DANIEL KINGSLEY

Real Name: Daniel Kingsley

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Formerly unrevealed position with Kingsley International

Group Membership: Formerly New York's Century Club (Wilson Fisk, J. Jonah Jameson, Harry Osborn, Norman Osborn, George Vandergill, others) (see comments)

Affiliations: Betty Brant-Leeds, unidentified police officers, unidentified security guards
   formerly the Hobgoblin (Roderick Kingsley), Kris Keating (impersonator), Ned Leeds (Hobgoblin), Stephanie (last name unrevealed), Mary Jane Watson

Enemies: Green Goblin (genetic construct), Sgt. Daniel Johnston, Norman Osborn, Sgt. Abraham Varley

Known Relatives: Roderick Kingsley (Hobgoblin, brother)

Aliases: "Rod-dy", Roderick Kingsley

Base of Operations: Formerly the Big Apple Hotel;
   formerly the Kingsley Limited headquarters;
   formerly a palatial estate in the Hamptons

First Appearance: (as "Roderick Kingsley") Amazing Spider-Man I#249 (February, 1984); (identified as Daniel Kingsley) Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#1 (January, 1997)

Powers/Abilities: Easily frightened and in a seemingly perpetual state of panic, Daniel Kingsley has some technological expertise and possesses the educational background needed to assist in the running of a multi-national fashion empire.

History:  (Amazing Spider-Man I#250/Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#2/Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#3/Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 5 (Hobgoblin) (fb) - BTS) - Daniel Kingsley found himself at the beck and call of his older brother Roderick, a fashion designer turned industry mogul, in spite of his belief that Roderick used people. One of Roderick's tasks required the balding Daniel to don a hairpiece and pose as his brother. (see comments)

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#261 (fb) - BTS) - Daniel suffered from a fear of heights.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#238/Amazing Spider-Man I#245/Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#3 (fb) - BTS) - The power-hungry Roderick was led to one of the Green Goblin's hidden lairs by low-rent criminal George "Georgie" Hill. Daniel was disgusted by how his brother casually murdered Hill after obtaining the Green Goblin's equipment to become the Hobgoblin, then by how he later set up Arnold Samuel "Lefty" Donovan to pose as the Hobgoblin before killing him as well.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#249) - Daniel was sent to stand-in for Roderick at a meeting he'd secretly arranged as the Hobgoblin at New York's Century Club; Daniel suspected that fellow attendee Harry Osborn arranged the meeting since his father, Norman, was aware of kickbacks Roderick made years earlier. When the Hobgoblin revealed himself as the blackmailer and was subsequently exposed as a robot double, Daniel tried to create confusion by suggesting that one of the assembled club members was the true Hobgoblin.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#249/Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#1) - The real Hobgoblin burst into the club, but soon fled following a brief fight with Spider-Man.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#250) - Daniel joined his follow Century Club members in a rush against Spider-Man. As Spider-Man ran, Daniel called him an "insufferable fool".
   Later, Daniel, still posing as Roderick, paced anxiously around his estate, wishing that Roderick was around. Accidentally calling one of Roderick's lady friends by the wrong name (prompting her swift exit), Daniel was confronted by Spider-Man. Pressed for information on the Hobgoblin, Spider-Man left when he saw Daniel was too frightened to speak.

(Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#1/Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#3 (fb) - BTS) - Daniel learned that Roderick started using brainwashed reporter Ned Leeds as a stand-in Hobgoblin, playing on Leeds's connection to crime-boss the Rose to further his own goals.

(Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#2 (fb) - BTS) - Daniel was introduced to Kingsley International model Mary Jane Watson.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#284/Web of Spider-Man I#29 (fb) - BTS) - Kingsley had Daniel double as him to meet with Lt. Kris Keating of the NYPD, offering up tips on mob activities in exchange for Keating's compliance with the Hobgoblin's actions. (see comments)

(Amazing Spider-Man I#280) - Daniel posed as Roderick to deal with Kingsley International's stable of models while his brother toiled in his workshop.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#283/Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives I#1) - Daniel brought another batch of pumpkin bombs to his brother who tossed them aside demanding a more powerful weapon to rid himself of Spider-Man. Promising he wouldn't fail him, Daniel gathered the bombs while musing to himself that Roderick's repeat losses against Spider-Man were making him more violent and obsessive.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#284) - Daniel met with Keating to provide information on the Rose's organization.

