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I know this is an opinion most Marvel fans have had since it was revealed, but come on, reviving Gwen Stacy is a very bad idea. The publisher has officially confirmed Gwen is returning to the land of the living and people everywhere are losing their minds over what it means for a character who’s been dead for over half a century.
Pretty much every comic reader knows how Gwen infamously died after her neck broke thanks to a stunt pulled by the Green Goblin. It’s a death that’s haunted Peter Parker for the better part of his life. But unfortunately, Marvel Comics is bringing the character back to get more mileage out of Gwen Stacy’s death.
Like it Or Not, Marvel Comics Confirms Gwen Stacy is Coming
The Publisher is Really Claiming Nothing is Sacred
Gwen’s life came to a sudden and tragic end in “The Night Gwen Stacy Died!” in The Amazing Spider-Man #121. Green Goblin kidnapped Gwen and took her to the George Washington Bridge to bait Spider-Man. The plan works and during the battle, Gwen falls from the bridge and, though Spider-Man tries to save her, Gwen’s neck breaks, killing her instantly. The moment drove Peter to get vengeance on Norman Osborn, who seemingly died during their next confrontation by impaling himself on his glider. Spider-Man spent the next several months grieving for Gwen and even blaming himself for her death.
The publisher released a simple image of a gravestone with a marker that reads “Gwen Stacy – Loving Daughter“.
Despite saying goodbye to Gwen years ago, that wouldn’t be the last time Peter saw his former love. Gwen would later be cloned by both Harry Osborne and the Jackal (the latter of whom cloned Gwen numerous times). Gwen was briefly revived for real during the “Judgment Day” event, but only lived long enough to share one heartfelt moment with Spider-Man before saying goodbye. But the Gwen Stacy name does live on, primarily through her counterpart from Earth-65, Spider-Gwen, aka Ghost Spider, a variant who gained spider powers rather than Peter.
But all these variants and copies of Gwen pale in comparison to Marvel Comics’ latest decision. The publisher released a simple image of a gravestone with a marker that reads “Gwen Stacy – Loving Daughter“. Fans everywhere felt their stomachs knot at the prospect of Marvel Comics seriously reviving Gwen and hoped that this was just a giant misdirect. But days later, the publisher confirmed that Earth-616’s Gwen, the one who died so many years ago was returning to headline a brand-new Gwenpool series by Cavan Scott and Stefano Nesi in an announcement that many were stupefied by.
Marvel Comics is Banking On Outrage and This is Just a Bit Too Far
How Many Times Can One Publisher Keep Trolling Fans Like This?
Look, I’ll admit I’m not the biggest Spider-Man fan, but I know enough to know that Marvel has revisited Gwen’s death plenty of times before and that fans are kind of tired of this being brought up. Spider-Man has plenty of allies, friends, and family who have died over the years, so why is it that Marvel seems to want to keep exploiting Gwen after all this time? Admittedly, there was once an element of drama considering how much of an impact Gwen’s death had on Spider-Man.
…the truth is, Marvel Comics knows what it’s doing here.
But that was a long time ago, in an era before Gwen was cloned over and over again and her spirit communed with Peter. Fans have tired of seeing the 616 Gwen brought up for the sake of drama or worse, having creepy retcons added to her history. Heck, thanks to the Spider-Verse, there’s an entire generation of fans who only really know Gwen thanks to her Spider-Gwen counterpart, and she’s incredibly popular. So why pursue a route that not only revives a dead character, but trolls the readership as well?
Look, I’m not gonna pretend this is some sacred territory for me. But I know Marvel fans and they’re already tired at this development and it hasn’t even happened yet. Is it possible this upcoming series is good and fans may like it if they give it a chance? Possibly. But the truth is, Marvel Comics knows what it’s doing here. It’s revisiting a prominent point in Spider-Man history and peppering in a bit of controversy to boost sales. Maybe it will work, but frankly, it’s an uninspired decision.
Marvel’s New Gwenpool Only Has the Power Fans Give It
Outrage Unfortunately Works, But It Shouldn’t
Yes, it stinks when a publisher tries to gain sales by angering fans. But if readers actually show up and buy it, well, it creates an incentive for Marvel Comics to do things like this in the first place. If people really don’t want to see Gwen Stacy come back, the best route is to not buy it. Voting with your wallet is the only way a reader can impact a story and if people like myself really don’t want to see Spider-Man’s old flame return like this, the best option for Marvel fans is to simply not get involved.
“}]] Gwen Stacy just can’t rest in peace. Read More