Who Was Mary MacLeod?

 

I am going far a field for this one! I had trouble justifying my recent little post about William ‘Wild Will’ Fitzpatrick as it wasn’t directly related to the MC2 at all, and was just something I wanted to cover to break me out of my writer’s block. Today is a similar post not directly pertaining to the MC2, but I am hoping to build this and the previously mentioned post along with other related posts into a rather large combined entry in the MC2 Family Tree series. Today, we will be looking at the Marvel character Mary MacLeod.

 

Who is Mary MacLeod? Why am I talking about her? What does she have to do with anything? Well, let us start at the beginning…which is also the end. Confused? Let me explain. In 1990 the long-gestating, gorgeously illustrated graphic novel Spider-Man: Spirits of the Earth by Charles Vess was released. In its pages Peter and Mary Jane take ‘a sort of second honeymoon’ to Scotland when Mary Jane is bequeathed the estate of her relative, Mrs MacLeod.

 

We learn from a letter written and mailed before Mrs MacLeod’s death that her home county of Ross-Shire (which is a real place by the way) is being bought up by business developers with plans to destroy the area’s natural beauty. Travelling to Scotland to untangle legal matters, Peter and Mary Jane rent a room in the village’s local inn for a week. The publican Alan Sinclair correctly identifies the couple as ‘Mr and Mrs Parker’ and informs Mary Jane he has been expecting ‘the niece of Mary MacLeod’ for some time. While the village is not named, we can use context and geography to identify it.

 

The village is near Duncraig Castle (another real place, though greatly fictionalised here) overlooking Lochalsh or Loch Alsh (that’s ‘Lake’ Alsh for those not in the know, yet again a real place) and thanks to the letter Mary MacLeod wrote to her niece, we even have the postcode ‘IV40’. Putting all this together, it appears the village just might be Kyle of Lochalsh which looks out at Loch Alsh and is located a few minutes’ drive from Duncraig Castle. An essay written by Charles Vess’ which was published alongside the story confirms these very real locations he visited on his many travels to Scotland’s Highlands, with an additional point of interest being that Eilean Donan Castle seems to be the visual inspiration for Duncraig Castle, given it resembles a castle unlike Duncraig. Further, Mr Vess begs forgiveness from the people of the Highlands ‘for stretching and rearranging their landscape and villages to suit the requirements of my story.’ A class act.

 

Let us circle back to Mary MacLeod. As mentioned above the barkeep Alan Sinclair refers to Mary Jane Parker as Mary’s niece, but also says ‘A fine lady was our Mary, she spoke of you manys the time. It’s pleased I am to be meetin’ a relation of herself.’ When Mary Jane and Peter visit the church graveyard, Mary Jane reflects ‘the letters she wrote always made me feel so close. I almost felt as if I knew her.’ In the MacLeod Croft, while looking at Mary’s photos, Mary Jane notes ‘look…her whole life is in these pictures and, oh Peter, here she is at my christening.’ Together, these comments paint a picture of a solitary older woman who cherished her niece or grand-niece as she had no family of her own. While the honorific ‘Mrs’ may indicate MacLeod is Mary’s married name, ‘Mrs’ is also used for older women and those who preference it. If MacLeod were the maiden name, it could be argued that Mary Jane’s mother Madeline was also a MacLeod before marriage which would make Mary Jane’s family heritage almost indisputably Scottish.

 

As I’ve touched upon in my Osborn Family Tree and Osborn Name Origins there are some interesting real-world tidbits we can learn from surnames and their origins. Watson is a common Scottish and English with ancient Anglo-Saxon origins. MacLeod as a surname is of Scottish origin, being an anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic surname MacLeòid meaning ‘son of Leòd’ and derived from Old Norse.

 

Finally, we learn that Mary attended the christening of Mary Jane, presumably an infant at the time, which further defines the family’s religion or cultural practices as some form of Christianity, which fits well with a Scottish background with it is the largest religious denomination in the country.

 

This last point is not factual, but worth meditating on. The story of Spirits of the Earth features three Mary’s: Mary MacLeod who’s correspondence and passing brings Peter and Mary Jane to Scotland where the events unfold, Dark Mairi of the Shore, a mysterious and magical old woman who communes with the fairies and spirits, and Mary Jane Parker who becomes heavily involved in events, even aiding Mairi by adding her own youthful spirit and energy to bring down a cavern at the stories climax. Notably, when glimpsed from afar, Mairi appeared as a youthful redheaded woman with a resemblance to Mary Jane. I wonder if Mary MacLeod had red hair too?

 

Despite not even appearing once, Mary MacLeod provides us a rare glimpse into the broader history, culture, religion, and geography surrounding Mary Jane Watson’s family. It is also nice to know that should the Parker Family ever travel to Scotland, they have a nice little cottage with a sublime view waiting for them. A wholehearted special thanks to both maydaymemer and arias-98105 for their help on this one, it’s greatly appreciated.

