What If... Harry Osborn Got Bitten By The Spider?

Harry Osborn Got Bitten By The Spider? is an upcoming episode of Marvel What If...?.

Opening Narrative
''Friendship is a natural part of life. But like all things in nature, it is fragile. Even the tiniest change could easily destroy it. But unlike most things in nature, it can also be fixed and restored. But how that will happen is up to whose friendship it is. So can a friendship like this survive or reborn, or can it be forever gone by malicious intent. Particularly the malice of a father? Harold Osborn has lived in his father, Norman's, shadow for as long as he has remembered. However, there is always a light for him to keep his spirits up. His best friend, Peter Parker. Now you know how this story plays out: Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider which gives him the abilities of that spider. And through this, he would learn a hard lesson after losing a loved one to someone he could have stopped. But this would lead to a rift between him and Harold. It was restored, albeit still slightly broken. But in time, the friendship healed and they were close once more...''

''But this is not the same story I am about to tell you. This is a new path that you will see. How the one who was suppose to turn on his friend saw what would happen if he was the one who was turned on... What if... Harry Osborn got bitten by the spider?''

Plot
The story opens in front of the Oscorp building where Harry Osborn meets up with Peter Parker. Their class came to Oscorp for a field trip. The teacher was originally going to have Peter pare off with Liz Allen and Harry with Flash Thompson, however, he decides to be merciful and let the two friends be partners. Peter comes across some spider tanks full of genetically mutated spiders. He starts taking pictures of them until he notices that one of them is missing. While Peter is distracted, the spider comes down on him ready to bite him... However, Harry spots this and quickly moves Peter out of the way only to get bit himself. This was quickly noticed by Harry's father, Norman Osborn, with a suspicious look. Peter asks Harry if he is alright. Harry says he feels sick and quickly goes the bathroom. The door gets stuck. Harry tries to pull the door open only to tear it off its hinges. This surprises Harry as he runs in. He body starts to burn and strips himself to his underwear to splash water on himself to cool down. He dries himself off only for his hand to get stuck on the paper towel dispenser and ends up tearing up off the wall. Trying to figure things out, he starts pacing until he finds himself walking up the wall and onto the ceiling which freaks him out. Then, he hears Peter coming in and quickly stays quiet. Then, Norman comes in and tells Peter that Harry is not feeling well and decides to let him go up back to his room. Peter decides to leave hoping that Harry will feel better soon. After he leaves, Norman calls for his son that they are alone now. Harry comes down from the ceiling. Harry is not sure what to do as this is unusual. Norman states that this is mutation from the spider is fate's way of finally helping Harry fulfil his destiny of upholding the Osborn legacy of doing great things. Harry does not know how this would help.

Later that night in Harry's room, Harry is wondering how his new powers were going to help him become a great Osborn. He turns the television on where he sees the news talking about the Avengers on how they just stopped Red Skull. Seeing this, Harry quickly knows how to make his father proud. He starts designing a grey and dark grey costume with a black spider on the chest and white eyes on the mask. Sometime later, Harry makes his debut as a superhero known as Spider-Man. After taking care of some criminals, Harry chooses not to hide his identity and reveals himself to the public. This earns him much fame, even from Daily Bugle Editor and Chief, J. Jonah Jameson. Norman is happy to see what his son is capable of.

At school, Harry is received with much admiration. Peter is happy that Harry has found a good use for his powers, reminding him of what his Uncle Ben told him, "With great power comes great responsibility." Harry wonders if that is true. But before Peter could answer that, Norman arrives saying that now that Harry is a hero, he cannot possibly go to a normal school anymore and announced that he has created a brand new school at Oscorp, Osborn Academy, in which Harry will be its first student as well as its Student Council President. Harry did not want to go at first, but he knew this was the only way to make his father happy. He asks if Peter could also be a student. However, Peter says that he will be better staying at Midtown. Harry says that even though he will be in a different school, they will always be best friends. From afar, Norman watches his son and his friend with distain.

As time goes on, Harry continues to his duties as Spider-Man. He fights off various villains including Doctor Octopus (Olivia Octavius), Rhino (Alex O'Hern), (a genderswapped) Black Cat, the Shocker, and Kingpin (Vanessa Fisk).

Four years later, Harry as Spider-Man is now famous worldwide, even became the new leader of the Avengers after Captain America was arrested at the end of the Civil War, but still manages to find time to spend it with Peter, however brief mainly because Norman keeps calling him away either to fight crime or do some interview. But as time went on, Harry started to be Spider-Man more for the fame, the glory, but most of his, his father's love. But is actually secretly quite miserable about it as he cannot help but think about Peter.

At a gala at Oscorp, Harry is called away to the hall. He meets with Peter. He came to Oscorp because his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, had broken up with him in order to pursue her acting career without any distractions and kick him out of her apartment. He hoped to speak to Harry before he decides to move back in with his aunt and uncle. Harry says that he does not have the time as he is expected back. Peter gets frustrated that Harry is spending more time with his father as Spider-Man and less time with him as just Harry. Harry tries to defend this by saying that everything he has done was for the city. But Peter says he is just doing it for his father love and approval which he never needed. The two of them get into a small argument that catches the attention of almost everyone at the party, especially Norman. He orders Peter to leave which Peter does. But just as Peter was about to go out into the streets, Harry, who immediately regrets his actions, catches up to Peter and apologizes saying that was just stressed and that he is starting to think that Spider-Man is starting to take over his life. He just wishes that things were the way they were before the bite. Peter assures him that Harry is still himself even with a mask on and that even though he is now special to the world, Harry is special to him long before he got his powers. Harrys says that the one thing he will always love about Peter is that when Peter looks at him, he does not see an Osborn and Spider-Man, he just sees Harry. The two go into a passionate hug. From afar, Norman is watching with a look of disgust.

