Gwendolyne Maxine "Gwen" Stacy is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character of Spider-Man (Peter Parker). A college student and the daughter of George and Helen Stacy, Gwen was one of Peter's early romantic interests, the first following his high school graduation. In the story "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" (1973), the character is murdered by the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn). The story had a major impact on the series and on the audience for super hero comic books. Stories published long afterwards indicate Peter's unresolved grief regarding her death. The story of her life and death is revisited in Marvels (1994) by Alex Ross and Spider-Man: Blue (2002–2003) by Jeph Loeb; a flashback solo miniseries, Gwen Stacy: Beyond Amazing (2020–2024), was written by Christos Gage.
A posthumous clone of the character was first introduced in the 1970s and reappeared in the 1980s and 1990s. This plotline was later expanded, and has resulted in multiple alternate versions of the character. In "Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy" (2016–2017), Gwen is resurrected in a clone body with her soul intact, but dies soon afterward from clone degeneration. In the storyline "All-New, All-Deadly", the clone Gwen has her body restored and is made into an assassin called X-31. There are also versions of Gwen Stacy who appear in alternate universe stories. In the Ultimate Marvel (Earth-1610) stories (2000–2011), Gwen is drained and apparently killed by Carnage, before becoming Carnage, her mind overtaking the symbiote. In the Spider-Gwen (Earth-65) series (2015–2024), she becomes Spider-Woman. In a later version of the Ultimate Spider-Man (Earth-6160) series (2024–2026), Gwen becomes Mysterio, the CEO of Oscorp, who is married to the superhero Harry Osborn.
The character was portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard in Spider-Man 3 (2007) and by Emma Stone in The Amazing Spider-Man film series (2012–2014). The Spider-Gwen version of the character is voiced by Hailee Steinfeld in the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and its sequels Across the Spider-Verse (2023) and Beyond the Spider-Verse (2027).
Publication history 1960s Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, Gwen Stacy first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 (December 1965) as the primary love interest of Peter Parker. Beginning with issue #39, John Romita Sr. became the primary artist and co-plotter of the series, replacing Ditko. Romita's background was in romance comics, and he was partly chosen to depict the young female characters as "very sexy and flashy," in his words; he drew inspiration from magazines such as Seventeen.
According to Lee, the original intent was for Gwen Stacy to be Spider-Man's central love interest. However, Mary Jane Watson, first depicted in The Amazing Spider-Man #42 (November 1966), became increasingly popular with readers as an alternative girlfriend. This popularity changed the course of the plan, as fans demanded she be Peter Parker's main love interest instead, and that "no matter how we [i.e. Lee and his artist/co-plotter collaborators] wrote it, Mary Jane always seemed more interesting!" As Lee said, "Gwen was a sweet girl, everything about her was pure and wholesome and loyal and wonderful. I thought she'd be the perfect wife for Peter. On the other hand Mary Jane was a real party girl." Romita said that
Amazing Spider-Man #56 (January 1968) introduced Gwen's father, NYPD Captain George Stacy; later issues portray her mother Helen Stacy and her uncle Arthur Stacy. Her father is both fond of Peter and supportive of his alter-ego Spider-Man.
1970s In issue #90 (1970), George Stacy is killed by falling debris during a battle involving Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus.The Amazing Spider-Man #90Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 55: "Captain George Stacy had always believed in Spider-Man and had given him the benefit of the doubt whenever possible. So in Spider-Man's world, there was a good chance that he would be destined to die." Gwen blames Spider-Man for his death, and leaves for Europe to cope with her loss. She wants Peter to ask her to marry him and convince her to stay, but his guilt stops him from proposing.The Amazing Spider-Man #93 Gwen's feelings for Peter eventually prompt her to return to New York, and their relationship is rekindled.The Amazing Spider-Man #98
Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas succeeded Stan Lee as writer and editor, respectively, of The Amazing Spider-Man. Together with inker John Romita, Sr., they came to the decision to have Gwen killed. Romita first suggested the idea, during a plotting session with Conway when Romita was still penciller on The Amazing Spider-Man. Romita said that Thomas and Conway wanted to shock the readers with an unexpected death, initially considering Aunt May, which Romita rejected. Romita recalled the death of a love interest in the comic strip Terry and the Pirates which had significant cultural impact, and decided that "we would really shake up the fans if we killed Peter's girlfriend."
Conway later said his contribution to the decision was motivated by a desire to bring Mary Jane Watson to the forefront, as he shared Lee's feeling that she was a more interesting character than Gwen Stacy: "[Mary Jane] hadn't lost the edge that made her an interesting character. Gwen didn't have an edge. She was just a nice person". In the story arc "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" written by Gerry Conway, published in The Amazing Spider-Man #121–122 (June–July 1973), Gwen is killed off, murdered by the Green Goblin Norman Osborn.
