With multiple rumors indicating that Spider-Man's Willem Dafoe will make his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Green Goblin, there's infinite potential for storylines involving the character. One of the most popular narrative arcs in the comics is that of Dark Reign.
With Norman Osborn at the center of the event, the storyline sees the madman take complete control of the Earth's security services. He creates a replacement for S.H.I.E.L.D., builds his own Avengers unit, allows Earth's criminals to run roughshod, and ultimately corrupts the power given to him. There's a number of great Osborn comics which could impact the MCU in the future if the rumors turn out to be true.
Secret Invasion
Marvel is currently gearing up for their Secret Invasion Disney+ TV show. It's an important comic book for the Skrulls and Norman Osborn alike, who gained his power during the alien attack. It was Osborn that ultimately put the final bullet in the Skrull Queen.
Recognized as a hero globally, Osborn spun the PR moment to his advantage, suggesting he was the man of the hour who could help restore the security of the planet to where it needs to be. With Secret Invasion soon to play out on screen, could Osborn once again capitalize on the chaos?
The Cabal
Marvel previously had The Illuminati which was a group of powerful individuals brought together in secret meetings from the many corners of Earth-616. It included the likes of Reed Richards, Charles Xavier, Tony Stark, Namor, and King T'Challa.
Norman Osborn disbanded the group and set about building his own. In this comic book story, The Cabal is born which seated dangerous villains such as Emma Frost, The Hood, Loki, Namor once again, and even Taskmaster for a time. Doctor Doom proved to be the most unstable of The Cabal though, becoming a serious threat to Osborn's regime.
The New Initiative
Part of Tony Stark's grand plan after the Civil War was to build a 50-State Initiative that would see a superhero team in every corner of the United States. It had some truly deep flaws, partially impacted by the intrusion of Skrull operatives. Osborn completely changed the training program in his favor.
The story saw Osborn give Taskmaster much larger remits of control while also having The Hood oversee the operation. He fired plenty of past recruits and staff, instead employing his own threatening allies. The final straw was the destruction of Camp Hammond, with the former Green Goblin looking to keep take his personal projects behind the scenes.
Prison Break
One of the key narratives of The Initiative run saw the recruits having to storm the Negative Zone prison that Iron Man had previously set up. It had been taken over by the inmates, thanks to an especially dangerous interfering alien species.
Osborn essentially sent his troops into a slaughter, with the lesser-regarded heroes and thugs sent in to act as cannon fodder before the veterans moved in. The plan didn't even sit right with Taskmaster and was one of the main reasons for heroes like Komodo to turn their back on the training program.
The Dark Avengers
Norman Osborn needed another PR win and sought about creating a new set of protectors for Earth. Becoming known as The Dark Avengers, this squad of misfits was compromised of some of Marvel's deadliest rogues in the company's history.
Each of these criminals masqueraded as a famous member of the Avengers. Mac Gargon's Venom for instance disguised himself as Spider-Man, while Bullseye suited up as Hawkeye. A new Ms. Marvel came in the form of Moonstone, while Osborn also employed misguided heroes such as Sentry, Ares, and Noh-Varr as Captain Marvel.
Iron Patriot Rises
Iron Man 3 might have introduced MCU fans to The Iron Patriot, but in the comics, it wasn't War Machine that originally donned the armor. The patriotic suit was actually a design of Norman Osborn, who brandished the armor as a way of replacing both Captain America and Iron Man.
The Iron Patriot storyline is the one that Marvel is most likely to adapt with Osborn on the scene. The tale is about the former Green Goblin becoming a symbol of security and perhaps even lining up his place as President one day. It's a dark and compelling narrative that sees Osborn involved in a number of high-stakes missions as Iron Patriot.
Manipulating Senty
One of the most powerful members of the Dark Avengers was The Sentry and Osborn made sure that he was firmly manipulated. The retro character contains darkness within him. He is not only a hero but also his own arch-enemy, the villainous Void.
Throughout the Dark Reign event, Osborn continued to play with Sentry's emotions. Some of the threats they came across including the Molecule Man, pushed the mental stability of Sentry to the limit. Osborn didn't fully understand the God he was playing with.
Creation Of H.A.M.M.E.R.
One of the other important aspects of Dark Reign was the creation of H.A.M.M.E.R. as a replacement for S.H.I.E.L.D. Bringing together villainous groups such as Hydra, The Hand, and A.I.M. all under one roof, with the help of Victoria Hand a new organization was forged.
No one knew what H.A.M.M.E.R. stood for but the corrupt group was behind a number of major controversies. Throughout the period of time, it would be easy for Marvel's writers to check out H.A.M.M.E.R.'s schemes on Marvel Unlimted to potentially inspire a new narrative in the MCU.
Hunting The Secret Avengers
During this period of time, the main Avengers went underground and formed The Secret Avengers. Mainly using Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum as a hideout, the team continued to fight crime as best they could but were plagued by Osborn's Dark Avengers and The Hood's Gang.
The team contained a diverse roster, from Echo to Spider-Man, Luke Cage to the aforementioned Master of the Mystic Arts. If Norman Osborn's Dark Reign is to be taken to screen then a new version of The Secret Avengers also has to form in the MCU.
Siege
The Iron Patriot's most nefarious plan saw his forces move in to lay waste to Asgard. The Siege storyline saw The Dark Avengers, The Initiative, The Hood's Gang, The Thunderbolts, and H.A.M.M.E.R. all invading the lands of the Gods, based upon Osborn's own manipulation of events.
It was a story that actually led to Osborn's downfall with the madman literally unmasked as just that. The Spider-Man villain Green Goblin was back again, perhaps more unhinged than ever. Osborn lost everything and The Sentry went full Void, killing Ares and eventually falling in his own right to the Earth's mightiest heroes.