I believe you misunderstood me. I wasn't saying that the Osborn haircut is an important or necessary part of the character - it's just a haircut - I was saying that, due to the fact that artists have been drawing it the same way for decades now, it IS a part of the character's visual look - those cornrows are immediately recognizable - and as such, seeing the character drawn in a different way would naturally be a bit of a jolt. It's like if you saw J. Jonah Jameson with a droopy mustache and sideburns - sure, it'd still be him, but it wouldn't LOOK like him until you got used to it. I personally like the Osborn haircut, but I wasn't saying that it was an integral part of the character - just that, after all these years, seeing him without it requires a bit of a mental adjustment.