Harry Osborn (Sam Raimi film series)

Harry Osborn is a fictional character in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film series. Based on the comic book character of the same name created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he is portrayed by James Franco. In the films, Harry is Peter Parker's best friend and a rival for Mary Jane Watson's affections, though the three are friends for much of the series. Harry and Peter's friendship strains severely after the death of Harry's father Norman, who was the villainous Green Goblin, which he blames on Peter's alter-ego Spider-Man on top of some resentment towards Peter for seemingly "stealing" Mary Jane's affections from him. Upon finding out his best friend is actually the web-slinger, Harry, despite being reluctant at first, vows revenge on him, taking on the New Goblin mantle and utilizing the technology his father left behind.

Despite receiving initial mixed reviews in the first two films, Franco's portrayal of Harry Osborn catapulted the actor to wider mainstream exposure as one of his first major film roles. He was nominated for four awards for his more warmly received performance in Spider-Man 3.