Of all of Spider-Man’s tragic stories, The Night Gwen Stacy Died easily ranks as one of his greatest failures. By now, all fans know the story of how the Green Goblin abducted Spider-Man’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy and knocked her off the George Washington Bridge. Although Spider-Man tried to save Gwen with his webbing, the fall (and Spider-Man’s web line) snapped Gwen’s neck – forever scarring Peter with the realization that he accidentally killed the love of his life.

Of course, the Green Goblin was also responsible for Gwen’s death – and although the Goblin’s identity varies in different versions of the tale (Norman Osborn originally killed Gwen but his son Harry Osborn was responsible for killing Gwen in The Amazing Spider-Man 2), fans have accepted that the Green Goblin will always be linked with Gwen Stacy’s death.

Related: Spider-Man Admits Gwen Stacy’s Death Was For The Best

That’s why fans were shocked when one story showed the Green Goblin saving Gwen from the George Washington Bridge. The scene flew in the face of everything fans knew about the relationship between Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin – yet over time it came to make a bizarre sort of sense.

Green Goblin Saves Gwen Stacy's Life

The story took place in Web of Spider-Man #125 during the infamous and frequently criticized “Clone Saga” storyline. During this saga, Peter Parker found himself accused and jailed for crimes his clone Ben Reilly was involved in during a past exploit. Guilt-ridden, Ben traded places with Peter in prison – even lending Peter his Scarlet Spider costume – and asked Peter to clear their name. Peter’s investigation led him to search The Daily Bugle’s archives for a clue about Miles Warren (aka the Jackal) the mad scientist who had originally cloned both Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. Just as he discovered a clone of Warren had eloped with the Gwen Stacy clone, a mysterious figure entered the room. Peter quickly exited, but the figure saw what Peter had been researching... and became intrigued.

Meanwhile, Peter made his way to the suburbs where the Miles Warren and Gwen Stacy clones were living. He came face to face with “Gwen” (now calling herself “Gwen Miles”) but was tasered by “Miles,” who panicked and rushed Gwen into their car, believing Peter would ruin them. Groggy, Peter followed them all the way to the George Washington Bridge. There, the Miles Warren clone swerved and nearly drove off the bridge. As the car began to fall, however, someone pulled Gwen out of the car – only to reveal himself as the Green Goblin!

Gwen Stacy Clone Green Goblin Saved

Shocked, Peter saw the Green Goblin carry Gwen to the top of the George Washington Bridge where he promised he would go for her husband next. As he swooped back down, however, the Miles clone began shooting at the Goblin, not realizing the bullets caused Gwen to accidentally fall off the bridge. Just as history seemed to repeat itself, Peter sprang into action – this time swinging toward Gwen’s falling form and catching her before she could drop too far. The Miles clone kept shooting at Peter, however, and ended up falling off his car into the river where his body melted due to an imperfection in his genetic structure. The Goblin, meanwhile, flew away, berating himself for making a bad situation worse and realizing he had a lot to learn about power and responsibility.

Who is The Mystery Green Goblin?

Although Peter never discovered the identity of this ambiguously heroic Goblin, he later appeared in his own Green Goblin comic book where readers learned he was Phil Urich, nephew of reporter Ben Urich. After accidentally stumbling onto one of Harry Osborn’s Green Goblin hideouts, Phil was doused in an experimental Goblin formula and discovered Harry’s secret cache of Goblin weapons and costumes. Thanks to his chemical bath, Phil learned that he gained superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes whenever he donned Harry’s Goblin mask. Moreover, he was able to generate a weaponized “Lunatic Laugh” that could disorient his opponents, disrupt electronics, and even shatter objects. After raiding the hideout, Phil decided to become a heroic version of the Green Goblin and began saving people, including the Gwen Stacy clone (even though he had no idea what her relationship was to the original Green Goblin).

RELATED: Spider-Man is a Menace... Because He WANTS To Be

Ironically, Phil’s early actions as the Goblin allowed Peter to make up for his failure with the original Gwen Stacy – by granting him a second chance to save Gwen’s clone. However, Phil would only interact with Peter one more time when he briefly assisted Spider-Man in saving some homeless people caught in the crossfire of a super battle.

Whatever Happened to Phil Urich?

Phil’s story actually ended up having two separate destinies. After spending months as a hero, Phil found himself protecting the Daily Bugle building against a giant Sentinel robot attack during the Onslaught event. Although he was able to take down the Sentinel by remote piloting his glider into the robot’s head, Phil’s mask was irreparably damaged and he lost almost all of his powers.

In the mainstream Marvel Universe, Phil went on to co-found a support group for ex-teenage superheroes called Excelsior. Together with former heroes Darkhawk, Turbo, and Lightspeed, he founded the Loners, who found themselves up against the young superhuman vigilante group the Runaways. Unfortunately, Phil began to grow mentally unstable. Eventually, he went completely insane and became an evil Hobgoblin, the Goblin Knight, and finally the Goblin King.

Phil had a brighter future in the alternate MC2 Universe (which was created by his original writer Tom DeFalco). Here, Phil decided to go to college, got married, and ended up becoming a police forensic scientist alongside retired superhero Peter Parker. Phil also made regular attempts at getting back in the superhero game by coming up with new identities (like “The Blue Wail”) and using his sole remaining superpower – his “Lunatic Laugh” – against criminals. Eventually, he resigned himself to sitting on the sidelines and training other heroes like Peter Parker’s daughter May (aka Spider-Girl).

Phil got a chance to return to active duty, however, when Harry Osborn’s adult son “Normie Osborn” teamed up with him and even recreated his Goblin mask, restoring all of Phil’s powers. Once again the Green Goblin, Phil joined Spider-Girl’s team of New Warriors and happily returned to his superhero life.

Next: Green Goblin: 10 Actors Who Could Glide and Strike Fear in the MCU