Peter hopped on his flying skateboard and zipped away from the Osborn estate.
Yes—Norman had simply given him the glider.
With his evil persona gone, he wouldn't be playing villain anymore.
As for superheroics—at his age, the fire was spent.
The craft was useless to him now; better to let Peter have it as a goodwill gesture.
While Peter streaked across New York on the Green Goblin Glider, in Washington, inside the Triskelion,
Level-8 Agent Phil Coulson burst into Director Nick Fury's office with a laptop.
"Sir, satellites caught a super-natural incident in New York—here's the footage."
Fury, sipping coffee, clicked play. When he saw Ghost-Spider, The Punisher, the Green Goblin and Dr. Lizard mixing it up, he sneered.
"That all?"
He'd expected something major; instead it looked like masked kids playing tag.
He was still scoffing—until The Punisher unloaded a whirlwind assault and flattened Dr. Lizard.
That strength, that speed… impressive.
Maybe even Captain-class; worth recruiting, Fury thought.
As the clip wound down, it showed The Punisher restoring the school.
Pfft!
Watching the rubble levitate and snap back into place, Fury spat coffee all over Coulson.
The one-eyed spymaster didn't even think to apologize; he just rewatched the restoration again and again.
The more he watched, the brighter his remaining eye gleamed.
That was a bona-fide super-power!
"What's the name of the black-and-red suit?" Fury demanded, greed shining in his eye.
Even if it only fixed inanimate objects, S.H.I.E.L.D. could save a fortune on repairs.
If it could heal people too—game-changer.
A cleric who could raise the dead… a strategic weapon the Military must never learn about; S.H.I.E.L.D. had to own it.
He might even help wake the Captain.
They'd only recently fished Captain Berry out of Arctic ice after seventy-plus years.
They'd brought him to S.H.I.E.L.D., but thawing him risked complications.
Bring this healer in and revival could be done safely.
Once the Captain was on his feet, the "Avengers" initiative would jump ahead.
Plus, with that power in his pocket, Fury's own life and health would have extra insurance.
Whoever this guy was, Fury had to have him.
Reading the naked greed in the Director's eye, Coulson reported:
"Sir, he calls himself The Punisher—two confirmed sightings so far, this one included.
The other was two days ago, when he and the black-and-white Ghost-Spider stopped a Manhattan bank heist.
Judging by his strength and methods, I strongly suspect he was also the recent "dock butcher" case that shocked the country.
Satellite tracking shows his last known location: the Osborn estate."
After hearing Coulson out, Fury wanted The Punisher even more.
Everything the man had done marked him as no homicidal maniac.
Sure, the name "Punisher" reeked of ego,
but Fury loved breaking cocky self-styled tough guys.
Reminded him of a certain billionaire playboy he already had in his sights.
Decision made, Fury barked:
"Coulson—move! Full-court press on intel about this Punisher."
"Contact Norman Osborn; make him hand over everything he has on the guy."
"He's shown up twice near Midtown High; odds are he lives nearby.
Send our best Agents to infiltrate the school—assess whether his power's a security risk and, by any means necessary, bring him to me."
Fury rubbed his chin, then added:
"Put Natasha Romanoff on it."