▁The ▁Green ▁G ob lin ▁deb uted ▁in ▁The ▁Ama zing ▁Spider - Man ▁# 1 4 . ▁At ▁this ▁time ▁his ▁identity ▁was ▁unknown , ▁but ▁he ▁proved ▁popular ▁and ▁re app eared ▁in ▁later ▁issues , ▁which ▁made ▁a ▁point ▁of ▁his ▁secret ▁identity . ▁According ▁to ▁both ▁Stan ▁Lee ▁and ▁John ▁Rom ita , ▁Sr ., ▁who ▁replaced ▁Dit ko ▁as ▁the ▁title ' s ▁artist , ▁Lee ▁always ▁wanted ▁the ▁Green ▁G ob lin ▁to ▁be ▁someone ▁Peter ▁Parker ▁knew , ▁while ▁Dit ko ▁wanted ▁his ▁civil ian ▁identity ▁to ▁be ▁someone ▁who ▁hadn ' t ▁yet ▁been ▁introduced . ▁Lee ▁elabor ated : ▁Steve ▁wanted ▁him ▁to ▁turn ▁out ▁to ▁be ▁just ▁some ▁character ▁that ▁we ▁had ▁never ▁seen ▁before . ▁Because , ▁he ▁said , ▁in ▁real ▁life , ▁very ▁often ▁a ▁villa in ▁turns ▁out ▁to ▁be ▁somebody ▁that ▁you ▁never ▁knew . ▁And ▁I ▁felt ▁that ▁that ▁would ▁be ▁wrong . ▁I ▁felt , ▁in ▁a ▁sense , ▁it ▁would ▁be ▁like ▁che ating ▁the ▁reader . ▁... ▁if ▁it ' s ▁somebody ▁you ▁didn ' t ▁know ▁and ▁had ▁never ▁seen , ▁then ▁what ▁was ▁the ▁point ▁of ▁following ▁all ▁the ▁cl ues ? ▁I ▁think ▁that ▁fr ustr ates ▁the ▁reader . ▁However , ▁Lee ▁pre fac ed ▁this ▁statement ▁by ▁adm itting ▁that , ▁due ▁to ▁his ▁self - prof essed ▁poor ▁memory , ▁he ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁confusing ▁the ▁Green ▁G ob lin ▁with ▁a ▁different ▁character . ▁Moreover , ▁in