Both the decision to kill Gwen and the method in which Marvel implemented it remain controversial among fans and some writers. Conway claimed that Stan Lee endorsed the decision, but Lee contended that he was sorry that she had been killed off and that he "would have enjoyed keeping both Gwen and MJ and letting them play off against each other." In 2004, Romita recalled:
In the story, Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, has become aware of Spider-Man secret identity as Peter Parker, and seeks revenge because he blames Peter for a recent drug overdose experienced by his son, Harry Osborn. The Green Goblin kidnaps Gwen. Although he is ill, Spider-Man searches for Gwen and eventually discovers her, unconscious on top of the Brooklyn Bridge. During the ensuing battle the Goblin slams into Gwen and sends her hurtling toward the water. Spider-Man shoots a webline to catch her, but the sudden stop snaps her neck, killing her.
The death became a pivotal point in both Spider-Man's history and in American comic books in general. Many point to Gwen's death as the end of the Silver Age of Comics. Before her death, except possibly as part of an origin story, superheroes did not fail so catastrophically, nor did the hero's loved ones die so suddenly and without warning.Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 68: "This story by writer Gerry Conway and penciler Gil Kane would go down in history as one of the most memorable events of Spider-Man's life." Conway said that he added the "SNAP" sound effect subconsciously without realizing its implications, but became fascinated by the effects of Spider-Man's complicity in Gwen's death on the possibilities of comic books.
A note on the letters page of The Amazing Spider-Man #125 states: "It saddens us to say that the whiplash effect she underwent when Spidey's webbing stopped her so suddenly was, in fact, what killed her". The comic book Civil War: Casualties of War: Captain America/Iron Man (2007) concurred that the proximate cause of death was the sudden stop during a high-speed fall. An issue of Peter Parker/Spider-Man revisits the issue, and further confirms Gwen died of a broken neck due to the use of the webbing.Peter Parker: Spider-Man #26 On the other hand, in the 1987 edition of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Gwen's death is attributed to the fall, not to Spider-Man's webbing, though the listed cause of death is still technically true – if she had not fallen from the bridge, the event that caused her death could not have happened. In his book The Physics of Superheroes, physicist James Kakalios confirms that, consistent with Newton's laws of motion, the sudden stop would have killed Gwen Stacy.Inventing Tomorrow (University of Minnesota Institute of Technology magazine), Spring 2002: "Jim Kakalios enlists the aid of costumed crimefighters to teach critical thinking in an imaginative freshman seminar" by Paul Sorenson
The then-Mexican publisher of Marvel Comics, La Prensa, did not think the Latin American readership would accept Gwen's death, and so diverged El Sorprendente Hombre-Araña into its own continuity with brand new stories (written by Raul Martinez and drawn by José Luis González Durán) in which Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy were still a couple, and Stacy was still alive, for another 60 issues and 45 stories, ending in 1974 when another publisher picked up the Marvel rights.
Stan Lee (who had since become Marvel's publisher) was frequently criticized by fans during his public appearances for killing off Gwen Stacy. Lee, who had also found the character's death objectionable, insisted that Conway write a story bringing her back. While Conway objected, he eventually gave in under the condition that after reviving Gwen, he could write her out of the book as soon as he wanted. He decided that cloning would be the best means to bring the character back. In the resulting story, published in Amazing Spider-Man #144 (May 1975), a clone of Gwen is created, perfectly healthy but with no memory of the time since her death. At the end of the story, Gwen's clone, a creation of Spider-Man villain the Jackal, leaves to find a new life for herself, accepting that she is not really the same person who had a relationship with Peter Parker.The Amazing Spider-Man #149
1980s In the 1988 crossover "The Evolutionary War", the High Evolutionary, who had once been Miles Warren's teacher, captures Gwen's clone. He determines that Warren had actually not perfected the process, and instead injected a young woman with a genetic virus carrying Gwen's DNA, turning her into a copy of Gwen. After a subsequent altercation of Spider-Man and the Young Gods against the High Evolutionary's Purifiers, this woman is purged of the virus by the Young Goddess Daydreamer.Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #8 (November 1988) This is later retconned, with the High Evolutionary stating that Warren had in fact succeeded in perfecting his own cloning technique, and Daydreamer had accidentally given the Gwen clone a false new life under the name of Joyce Delaney.Scarlet Spider Unlimited #1 (November 1995)
1990s The death of Gwen Stacy is retold from another perspective in the fourth and final issue of the miniseries Marvels (April 1994), by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross. In the story, photographer Phil Sheldon befriends Gwen Stacy, who has absolved Spider-Man of any blame for her father's death. Gwen's simple faith in heroes convinces Sheldon of the purpose of superheroes—to protect innocents such as Gwen. He resolves to write a book to praise the heroes and what they should mean to humanity. When the Green Goblin kidnaps Gwen and holds her hostage to bait Spider-Man, Sheldon frantically follows the resulting chase in a taxi and witnesses her death. While it is reported that she died from the shock of the fall, Sheldon thinks it looks like something else, and Sheldon's faith in superheroes is shattered.Marvels #4 Gerry Conway credits the story with revealing and exploring the cultural significance of Gwen Stacy's death.