Ned Leeds

Ned Leeds
Ned Leeds, in The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #245 (October 1983).
Art by John Romita Jr.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Amazing Spider-Man #18 (November 1964)
Created byStan Lee (writer)
Steve Ditko (artist)
In-story information
Full nameEdward "Ned" Leeds
SpeciesHuman
Place of originHuntington, New York
Team affiliationsDaily Bugle
Supporting character ofSpider-Man
Baron Mordo
Notable aliasesHobgoblin
AbilitiesExpert deductive reasoner, reporter, and investigator

As the Hobgoblin:

  • Use of goblin-themed weapons and paraphernalia
  • Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility and reflexes via the Goblin Formula
  • Wielding chaos magic:
    • Teleportation, time manipulation, reality warping
    • Elemental manipulation
    • Able to sense magic
    • Spell casting
    • Flight

Edward "Ned" Leeds is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A supporting character in stories featuring the superhero Spider-Man, he has been a reporter for the Daily Bugle, and husband of Betty Brant. Leeds is one of the characters that appears under the mantle of the supervillain Hobgoblin; for a long time believed to be the first Hobgoblin, ten years following his assassination, he is retroactively established to have been the second Hobgoblin, brainwashed to serve as a stand-in for Roderick Kingsley and later left to be killed when he was no longer deemed necessary. The character was revived in a 2018–2022 storyline, with both Ned and Roderick brainwashed again by the Queen Goblin to serve as Hobgoblins. Synergetic with his MCU adaptation, Ned is revealed to be a sorcerer who trained with Baron Mordo to learn chaos magic, rewriting reality in an attempt to make himself the one-and-only Hobgoblin, archenemy of Spider-Man and lover of Natasha Romanoff.

Jacob Batalon portrays Ned Leeds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), appearing in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home (both 2019), and The Daily Bugle and Spider-Man: No Way Home (both 2021).