Later that night as Harry was getting ready for bed, he over heard his father talking to someone on the phone in his office. At first, Harry was worried but decides to brush it off. He has always admired his father and has ever wanted his love and approval. He goes to bed.

In the middle of the night, Harry is awoken from his sleep by his cellphone. It was a call from Peter's aunt, May. He answers and May says that something horrible has happened. Later, Harry arrives at the Parker House in Queens to see it surrounded by police and an ambulance where paramedics were carrying an unconscious Peter whose chest was soaked in blood. May and Peter's uncle, Ben, came to Harry. They said that someone broke into their house. Ben surprised him and forced the man to take out his gun and hit Ben over the head with it. When Peter came down to see what happened, the man shot Peter. Thankfully, he survived, but is now in a critical state. Harry is shocked by this as he felt guilty for not doing more for his best friend. He overhears the police radio saying that they are now tailing the man who shot Peter. Harry, now filled with vengeance, changes into Spider-Man and swings away.

At a warehouse which was now surrounded by police, the attacker is trying to get away until Spider-Man arrives. After a quick fight with the man, Spider-Man holds him out the window, threatening to drop him to his death. First, he decides to see the face of the man who shot Peter. When he removes the mask, he immediately recognizes the man as an Oscopr employee. Scared for his life, the employee says that he did not want to shoot Peter and that he was just following orders. Hearing this, Spider-Man immediately puts it all together. He webs up the man and hands him over to the cops and he swings off.

In Norman's office, Spider-Man bursts in saying that he should have known what the call he was making was for. Norman had ordered his employee to break into the Parker home to assassinate Peter. Harry, his eyes full of tears, asks why he did it. Norman reveals that people like Peter are nothing more than a distraction to keep Harry from preserving the Osborn Legacy which should matter above all else and should be Harry's top, if not, sole priority. Shocked by this, Harry asks how he could do such a thing. Norman reminds Harry that he is an Osborn and that Osborns should only should only look after themselves as other will only weigh them down. Plus, he think that Harry and Peter's relationship may be getting a little too close. Harry's eyes are full of tears and calls his father a heartless zealot saying that Peter was right, Harry never needed his father's approval if in reality he never loved his son. All Harry needed was someone who loves him for him. Norman reveals that Harry is right, Norman never loved or wanted Harry at all. Emily, Norman's wife and Harry's mother, died giving birth to him and has despised his son ever since. He thought that he could mold him into the perfect Osborn in hopes of changing that, but he saw that he has failed. Harry is a first tempted to kill his own father, but decides not, remembering what Peter was told by Ben, "With great power, comes great responsibility." He decides to simply hand Norman over to the police. Norman says that he can try, but he will not go quietly. It is then that Norman takes out an orange bomb that looks like a pumpkin and throws it at Harry, knocking him back as Norman opens a secret room to reveal green armor that looks like a goblin. Norman quickly puts on the armor. He reveals that case Harry fails to uphold the family legacy, he would have to do it himself and created a super persona of his own, Goblin. Boarding a rocket glider, Goblin begins throwing his bombs at Spider-Man. Their fight goes outside and around the city.

After sometime, the fight was nearing its close as the sun begins to rise. Spider-Man finally has Goblin pinned down. At first, Norman says that he cannot fight his son anymore. He offers Harry one last chance to be the son he has always wanted. Harry responds said that he had his chance to be the father he always wanted, but he threw it all away. Harry declares that Norman is not his father anymore. Then Norman responds, "Godspeed, Spider-Man." Then, Norman's glider begins to zoom at Harry from the back, but he dodges it and was now about to hit Norman. However, Harry catches it in time and throws it aside, reminding Norman that he turning him into the police. Norman bows his head in defeat.

Later that day, Harry is waiting in the hospital with May and Ben. The doctor comes and tells them... that Peter has regained consciousness and will make a full recovery much to their relief. The doctor says that they can go in and see him. May and Ben decide to let Harry go in first. Harry tells Peter that his father was responsible for what had happened to him. He also apologizes for all the years he has neglected him. He says that he has learned that with great power comes great responsibility. But he also learned something else, "What you want is not always what you need." Harry learned that all he needed were those who would love and accept him for who he is and that Peter was the first one to do so. Peter is happy to hear this as he knew that Harry needed that. And the two embrace each other with May and Ben watching with a smile.

Later, it is shown that Harry as Spider-Man relinquishes leadership of the Avengers to Captain Marvel and Norman is sentenced to life in prison. With Norman's arrest, Oscorp was shut down. However, Harry (who had his last name legally changed to Lyman) and Peter start their own company, the Worldwide Engineering Brigade, W.E.B. for short. Harry and Peter open its doors to their first two new employees, Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy.

Closing Narrative
''Sometimes, what you want is not what you need. No matter what the story or who wears the mask, Spider-Man is destined to learn the hard way. But sometimes, the result it bears is good for all. Harry had learned that the love he truly needed was not from his father, but from one who believes that there is greatness in others and sees him only as himself. A bond that knows no end. A love that can live for a much longer time. We have seen how strong friendships can be broken and mended. Sometimes, they can blossom to something even more than that. And it can even bring more into the light. Can a bond this strong exist in any universe? Some would like to think so. I, myself, cannot say much of what I think. I merely tell stories as they unfold. And there will be plenty more stories to tell in the future. Until next we meet.''