In 1996, Stern returned to Marvel to write the miniseries ', and contributed to three issues of "Spectacular Spider-Man" in 1998 which featured the first confrontation between Norman Osborn and Roderick Kingsley. Over the next four years, he wrote the short-lived "Marvel Universe" series, as well as such miniseries as "Avengers Two", "Avengers Infinity", and "Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin". Stern collaborated with "Avengers" writer Kurt Busiek on "Iron Man" and the miniseries "Avengers Forever", and with John Byrne on '.