(Web of Spider-Man I#29) - In the aftermath of Leeds's murder by his one-time associate the Jack O'Lantern (Jason Macendale) and agents of the Foreigner, Roderick had Daniel meet with Keating to discuss the ramifications of his role as the Hobgoblin's "weapon manufacturer" and Keating's allowance of the Hobgoblin's recent activities.

(Web of Spider-Man I#29/Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#1) - Daniel and Keating's meeting was interrupted by agents of the Rose, who shot Daniel in his left shoulder.

(Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#1 (fb) - BTS) - Daniel was discovered by Roderick who saw that he received life-saving medical attention.

(Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives I#2 (fb) - BTS) - Word of the shooting began to circulate but incorrectly claimed that Roderick was the victim (an effect of Daniel's impersonation during the incident).

Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#1 - Years after Roderick abandoned the identity of Hobgoblin, Daniel began to panic when mercenary and successor Hobgoblin Macendale revealed that Ned Leeds was the original Hobgoblin. Believing that an investigation into Leeds would lead back to them, Daniel was to calm down while Roderick worried about the big picture.
   Dreaming about the incident at the Century Club, creating weapons for his brother, and his shooting by the Rose's men, Daniel woke in a cold sweat. Believing he'd have bled to death without Roderick's aid, Daniel was startled by his brother's arrival in full Hobgoblin attire. Expressing his desire to stay free of his brother's criminal activities, Daniel was told he didn't have a choice in the matter.

(Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#2) - Working through the night, Daniel was called to bring compounds to his brother's Lower Manhattan hideout. Wondering if his presence was necessary, Hobgoblin told Daniel he was an essential part of his plan and if he refused to assist him he'd force him to using the brainwashing technology used on Hobgoblin stand-ins "Lefty" Donovan and Ned Leeds.
   Daniel later called Roderick away from a meeting with Mary Jane Watson. Daniel's cold demeanor despite his reputation for being Roderick's errand boy gave Mary Jane pause. Daniel later began to panic when Leeds's widow Betty appeared on television talking about an investigation into her husband's work.

(Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#3) - Hobgoblin returned to his hideout with a kidnapped Betty Brant, prompting Daniel to attempt to reason with him and stop his criminal activities. Met with hostility, Daniel was sent to take care of two Spider-Tracers found on Betty, placing them in a dumpster and on a bicyclist.
   Tired of his brother's actions, Daniel returned to the warehouse brandishing a gun. His efforts to stop him proved futile when Hobgoblin knocked Daniel down with a single electrical charge from his gloves. Moments later Spider-Man burst into the hideout (tracking Betty with a third spider tracer hidden in her tape recorder), and webbed Daniel to a wall. Questioned about his connection to the Hobgoblin, Daniel revealed how his brother discovered the Green Goblin's technology and murdered "Georgie" Hill, "Lefty" Donovan, and Ned Leeds, before Betty removed his hairpiece and learned "Roderick" was actually Daniel.

(Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#3 (fb) - BTS) - Daniel faced indictment charges.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#260 (fb) - BTS) - Daniel turned on his brother who considered him responsible for his downfall. While waiting to testify against Roderick, Daniel was placed in protective custody in a secure location.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#260) - Watching a news report covering Roderick's escape from custody, Daniel began to worry that his brother would seek vengeance against him despite assurances from his security detail that he was safe.
   Tracked down by Roderick, who was back in action as the Hobgoblin after being supplied with his equipment by Norman Osborn and his Green Goblin stand-in, Daniel's security detail was felled by a series of pumpkin bombs. Attempting to leave with his brother, the Hobgoblin was stopped by Spider-Man, who pushed Daniel into the washroom and webbed the door shut. Daniel remained locked in while his brother and Spider-Man fought, their confrontation meeting a swift end when Osborn's Goblin fired a tranquilizer dart at Spider-Man.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#261) - Daniel was taken from his safe-house when the Hobgoblin, unable to break through the webbing covering the washroom door, tore the door frame off the wall. Delivered to a Multivex warehouse owned by Osborn, an unconscious Daniel was bound to a chair. Slowly coming to, Daniel panicked as the warehouse burst into flames following the accidental detonation of Hobgoblin's pumpkin bombs resulting from a fight between him and Osborn. Daniel was rescued from the inferno by Spider-Man, who placed him into a nearby taxi and instructed the driver to take care of him and call the police.
   Daniel was later questioned by an officer, despite the protestations of a paramedic that he be checked into a hospital.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#261 - BTS) - Daniel's willingness to testify against his brother (who subsequently fled to the Caribbean Island of Isla Suerte) increased as a result of his kidnapping.

Comments: Created by Roger Stern and John Romita Jr.; developed by Roger Stern, Ron Frenz and George Perez

It's assumed, although unconfirmed, that Daniel Kingsley is a member of the Century Club. Despite this lack of confirmation, he's attended at least one meeting at the club while posing as his brother, Roderick.

It's noted early into this profile that Daniel impersonated Roderick on occasion. While the first confirmed occurrence of these impersonations was in Amazing Spider-Man I#249, it's assumed Roderick had Daniel do this for him before, possibly even during some of Roderick's pre-Hobgoblin appearances.

The Lt. Kris Keating that Kingsley dealt with was an unnamed agent of the Foreigner, who'd killed the real Keating some years prior and assigned over a dozen agents to impersonate Keating afterward.

Profile by G Morrow.

CLARIFICATIONS: Daniel Kingsley has no known connections to

images: (without ads)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#261, p12, pan5 (main image)
Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#1, p18, pan2 (close-up)
Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#1, p30, pan5 (with the Hobgoblin)

Other Appearances:
Amazing Spider-Man I#249 (February, 1984) - Roger Stern (writer), John Romita Jr. (breakdowns), Dan Green (finishes), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man I#250 (March, 1984) - Roger Stern (writer), John Romita Jr. & Klaus Janson (artists), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man I#280 (September, 1986) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Frenz (layouts), Brett Breeding (pencils/inks), Jim Owsley (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man I#283 (December, 1986) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Frenz (penciler), Bob layton (finisher), Jim Owsley (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man I#284 (January, 1987) - Tom DeFalco (plot), Ron Frenz (storytelling), Jim Owsley (script), Brett Breeding (pencils), Josef Rubenstein (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Web of Spider-Man I#29 (August, 1987) - James C. Owsley (writer), Steve Geiger (pencils), Art Nichols (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#1 (January, 1997) - Roger Stern (writer), Ron Frenz & George Perez (artists), Glenn Greenberg & Tom Brevoort (editor)
Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#2 (February, 1997) - Roger Stern (writer), Ron Frenz, Jerome Moore & Scott Hanna (artists), Glenn Greenberg & Tom Brevoort (editor)
Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#3 (March, 1997) - Roger Stern (writer), Ron Frenz & Bob McLeod (artists), Glenn Greenberg & Tom Brevoort (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#260 (August, 1998) - Roger Stern (co-plotter), Glenn Greenberg (co-plotter/scripter) Luke Ross (penciler), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (Not The Karate Kid)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#261 (September, 1998) - Roger Stern (co-plotter), Glenn Greenberg (co-plotter/scripter) Luke Ross (penciler), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (Green Goblin)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 5 (October, 2008) - Jeff Christiansen (head writer), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Grunwald (editor)

First Posted: 08/16/2010
Last updated: 08/16/2010

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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