In Peter Parker Spider-Man #44, the Green Goblin resurfaced and he and Peter/Spider-Man had this huge fight that lasted the entire issue. Neither Spider-Man nor the Green Goblin won the battle but the Green Goblin invited Peter to partake in an Osborn family reunion, which, according to Osborn, will be a funeral because that’s the only way to bring together all of the Osborn.

In Peter Parker Spider-Man #45, the Green Goblin released a video to the media in which he showed how it was Peter/Spider-Man that was responsible for Gwen Stacy's death at the Brooklyn Bridge and not him. Peter was very much irritated with the video footage so he confronted Norman at a Japanese Restaurant where Norman was having a meeting. After exchanging some trash talk, Norman cleverly threatened to hurt Peter's loved ones if the latter didn't play by his rules.

While Spidey was trying to convince J. Jonah Jameson, the Daily Bugle editor, to change his mind about him having caused the death of Gwen Stacy, Norman Osborn, as the Green Goblin, kidnapped Flash Thompson after one of his Alcoholic Anonymous meeting and him and his goons forced whiskey down his throat. The Goblin put Flash behind the wheel of a truck from Osborn Industries, which appeared to be guided by remote control, and an open bottle of champagne was thrown on the seat next to him. Then the truck was sent on its way, swerving dangerously all over the place, narrowly missing other cars. A short time later, just as Flash slowly started to wake up, he crashed into something.

Back at his apartment, Peter was awakened by the phone ringing. A short while later, he arrived at Midtown High School, where the truck that Flash was driving was buried into the outside wall of the classroom where Peter teaches his classes. After speaking with a police officer on the scene, who revealed that an intoxicated Flash Thompson was at the wheel of the truck when it crashed into the school and that he is now at County Hospital in a very bad shape, Peter, as Spider-Man swung away towards the hospital. When he arrived at the hospital, he overheard Liz Osborn talking with a doctor who tells her that Flash has suffered a very serious head trauma and that there is a good chance he may have sustained permanent and irreversible brain damage.

In Peter Parker Spider-Man #46, Norman Osborn offers Midtown High School a blank check to cover the costs of repairing the damages inflicted by the Osborn Industries truck that crashed into the school and which was driven by Flash Thompson, who now lies unconscious at the hospital. Peter confronts Norman and the two decide to meet at one of Norman's chemical warehouse to put an end to all of this. On his way to the warehouse, Spidey stops by the hospital to visit Flash and promises him that he will take care of things for both of them. Spidey arrives at the warehouse, finds the Goblin, and the two foes go at it right away. During the fight, Spidey mentions Norman's grandson, little Normie, and the Goblin stops for a moment when he hears his name. But then the Goblin replies that his grandson is a useless little glob of flesh and that he intends to dispose of him, as he should have done the day he was born. On those words, Spider-Man replies that he will kill Osborn. This is where this issue picks up.

ACT 1: The battle rages on throughout the warehouse, neither foe getting the upper hand on the other. They pause for a moment and the Goblin tells Peter/Spidey that if he, the Goblin, leaves the warehouse tonight, he only needs to make one phone call and his grandson will be dead within seconds, followed by Peter's family and close friends. That strikes a nerve in Peter, who tackles the Goblin to the ground. The Goblin explains to Peter that he has operatives strategically placed all around the country, ready to kill those that Peter holds dear, and that the only way to stop it from happening is for Peter to kill him. Peter leaps at the Goblin who jumps out of harm’s way, which causes Peter to slam head first into a wall. The Goblin then grabs Peter and drags him into a basin full of chemicals where he submerges his head and drowns him.

ACT 2: It appears as though Peter is dying but the thought of his loved ones gives him strength and he emerges from the chemical basin and pretty much snaps. He starts to pummel on the Goblin more fiercely and fervently than before. Terrorized, the Goblin tries to escape but Peter catches up to him before he can get away from the warehouse and snags him with a web-line. The Goblin falls off of his glider and lands face first into the ground. Spidey approaches him and holds him down, getting ready to give him the final blow. Although in tears, the Goblin implores Peter to do it but Peter lets go of the Goblin, walks across the room and sits down against the wall. The Goblin comes over and sits next to Peter.

ACT 3: Peter tells the Goblin he's been having the same dream over and over again and that only him, the Goblin, can possibly understand what the dream means. Peter explains that in his dreams, he is coming across the city as Spider-Man and he sees a plane going down in flames. He immediately knows that Mary Jane is on the plane and seconds later, the plane crashes into the ground. When Peter comes across the wreckage, he is desperate to find her but when he does, he realizes that it is not Mary Jane but rather Gwen Stacy. He goes on explaining that if only the Goblin had tried to know Gwen before killing her, he never would have continued being who he is now. If only he had seen the goodness that lived in her, he would have been changed, just as Peter was when he first met her. He adds that not a day goes by where he doesn't think about killing him for what he did to Gwen, where he doesn't think about hating him, but Peter doesn't hate him, nor does he want to kill him. Peter explains that everyday he refuses to hate him, he keeps Gwen alive and if he does cave into anger or hatred, then she dies for good. As Peter starts to walk away from the Goblin, the latter warns him that if he leaves the warehouse, his loved ones will be killed. Peter turns around and replies that he knows Norman would never actually hurt his grandson because he's just figured out his dream and his dream means that Norman can never win, because it's him against Gwen, not him against Peter/Spider-Man. Peter tells Norman that he can go right ahead and kill his Aunt May or Mary Jane because all it'll do is strengthen his resolve. Finally, Peter adds that he won't have to kill him in return or even have to send him to jail because "just being him is life without parole".

ACT 4: A short time later, Peter heads to County Hospital to visit his buddy Flash Thompson, who still hasn't awaken from his recent accident. While there, he encounters Liz Osborn, who is at Flash's side, reading him a story. He apologizes to Liz for not being there earlier to help her out. He then approaches Flash and whispers in his ear that everything is going to be okay.

ACT 5: The next morning at Norman Osborn's office, Norman walks in and is told by his secretary that he got a delivery from Peter Parker and that it is waiting for him in his office. In there, he finds a pizza and five bucks. The story behind this is that when Norman first tried to get Peter to kill him, Peter had replied that Norman couldn't make him kill him because he chose not to do it. Norman had replied by betting five bucks and a pizza that he could. Since Norman did not manage to get Peter to kill him, he technically won the bet so Peter, as the loser, bought him a pizza and gave him five bucks. Norman throws the pizza box at the wall and sits down in his chair. He opens one of the drawers on his desk and considers using the gun that sits in the drawer on himself. The End.