Previous Post Hobgoblin's use of dupes was both cool and infuriating. It was cool because it made so much sense. Why put yourself in danger when you can put Lefty Donovan, Ned Leeds or Flash Thompson in the crosshairs? It makes perfect sense for the smart, sophisticated super-villain. However, it's so unsatisfying when you know it's a second-rate Hobgoblin. On the other hand, this helped make issues like ASM 249,250 & 251 so great, when there was a Spidey vs real Hobgoblin showdown!

yes Kingsley was smart to use dupes in his place for certain situations.

I have no doubt that it was Kingsley that battled Spiderman.

It is a shame in a way though that brainwashed duplicates are now a main trope of the character. Anytime a Hobgoblin is killed there is always the chance it wasn't Roderick Kingsley.

He even sent his twin brother dressed as Hobgoblin to scope things out before his big comeback only to have his brother killed by Phil Urich/Fake Hobgoblin. I knew that would be the case at the time as Hobgoblin was punked rather easily by Urich, just how Ned Leeds was taken down too easily by the assassins.

Hobgoblin though will always stand as a shining example of why when a great mystery character is created, that the identity of said character must be revealed ONLY by the character's creator and no one else.