# Ned Leeds
**Ned Leeds** (Edward "Ned" Leeds) is a fictional character in American comic books published by [Marvel Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-comics), introduced as a reporter at the Daily Bugle and a rival of Peter Parker, later revealed as a brainwashed stand-in for the villain [Hobgoblin](https://www.edgepedia.org/hobgoblin). Created by [Stan Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/stan-lee) and Steve Ditko, he first appeared unnamed in *The Amazing Spider-Man* #18 (November 1964) and was named in issue #19 (December 1964).[1](https://www.comics.org/character/6094/) The name was later given to Peter Parker's best friend in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, played by Jacob Batalon, a character based in appearance and personality on Ganke Lee rather than on the comic-book Ned.[2](https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jcms/images/18261332.0062.509.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / occupation | Edward "Ned" Leeds, reporter for the Daily Bugle in New York City[3](https://marvelreading.com/character/ned-leeds) |
| First appearance | Unnamed in *The Amazing Spider-Man* #18 (November 1964); named in #19 (December 1964)[1](https://www.comics.org/character/6094/) |
| Marriage | Married Betty Brant in *The Amazing Spider-Man* #156 (May 1976)[1](https://www.comics.org/character/6094/) |
| As Hobgoblin | First appeared as Hobgoblin in *The Amazing Spider-Man* #257 (October 1984)[1](https://www.comics.org/character/6094/) |
| Death | Died in *Spider-Man vs. Wolverine* #1 (February 1987); his Hobgoblin secret was revealed posthumously in *The Amazing Spider-Man* #289 (June 1987)[1](https://www.comics.org/character/6094/) |
| Retcon | *Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives* #1–3 (January–April 1997) established Roderick Kingsley as the original Hobgoblin and Leeds as a hypnotized substitute[4](https://assets.uscannenberg.org/journals/ijpc/changing-depiction-of-journalism-in-american-comic-books-andrew-alan-smith.pdf) |
| Return | Resurrected by goblin serum in *Amazing Spider-Man* (2018 series) #67–68 (August 2021); returned as Hobgoblin in *The Amazing Spider-Man* (2022 series) #11 (December 2022)[1](https://www.comics.org/character/6094/) |
## Daily Bugle reporter
Ned Leeds joined the Daily Bugle staff as one of the supporting characters Stan Lee built around [J. Jonah Jameson](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-jonah-jameson) in the first hundred issues of *The Amazing Spider-Man*. A 2010 [University of Memphis](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-memphis) thesis on journalists in comics describes him as a reporter so likable that Peter Parker lamented he could not bring himself to hate him, even though Leeds stole Parker's girlfriend, [Betty Brant](https://www.edgepedia.org/betty-brant).[4](https://assets.uscannenberg.org/journals/ijpc/changing-depiction-of-journalism-in-american-comic-books-andrew-alan-smith.pdf) Leeds and Brant married in *The Amazing Spider-Man* #156 (May 1976).[1](https://www.comics.org/character/6094/) For most of his existence, one account notes, he was little more than a cipher, a background staffer adding texture to the Bugle's newsroom.[4](https://assets.uscannenberg.org/journals/ijpc/changing-depiction-of-journalism-in-american-comic-books-andrew-alan-smith.pdf)
## The Hobgoblin affair
The Hobgoblin, introduced in *The Amazing Spider-Man* #238, used [Green Goblin](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-goblin)'s weapons and visual style, and the mystery of who wore the mask became the story's focus.[5](https://comicbook.com/comics/news/marvel-brought-back-spider-mans-best-villains-hobgoblin-amazing-spider-man-ned-leeds-roderick-kingsley/) Leeds first appeared as the Hobgoblin in *The Amazing Spider-Man* #257 (October 1984).[1](https://www.comics.org/character/6094/) The reveal that stuck, in *The Amazing Spider-Man* #289 (June 1987), came after considerable behind-the-scenes disorder. According to the Grand Comics Database indexer notes, original Hobgoblin creator [Roger Stern](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-stern) left the comic without telling anyone his ideas for the villain's true identity; writer Tom DeFalco had an alleged falling out with editor Jim Owsley and quit without naming his intended Hobgoblin. [Peter David](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-david) was told to write the unmasking story, and Owsley wanted the identity to be the Foreigner, which made no sense to David. Since Owsley had already written the *Spider-Man vs. Wolverine* one-shot in which Leeds was killed, David had to paint Ned as the culprit posthumously.[6](https://www.comics.org/issue/1093452/?display=grid)
The 1997 miniseries *Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives* reversed the story: Roderick Kingsley, a narcissistic fashion designer, had repeatedly hypnotized Leeds to take his place as Hobgoblin, and Leeds was reframed as one of many brainwashed pawns Kingsley used to protect his identity.[4](https://assets.uscannenberg.org/journals/ijpc/changing-depiction-of-journalism-in-american-comic-books-andrew-alan-smith.pdf) • [7](https://confusingmiddle.com/2026/07/29/whos-under-the-mask-the-hobgoblins-long-con/) Kingsley had found one of [Norman Osborn](https://www.edgepedia.org/norman-osborn)'s secret hideouts, copied the goblin strength formula without its insanity side effect, and used the Hobgoblin mantle against his competitors; after faking his death he puppeted Leeds in his place, then let the world believe Ned was Hobgoblin.[5](https://comicbook.com/comics/news/marvel-brought-back-spider-mans-best-villains-hobgoblin-amazing-spider-man-ned-leeds-roderick-kingsley/) The mantle later passed to [Jason Macendale](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-macendale) and others, and the shift from Leeds to Kingsley has been described as a mistake Marvel has reconsidered several times since.[5](https://comicbook.com/comics/news/marvel-brought-back-spider-mans-best-villains-hobgoblin-amazing-spider-man-ned-leeds-roderick-kingsley/)
