 Norman Osborn as a villain is, if nothing else, persistent. After his borderline 'lighthearted' appearance in Spider-Man's Tangled Web #13, Norman is ready to return to his meddling in the life of Peter Parker. A Death in the Family is a four part story that appears in Peter Parker Spider-Man V2 #44-47 and features another intense clash between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. But this time, the Goblin's intentions are not what they seemed.
In Peter Parker Spider-Man V2 #44, Norman Osborn visits the grave of his deceased son Harry. Norman, speaking to Harry's grave as if it was his son, recounts his latest battle with Spider-Man and warns that he can't "let it stand at that". After issuing a few derogatory comments about how much of a disappoint Harry was, Norman leaves the flowers he brought and informs his son that he will not be back to see him again after "what happens next." Peter is going through his own personal demons as well as he deals with the stress of a recurring dream and his inability to reach the person whom he feels would understand. Later, while Peter is out as Spider-Man, he is approached by the Green Goblin who catches him off guard. The Goblin tells Peter that he is there to "renew their acquaintance" and a fight ensues. Each combatant enjoys the upper hand for a short time during their conflict, but Peter soon resolves that the jokes on the Goblin, because he cannot force him [Peter] to do what he does not choose to do. To which the Goblin responds, "Five bucks and a pizza says I can". As the Goblin leaves he tells Peter that this is just a warning to get his attention and that Peter is invited to an Osborn family reunion that will feature a funeral.
The story arc continues in Peter Parker Spider-Man V2 #45 where Norman's new diabolical plan commences. The Green Goblin releases a video tape claiming his innocence in the death of Gwen Stacy. The Goblin claims that he had planned to catch the falling victim, but that Spider-Man intervened to hastily and caused her untimely death by snapping her neck when he caught her with his web-line. These tapes make it on Larry King Live, even though many doubt the legitimacy of the Goblin's claims. Soon after, Norman tracks down Flash Thompson and offers him a job, the unfortunate Thompson accepts. When Peter catches a glimpse of the latest Goblin tapes he immediately confronts Norman, who happens to be at business dinner.  The two then speak privately and Norman tells Peter that "one of us is going to have to die". Later, the Green Goblin force feeds Flash, a recovering alcoholic, whiskey and puts him behind the wheel of an Osborn Industries truck. The intoxicated Thompson than crashes into Midtown High, fortunately nobody was killed (except Peter's class pet the hamster). Flash was not as lucky, he suffered from permanent and irreversible brain damage.
Peter's situation goes from bad to worse when he receives a package from Norman that contains pictures of Peter's loved ones, an obvious threat at Peter's life, in Peter Parker Spider-Man V2 #46. Soon after, Norman makes a trip to Midtown High as a means of quelling the anger at Osborn Industries for the recent tragedy. He offers the school a blank check for the damage. Peter confronts Osborn and his phoney remorse, and the two privately agree to battle it out one last time (yeah right!) at Osborn's chemical warehouse. At the warehouse, the two combatants waste no time to start their slugfest. In the melee that ensues, Norman tells Peter that he plans on killing his own grandson, Normie Osborn, because he is too much like his father and he doesn't want him "weaseling his way in on all the loot when [Norman's] gone." Peter vows to stop that.
The fourth and final chapter of the Death in the Family story arc is featured in Peter Parker Spider-Man V2 #47. The story continues immediately following the events of the previous issue, and Norman continues to torment Peter relentlessly. He informs Peter that he is one phone call away from killing every person close to him, using operatives that are stationed everywhere waiting to carry out his orders. As Norman pushes Peter's buttons, Peter starts to become more and more aggressive.  The Goblin even tries to escape, but Peter shoots a web-line and pulls him off of his glider. As Peter gets ready to deliver the death blow, he's actually encouraged by Norman to do so, this causes Peter to cease. He releases the Goblin and sits down, the Goblin soon sits down next to him. After some comic relief, Peter begins to tell Norman about the dream that he has been having. The dream involves a crashing plane and Peter is convinced that MJ is on the plane. When he eventually digs through the wreckage he doesn't find MJ, rather, Gwen Stacy. Peter explains to Norman that he thinks Norman wouldn't have killed Gwen had he gotten to know her, he also tells Norman that a day doesn't go by that he doesn't think about killing him for what he did. He tells Norman that every day that he refuses to hate him, Gwen Stacy lives and that if he caved into his anger for Norman then she would die for good. Peter then calls his bluff about killing his own grandson and parts with the words, "I won't have to send you to jail…just being you—that's life without parole." Norman is later seen in his executive office with a note and a gift from Peter Parker, $5 and pizza. Norman angrily smashes the food against the wall and soon reaches for the top drawer of his desk, which contains a hand gun. Norman is contemplating suicide and it appears that Norman was trying to get Peter to kill him with this plot, not his grandson, an interesting development in the Parker/Osborn dynamic.
Some interesting facets to this story include the new dynamic between Norman and Harry's gravestone in light of the recent developments of Brand New Day that reveal Norman was aware that Harry never died. The Goblin refers to "Goblin love" when referring to Gwen Stacy, could that be a hint toward the events of Sins Past. Finally, Peter equates his love for Gwen and MJ, interesting for those who believe MJ to be "the love" of Peter's life.
|  Peter and Norman battle and Norman 'invites' Peter to his upcoming family reunion, as seen in Peter Parker Spider-Man V2 #44
 The Green Goblin releases a video claiming in his innocents in the death of Gwen Stacy, as seen in Peter Parker Spider-Man V2 #45
 The Goblin force feeds the recovering alcoholic Flash Thompson whiskey, as seen in Peter Parker Spider-Man V2 #45  Norman arrives at Midtown High to remedy the damages caused by Flash Thompson and Peter greets him warmly, as seen in Peter Parker Spider-Man V2 #46
   Back at his executive offices Norman reaches for a handgun as he contemplates suicide, as seen in Peter Parker Spider-Man V2 #47
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