 

Until I crack the Watson Family Tree and retire to the Isles, I remain

 

frogoat

Osborn Name Origins

 

I made a neat little discovery while working on the Osborn Family Tree post that I wanted to share with everyone. You could consider this a little mini-addendum to that post if you wish. Anyway, let’s look at the origins of the Osborn family name.

 

The surname Osborn is believed to derive from the Old Norse personal first name ‘Åsbjørn.’ Åsbjørn is composed of the words ‘às’ which means ‘god and ‘bjorn’ which means bear: God-Bear. This name found it’s way into Old English as ‘Osbern’ via Normandy, a region of France which gained its name thanks to the ‘Northmen’ aka the Norse or ‘land based’ Vikings in the 9^th century.

 

Amusingly, a major contributing factor in the prominence of the Osborn name from France and England and through the centuries since is the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 by an army composed of Betons, Flemish and some from French provinces and, of course, the Normans led by by William the Conquer (as he became known).

It gets even better, as the Norman invaders were opposed by the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England, Harold Godwinson. Harold would die during the Battle of Hastings. So, the Norman’s took over from Harold when he died. I know this probably wasn’t intentional, but it’s amusing all the same.

To tie this all back to the comics, let’s recall where Norman goes to hie out and plot during the time he was believed dead following the death of Gwen Stacy: Europe. The origins of the Norman culture and influence was spread throughout the European continent. We know that Norman Osborn arranges for baby May to be found in the care of Philippe DeJunae by Kaine, and that was in La Maison DeJunae which is located in the south of France.

Moving from the old world to the new world now, Osborn’s are known to have settled in the United States as early as the 17^th Century through to the 19^th century. Some even settled in and around New York in the late 1800's. I wonder if one of them was Norman’s great-grandfather Alton Osborn?

 

Anyway, just a bit of real-world history that might help to inform the nature of the Osborn dynasty. It feels appropriate that they are descended from conquerors and invaders and that both ‘Norman’ and ‘Harold’ figure into that history too is wildly amusing to me.

 

Until I stop seeing connections that probably aren’t there, I remain

 

frogoat

 

Normans - Wikipedia

Osborn Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms (houseofnames.com)

Surname Database: Osborn Last Name Origin (surnamedb.com)

Norman Conquest - Knowledge Base, HouseofNames.com

 

 

   

 

The Osborn Family Tree

 

I’m bringing the MC2 Family Tree series back and I’m doing it in a big, labour-intensive, research-heavy way by tackling a small time Spider-Man villain’s family tree. Without much further ado, I present The Osborn Family Tree.

 

For the purposes of these family trees, I accept that MC2 characters share their published history (up to a point) with their 616/Main Marvel Universe counterparts. I make exceptions for any retcons implemented after the point the MC2 diverges from the 616 and in cases where it's explicitly or implicitly different (Aunt May really died) or when a writer later introduces a previously unheard of relative (the Lang family and likely the Pym family) who is never mentioned, seen or heard of in the MC2. With the last exception, I would add them to the family tree in later updates should they be mentioned in MC2 material at any point.

With regard to this particular family tree, we have some examples of characters who weren’t a part of the established history of the 616/Main Marvel Universe prior to the MC2’s introduction. As they’ve been mentioned or alluded to in the MC2, they’ve been included in the family tree. Additionally, I’ve taken a slight leap and assumed other characters who share appearances with these confirmed characters. I’m more inclined to do so as MC2 co-creator Ron Frenz also worked on these characters’ 616 appearances so it lends credence to this notion.

 

Brace yourself for spoilers, folks: Norman Osborn is the original Green Goblin. The Green Goblin first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #14 and Norman made his first civilian appearance in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #37. I won’t go into too much detail about Norman’s Legacy of Evil as it’s well-known and I’ll no doubt end up doing a focus post on him at some point. Suffice to say, Norman plays a major role in the Spider-Man mythos either directly or indirectly.

 

Harold ‘Harry’ Osborn, who first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #31, is the son of Norman and after a rocky start becomes close friends with Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. Harry would succumb to mental illness and follow in his father’s footsteps after the latter’s death. Fortunately, Harry recovered and eventually fell in love with and married Peter’s former Midtown High classmate, Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Osborn. Oddly, their wedding occurs off-panel and Peter Parker himself only learns of it after the fact in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #63.

 

Speaking of Liz, she apparently first appeared as an unnamed student way back in Amazing Fantasy #15 and was identified as Liz Allan in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #4. Liz and her family will probably need a separate family tree somewhere down the line too, so stay tuned for that in the next million years.

Let’s jump around a little bit to cover some history. We learn a lot about Norman and Harry’s earlier life in Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #14 thanks to a recorded family tree left by Harry Osborn himself following his death in the legendary Spectacular Spider-Man #200. Norman’s father Amberson Osbon was an alcoholic who lost the family fortune and took it out on his wife and son. This led the young Norman to kill the family dog in order to reduce the number of mouths for his father to feed. We do not learn the name of Norman’s mother.