## Death, clone, and return
Leeds died in *Spider-Man vs. Wolverine* #1 (February 1987), and his clone was introduced in *The Clone Conspiracy* #4 (March 2017); that clone died in *Amazing Spider-Man* (2018 series) #15 (April 2019).[1](https://www.comics.org/character/6094/) The original Ned returned in *Amazing Spider-Man* (2018 series) #67 (August 2021), with issue #68 explaining that the goblin serum had resurrected him, and he appeared as Hobgoblin again in *The Amazing Spider-Man* (2022 series) #11 (December 2022).[1](https://www.comics.org/character/6094/)
## The MCU Ned Leeds
In the [Marvel Cinematic Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-cinematic-universe), Ned Leeds is Peter Parker's best friend, played by [Jacob Batalon](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacob-batalon) in *Spider-Man: Homecoming* (2017) and its sequels. Film scholarship notes that this Ned is based not on the comic-book character but on Ganke Lee, Miles Morales's best friend in the [Ultimate Spider-Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-spider-man) comics, in both physical appearance (both are heavyset Asian Americans) and personality, including a shared affinity for Star Wars LEGO sets.[2](https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jcms/images/18261332.0062.509.pdf) At the end of *Spider-Man: No Way Home* (2021), Doctor Strange's spell erased Peter's identity from the minds of everyone, including Ned and MJ.[8](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/spider-man-brand-new-day-audience-reviews/)
In *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* (2026), Ned appears as Peter's former best friend, now estranged, and builds the Spidey Tracker, an app designed to track Spider-Man's whereabouts.[9](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/entertainment/spider-man-brand-new-day-cast-and-character-guide) • [10](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-movies/spider-man-brand-new-day-ending-explained-who-dies/) The film's post-credits scene shows the tracker registering [Spider-Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/spider-man) as "Off-planet," a hook toward *Avengers: Secret Wars*.[10](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-movies/spider-man-brand-new-day-ending-explained-who-dies/) Batalon has said that a turn to villainy for his Ned would require gradual, life-changing events, perhaps brainwashing by a third party, and that nothing in the first three films or in *Brand New Day* signifies such a turn.[11](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/folks-wondering-ned-hobgoblin-spidey-movie-someone-finally-asked-jacob-batalon)
## References
1. [Ned Leeds character page, Grand Comics Database](https://www.comics.org/character/6094/)
2. [Spider-Verse and the MCU's Ned Leeds/Ganke borrowing, Journal of Cinema and Media Studies](https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jcms/images/18261332.0062.509.pdf)
3. [Ned Leeds Reading Order, Complete Marvel Reading Order](https://marvelreading.com/character/ned-leeds)
4. [Andrew Alan Smith, "Daily Planet vs. Daily Bugle: The Changing Depiction of Journalism in American Comic Books" (University of Memphis, 2010)](https://assets.uscannenberg.org/journals/ijpc/changing-depiction-of-journalism-in-american-comic-books-andrew-alan-smith.pdf)
5. [Marvel Just Brought Back One of Spider-Man's Best Villains, ComicBook.com (April 10, 2025)](https://comicbook.com/comics/news/marvel-brought-back-spider-mans-best-villains-hobgoblin-amazing-spider-man-ned-leeds-roderick-kingsley/)
6. [GCD indexer notes, The Amazing Spider-Man #289](https://www.comics.org/issue/1093452/?display=grid)
7. [Who's Under the Mask? The Hobgoblin's Long Con, The Confusing Middle (July 29, 2026)](https://confusingmiddle.com/2026/07/29/whos-under-the-mask-the-hobgoblins-long-con/)
8. [Spider-Man: Brand New Day Audience Reviews, Rotten Tomatoes](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/spider-man-brand-new-day-audience-reviews/)
9. [Spider-Man: Brand New Day cast and character guide, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/entertainment/spider-man-brand-new-day-cast-and-character-guide)
10. [Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending explained, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-movies/spider-man-brand-new-day-ending-explained-who-dies/)
11. [Jacob Batalon on Ned and Hobgoblin, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/folks-wondering-ned-hobgoblin-spidey-movie-someone-finally-asked-jacob-batalon)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Visual arts and design › Illustration and illustrators › Comic books and characters › Comic book characters and teams › Marvel Comics characters and teams*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license