- "Looks to me like you're halfway in the ground already. It's only a matter of time. You're going to die a horrible death. Like your father. The difference is, no one is going to miss you."
- ―Donald Menken to Harry Osborn[src]
Donald Menken is the personal assistant of Oscorp founder, Norman Osborn. In 2014, after Osborn's death, Norman's son, Harry would become the CEO of Oscorp before Menken framed him.
Biography[]
Norman Osborn's Assistant[]
Menken was the personal assistant to Norman Osborn, and later to his son, Harry.
Donald Menken was Norman's assistant and is an Oscorp Industries employee and possible board member.
Harry Osborn's Assistant[]
Framing Harry[]
Menken seems to know something about Peter Parker as he had a suspicious face when he heard that Parker came to visit Harry Osborn, also Menken shows be so cruel with Harry but it is possible that he desires the CEO position himself out of greed and Norman mistreated him in the past, also Menken thinks Harry, a 20 old years boy, is unfit to run the company.
After Electro/ Max Dillion's accident, he tried to keep the whole thing as a secret. Later on at Oscorp Industries, he framed Harry, and fired him as he became the new CEO.
Harry's return[]
Menken would present the Special Projects to Harry.
- "How dare you come back in here? You recalcitrant, unworthy, defective, urchin freaks!"
- ―Donald Menken to Harry Osborn and Electro[src]
A thoroughly enraged and vengeful Harry later returned to Oscorp with the transformed Max Dillion, now dubbed Electro, and threatened Menken to take him to Special Projects. Despite Menken once again indignantly admonishing them, an unamused Electro promptly kills him on the spot with a bolt of lightning to the heart, only to defibrillate him back to life, with Harry threatening him at gunpoint to grant him access to Special Projects.
There, Menken showed him the spider venom. He told Harry that the serum won't work, but Harry refuses to listen and tells him to inject it in him. Harry soon starts transforming into the Green Goblin. During his transformation, Donald alerts Oscorp and escapes.
Killed by the Goblin[]
Menken's actions would cause Harry to become the Goblin, before he attacked and killed Menken.
Later, Menken orders to the soldiers kill the mutated Harry. Cornering the fearful Menken, the Goblin flies Menken up to the top of Oscorp Tower. Mocking him by repeating Menken's cruel words, namely that "he'll die a horrible death and nobody will miss him", to him before ousting him from Oscorp, Harry drops a screaming Menken to his death, laughing all the while.
Personality[]
- "You are experimenting on people in there."
"Progress has its stepping stones." - ―Harry Osborn and Donald Menken[src]
Non canon[]
Video Game Continuity[]
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (video game)[]
Unlike in the movie, and iOS version of the game, Menken's role is very supportive towards Harry, for the sake of Norman's wish to protect him, and finding a cure to get rid of the shortening condition within Harry's body. He soon discovered a symbiotic lifeform that can cure the Osborn's curse, calling it, Project Venom. He later used a prisoner, Cletus Kasady, as a test subject. Unknown to him, Kasady's mindset is pure evil and chaotic that would cause the symbiote to transform into a living virus instead, infecting most of the patients. He is soon rescued by Spider-Man, and tells him the truth. He tells Spider-Man that he and the Ravencroft Institute are indeed using people, like Electro, as guinea pigs behind Harry's sleeves, and had it fell into Kingpin's hand, also the location's destruction caused by Cletus Kasady being the one who infected the prisoners. Later on after the credits, he shows up after the Kingpin's phone call, and it is revealed that the Donald Menken Spider-Man met is the Chameleon and not the real Menken.
Trivia[]
- This is the first live action incarnation of Donald Menkin onscreen and in film.
- In the comics, Menken was Norman Osborn's right hand man and assistant. He was one of the candidates who could've been the true identity of the Green Goblin.