The Case for Norman Osborn as Iron Patriot Norman Osborn, once a powerful supervillain known as the Green Goblin, has found redemption and now fights as the hero Iron Patriot. However, some argue that his lack of a distinct costumed identity could lead to a return to villainy. We examine the case for Norman Osborn as Iron Patriot and whether it's time for him to take up the mantle once again. Spider-Man has some of the best villains in the Marvel Universe. One of his best villains is the Green Goblin. He was the father of Peter Parker's best friend Harry, a wealthy genius at the head of his own corporation. This insanity burst out of him in mercurial bouts of rage, and he became the Green Goblin to indulge it. His battles with Spider-Man became the stuff of legend and would end on the night Gwen Stacy died, her death his fault. His life would end, but he would return in the late '90s and be revealed as. Since then, he's returned to his place as Spider-Man's greatest villain.Currently, he's in one of the weirdest places he's ever been as a character. He was a victim of the Sin-Eater and the evil that had defined him for so long was taken from him. Instead of villainy, he wanted to make up for what he did, leading to him working with Peter Parker. In fact, he's even become Spider-Man when Peter went into space.Iron Patriot ReturnOsborn as a hero is weird, but it works. We all know that eventually, he'll be a villain again, but before that happens, it might be time to return him to the mantle that defined several years of Marvel, a patriotic armor set that made him the top cop of the Avengers: the Iron Patriot. Making Norman a hero was a huge step for a character who fans had loved for years.Osborn always played well off the Wall-Crawler and we've got to spend lots of time with him. His return in the late '90s would lead him to his greatest success ever, starting with. During the blockbuster '00s event, he was recruited by Iron Man to fight a secret war against the Atlanteans, who were mad about the death of Namorita.Control of ThunderboltsThis was outlined in the book and his actions would see him given control of the Thunderbolts when they were basically the Suicide Squad. They'd help defend the Earth against the Skrulls in and Osborn killed the Skrull Empress Veranke. He was granted control of the Superhero Initiative, gaining the power of the superhuman national security apparatus.One of the things he was given by the government was Iron Man's armors and he decided that the one thing that his team was missing was their big symbol. Hacking an older suit of armor, he became the Iron Patriot, mixing the iconography of Iron Man and Captain America. The armor looked amazing and it allowed him to fight against the worst villains out there... who wouldn't listen to him.As Iron Patriot, he was a wrecking ball and it was fantastic. After his defeat, James Rhodes tried to take up the armor, but it's basically completely died away.However, with Osborn as a hero, it might be time to dust it off. One of the things about Osborn since his redemption is that you could feel Marvel trying to find a costume to put him in and giving up. Green Goblin has too many negative connotations, but they still wanted recognition, so they went with Gold Goblin. It didn't really catch on and since then, the only costume he's worn was Spidey's.Need Distinct IdentityWhile there's something fun about this idea, it's not one that's sustainable. Most of us have assumed that his lack of a distinct costumed identity has meant that he's going to turn back sooner rather than later, but Marvel keeps stretching it out. I think that unless they want us to always think they're going to turn him back soon, they should give him a distinct identity and the Iron Patriot is perfect.To begin with, Osborn was right about it being a symbol that people would flock to. It looks like the love child of Cap and ol' Shellhead, putting people at ease, which is something that someone with Norman's history could use. While a known villain did use it, the public only really got to see the positives of his actions, meaning that to the general public, Iron Patriot is a trusted name and image.They know he's there to save the day. Becoming Iron Patriot could lead Norman to something that he's always wanted and it could make his eventual return to villainy even better. One thing that Norman has always wanted is adulation. He hates that the people love Peter and wants them to love him instead (yeah, he's basically the Joker mixed with post-Lex Luthor).Iron Patriot was him trying to take the love that Cap and Iron Man had, and it can be again. This time, though, he's doing it for the right reasons. As Iron Patriot, he could save the day on a daily basis, patrolling the city and letting the people know that he's their neighborhood protector.In, he was already brought into the inner circle of science heroes like Bruce Banner and Reed Richards, helping plan the war against the Eldest-possessed Hulk