In this same story, we learn that after the death of his mother, Harry was neglected and abused by his father, left to fend for himself while his father toiled on his work. While his father was apologetic after hurting Harry, he continued to do it. After being neglected in favour of his father’s work, Harry apparently sabotaged Norman’s chemical formula. Harry blamed himself for the explosion which (originally unbeknownst to Harry) granted Norman Osborn his abilities as the Green Goblin. It should be noted this account is from Harry’s perspective and may not be entirely accurate.

 

Harry’s mother is first seen in Spectacular Spider-Man #180 in a photo album, but we don’t learn her name until years later in the Revenge of the Green Goblin mini-series from writer Roger Stern and artist’s Ron Frenz and Pat Olliffe. As mentioned above, normally a series published after the MC2’s launch isn’t considered part of the history of the MC2 but as it is referenced within MC2 stories, I’ve included aspects of it here. Anyway, Norman loved his wife Emily dearly, only for her to die within a year of Harry’s birth.

It’s also in this mini-series that we get more of the Osborn family history, with Norman utilizing the mansion built by his great-grandfather Alton Osborn in the late 1800’s. Explaining to his private nurse Kolina Frederickson, Noman mentions that Alton built the family fortune which led to many enemies calling him a ‘robber baron’. Elaborating on early stories here, Norman explains that his own father eventually lost the family fortune and home. Norman would spend his life reclaiming the family fortune and estate (Revenge of the Green Goblin #1-#2).

Harry and Liz eventually have a baby together in Amazing Spider-Man #263 whom they name Norman Harry Osborn in Amazing Spider-Man #265. If you are reading this post you almost certainly know the significant roll ‘Normie’ plays in the MC2 beginning with What If #105 where he initially assumes the mantle of his father and grandfather before him, the Green Goblin.

As I’ve noted in the History of the MC2: Daredevil post, following her husband Harry’s death, Liz dates lawyer Franklin ‘Foggy’ Nelson (Daredevil (vol.1) #354). While in the Main Marvel Universe the couple break up in Daredevil (vol. 2) #8, in the MC2 they stay together and eventually marry (Spider-Girl #63). Normie resents Foggy for marrying his mother following his real father’s death. Things deteriorate further between them when Liz falls ill which leads to Normie’s spiral into madness leading to him assuming the Green Goblin identity and targeting the Parker family.

 

We learn in Spider-Girl #17 that Liz does in fact die from her illness and shortly after Normie re-assumes his villainous identity in Spider-Girl #19-20 before seeking psychological help and attempting to make amends following the events of Spider-Girl #27.

While still staying in a sanatorium, Normie meets and begins dating Brenda Drago aka Raptor, former villain and daughter of “Blackie” Drago aka the second Vulture. After some time, the two marry in the pages of Spider-Girl #100.

Their courtship was not without complications, as in Spider-Girl #73 we first met a woman named Elan DeJunae who claimed to be Normie’s wife. We soon learn that Elan’s father Philippe DeJunae had organised an arranged marriage with Normie’s grandfather, Norman Osborn while both Elan and Normie were toddlers. While this marriage remains valid in Elan’s home country of San Mardeo, it is not legally recognized in the United States(Spider-Girl #74). It’s soon revealed that Elan is Fury the Goblin Queen, a member of a cult founded by Norman called the Order of the Goblin when she kidnaps and attempts to expose Normie to the Goblin formula (Spider-Girl #79) and shortly after succeeds in bonding him with the Venom Symbiote (Spider-Girl #82-84).

 

Just when you thought we were finished, along comes Spectacular Spider-Girl (vol. 1) #1/Amazing Spider-Man Family #5 and the ‘Who is Gwen Reilly?’ story. The titular ‘Gwen Reilly’ appears out of nowhere at the Parker’s door step, claiming to be Ben Reilly’s daughter. However, this is revealed to be a elaborate scam, with ‘Gwen’s’ real name being Connie Frederickson, a con artist who had previously used the alias Connie Osborn. Connie is the daughter of Kolina Frederickson (Norman’s private nurse mentioned above) and -apparently- Norman Osborn (Spectacular Spider-Girl (vol. 1) #3/Amazing Spider-Man Family #7). Recruited into the Order of the Goblin by Fury the Goblin Queen, Connie was given plastic surgery to resemble Gwen Stacy and sent to toy with the Parker’s (Spectacular Spider-Girl (vol.1) #4/Amazing Spider-Man Family #8). However, Connie was killed shortly afterwards by Elan DeJunae who wished to eliminate any one else with a potential claim to the legacy of Norman Osborn and distract Spider-Girl in the process (Spectacular Spider-Girl (vol. 1) # 2/ Amazing Spider-Man Family #5, Spectacular Spider-Girl (vol. 1) #8/Web of Spider-Man (vol. 2) #4).

Hopefully now the reason for including Osborn family members established in the Revenge of the Green Goblin mini-series makes more sense. With the extended family via marriages etc I’ll have to work on further family trees, there’s just too many to include here! A huge thanks to my good friend Jesús for all his help. And a shout out to The Green Goblin’s Hideout, which is an excellent source for all things Norman Osborn and proved invaluable to my research.

 

Until I perfect the Goblin Formula and go just a little bit crazy, I remain

 

frogoat