Oscorp
| Oscorp | |
|---|---|
| In-story information | |
| Type of business | Corporation |
| Owner(s) | Norman Osborn (former) |
| Employee(s) |
Mendel Stromm Donald Menken Arthur Stacy |
Oscorp, also known as Oscorp Industries, is a fictional multibillion-dollar multinational corporation in Marvel Comics.
According to Forbes, highlighting the 25 largest fictional companies, it had an estimated sales of $3.1 billion, ranking it at number 23.[1][2]
History
The corporation is based out of the Oscorp Tower in New York. It was created and run by its CEO Norman Osborn. Norman studied chemistry and electrical engineering in college. He also took a number of courses in business administration. Norman Osborn's teacher, Professor Mendel Stromm, formed the business partnership. Since Norman put up the bulk of the financing, they called their company the Osborn Corporation, or Oscorp.
Dr. Nels Van Adder, a research assistant, helped Dr. Stromm at Oscorp developed a performance enhancing formula which would later be known as the “Goblin Formula”. Later on this proved to be another failure for Oscorp as Norman Osborn died which left his son Harry to run the company. Since then there hasn't been one update on any projects that could help man-kind. But there have been rumors that there still are experiments going on in the locked up basement of Oscorp to date. While Harry Osborn hasn't been seen in months, there has been speculation that he could have been an Oscorp guinea pig and that he had been killed. There also have been rumors that Spider-Man has been linked into the problems somehow given that he has strange super human powers.
Mendel Stromm's early research was on a chemical that would provide enhanced strength in its test subjects and would eventually turn Osborn into the Green Goblin. Osborn, wanting the formula for himself, discovered that Stromm had been embezzling funds from Oscorp. Stromm explained that he was merely borrowing but Osborn turned him over to the police. After several years in prison, Stromm was released and tried to kill Osborn for revenge using evil robots. He was stopped by Spider-Man and seemingly died of a heart attack when he was nearly shot.[3]
The company was created after Jay Allan's company "Allan Chemical" was merged with her son's Normie Osborn's stocks from Oscorp and the last remaining properties of Horizon Labs after its destruction, establishing it under the new name of "Alchemax".[4]
It was later revealed that Norman Osborn, under the guise of "Mason Banks," created the corporation in order to leave a strong empire for his grandson and establish an empire for the Osborn legacy. Their headquarters, Oscorp Tower, was the former headquarters of Oscorp.[5]
By 2099, Alchemax would eventually control most aspects of daily life in a possible future.
Fictional staff members
Current
- Norman Osborn - The Founder and CEO of Oscorp.
Former
- Arthur Stacy - The Chief of Security at Oscorp who is the brother of George Stacy and the uncle of Gwen Stacy.
- Charles Standish - The Senior Vice-President of Oscorp. Charles Standish was kidnapped by the Flaming Sword, but he was eventually rescued by the Avengers.[6]
- Donald Menken - The personal assistant of Norman Osborn.
- Dr. David Patrick Lowell - A scientist who became Sundown upon being drenched in his chemicals that was similar to the Goblin Formula.[7]
- Dr. Malek - A scientist who was part of the research team that was experimenting on Freak.[8]
- Dr. Nels van Adder - Research scientist whose formula turned him into the Proto-Goblin.[9]
- Dr. David Lowell - He developed the Photogenesis Project for Oscorp, and discovered a way to give a human superpowers through photosynthesis.
- Max Dillon - An electrical engineer and lineman, was repairing a power line, before a freak lightning accident caused a mutagenic change that transformed him into a living electrical capacitor adopting the name Electro.
- Harry Osborn - Former owner.
- Mendel Stromm - Former partner of Norman Osborn.
Other versions
Ultimate Marvel
In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Oscorp is much the same as in the Earth-616 version. The company is owned and operated by Norman Osborn who developed the Oz serum and the spiders who gave Peter Parker,[10] and later Miles Morales,[11] spider-powers.
After an incident in which Osborn injected himself with Oz serum and became the Green Goblin, a big portion of the main building was left in ruins, and numerous scientists died.[12] Osborn Industries had been mentioned to still produce technologies.[13]
In other media
Television
- Oscorp is featured in the Spider-Man 1994 TV series. Norman Osborn hires Spencer Smythe to create a weapon to destroy Spider-Man by creating the Spider-Slayer. The deal made with Osborn meant that Norman would build a hoverchair for Spencer's paralyzed son, Alistair. The Slayer unintentionally captured Flash Thompson dressed as Spider-Man, and the real Spider-Man came to his rescue. his led to a large scale fire in the Oscorp plant. Norman Osborn quoted to Spencer "Remember our deal. No Spider-Splat, No Hoverchair." Spencer chose to stay behind and finish Spider-Man off while Norman got Alistair to safety. After the Spider-Slayer was destroyed by Spider-Man, Oscorp exploded and Spencer supposedly perished. However, Spencer had survived, having been found by the Kingpin. Norman invented the technology which would create the Hobgoblin and hired him to assassinate Kingpin. The assassination was foiled by Peter Parker and the Kingpin suspected a conspiracy against him. Norman subsequently fired the Hobgoblin, who allied with Kingpin and kidnapped Norman's son Harry. When the Kingpin refused to pay Hobgoblin immediately, they ceased their partnership. Following this, Osborn sold 50% of his company to the Kingpin in order to repay his debt. Norman and his partner Wardell Stromm were forced into creating chemical weapons for the Kingpin. An unstable reaction resulted during one experiment and Norman seemed to have perished in the explosion. However, Norman had survived the explosion, his strength enhanced by the gas from the explosion, and this combined with the Hobgoblin weapons created the Green Goblin. He then began kidnapping the Oscorp stockholders, although Spider-Man uncovered an underwater base where the Goblin intended to kill them. Fighting the Goblin, Spider-Man unmasked him. Amnesia ensued and Norman was unable to remember his dual identity. The following morning, Norman publicly announced that Oscorp would no longer be involved in the creation of chemical weapons.
- Oscorp is featured in the The Spectacular Spider-Man. Oscorp is the leading chemical manufacturing firm (which also had research divisions that dealt in other areas) that is based in New York City and was founded and owned by the ruthless businessman, inventor, and gifted chemist named Norman Osborn. At some point, Norman came across a chemical formula with the intention of using it to increase a person's intelligence and physical strength. Osborn tried to recreate the chemical (secretly) and used small doses of it. The formula indeed increased his intelligence and strength, but it also drove him insane. He created a Halloween-like costume for himself which he colored green after the solution and named himself the Green Goblin for which his major objective was to become the reigning crime boss in New York and to kill Spider-Man.
- Oscorp is featured in the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series.
Film
- Oscorp makes an appearance being in the 2002 Spider-Man film and its sequels.
- The Oscorp building from The Amazing Spider-Man almost appeared in The Avengers. However, by the time the Oscorp building was fully designed for Spider-Man, the Avengers skyline was rendered, so for timing the idea was abandoned.[14]
- Oscorp appears in The Amazing Spider-Man film series. In the series, Oscorp is portrayed as a powerful and corrupt scientific corporation headed by Norman Osborn, who uses the company's vast resources in various attempts to find a cure for his terminal disease. The corporation is involved in a variety of illegal conspiracies, such as the framing and murder of Richard and Mary Parker, and the development of the spider-venom that gave Spider-Man his powers. Oscorp's scientific experiments and illegal activities play a role in the development of several supervillains, including the Lizard, Electro, the Green Goblin and the Rhino. Additionally, Oscorp has control over the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane, in which they perform illegal and inhumane scientific experiments on the institute's mental patients. These experiments are over-seen by a mad scientist named Dr. Ashley Kafka.
Video games
- Oscorp appears in the 2002 Spider-Man video game. The company in the game parallels that of the film, with Norman Osborn and his scientists attempting to capture Spider-Man in order to study his genetics to perfect their own contracted super-soldier serum. After a number of failed attempts to capture Spider-Man using Oscorp robots, Norman subjects himself to the serum and becomes the Green Goblin.
- Oscorp appears in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. Spider-Man fights Green Goblin on the helipad at Oscorp's Japanese branch.
- Oscorp appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes. The Avengers seem to be unaware that Green Goblin is Norman Osborn since they did not know why he went to Oscorp.
- The Oscorp logo from The Amazing Spider-Man as well as The Amazing Spider-Man video game has been used in Iron Man 3: The Official Game, which is based on the film of the same name.
- Oscorp appears in the The Amazing Spider-Man video game.
- Oscorp appears in the The Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game.
- Oscorp appears in Marvel: Contest of Champions video game.
See also
- Alchemax
- Cross Technological Enterprises
- Roxxon Energy Corporation
- Parker Industries
- Stark Industries
- Oscorp: a real Brazilian consultancy firm specialized in Intellectual Property and Innovation Funding Mechanisms, located in Porto Alegre/RS.
References
- ↑ Michael Noer and David M. Ewalt (2007). "In Pictures: The 25 Largest Fictional Companies: #23 Oscorp". Forbes. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- ↑ Noer, Michael (2011-03-11). "The 25 Largest Fictional Companies". Forbes.
- ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #37 (1966)
- ↑ Superior Spider-Man # 19 (June, 2013)
- ↑ Superior Spider-Man # 31 (December, 2013)
- ↑ Avengers Vol 3 #0 (August, 1999)
- ↑ Untold Tales of Spider-Man Annual 1997
- ↑ The Amazing Spider-Man #572
- ↑ Peter Parker: Spider-Man #1
- ↑ Ultimate Spider-Man # 1
- ↑ Ultimate Comics Spider-Man # 1
- ↑ Ultimate Spider-Man # 4
- ↑ Ultimate Comics Ultimates # 26
- ↑ "How Spider-Man Was Almost In ‘The Avengers,’ Sort Of". Latino Review. June 11, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2013.