“I Hated It”: Stan Lee Hated a Spider-Man Twist That Has Defined Peter Parker Ever Since

Stan Lee, the man who co-created Spider-Man, made no secret of the fact that he was against killing off a major character in Peter Parker’s life. Gwen Stacy, one of the first loves of Peter’s life, was a staple in the story of Spider-Man until she ran into the Green Goblin. In one of the most infamous moments in comic book history, Gwen Stacy met her end, but Stan Lee wished she lived.

In an October 1978 interview with The Comics Journal, 56-year-old Stan Lee talked about the changes to Marvel Comics since his departure in 1972 from regularly writing comics. Asked about the changing of origin stories in comics, such as Captain America having a retconned backstory at the time, Lee stated, “I hate it when people change the origins and the various little institutions and schticks that I’ve given these characters and stories…I hated it when Conway killed Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man. I hated it.”

Despite his love for Marvel, Stan Lee was steadfast in his views on the characters he created, especially Gwen Stacy.

Gwen Stacy’s Death Forever Changed Spider-Man

The shocking death of Gwen Stacy is probably the most significant event in the history of Spider-Man. After discovering Spider-Man’s identity, Green Goblin decides to kidnap Gwen Stacy and use her as bait to finally end his greatest foe. In the ensuing battle, Gwen nearly falls to her death but Spidey catches her in time, only to find her neck has been snapped due to his own webbing. Gwen’s death in The Amazing Spider-Man #121-122 (1973) by Gerry Conway and Gil Kane helped lead to the start of the Bronze Age of Comics, but it also significantly changed Spider-Man going forward.

After Gwen’s death, Spider-Man’s stories took a darker turn and made him into more of an angsty loner rather than a hopeful hero. Though deaths are never permanent in comics, this wasn’t the case at the time. To many fans, Gwen Stacy’s sudden death felt like if Lois Lane was killed off in a random Superman story. Spider-Man began to act more protective and fought even harder to save his loved ones, even if it meant losing parts of himself. Character deaths like this led to more controversial Spider-Man storylines, such as the original Clone Saga, the fakeout death of Aunt May, and One More Day.

Stan Lee Believed Gwen Stacy and Spider-Man Deserved Better

Stan Lee created Gwen Stacy to give Peter the happy ending he deserved. Despite MJ Watson being held up as Peter’s main love interest, Stan Lee always wanted Gwen to be the one for Peter. Gerry Conway was the man behind the decision to kill Gwen Stacy and this choice haunted Lee. He had to sit back as the Spider-Man cast he created grew, matured and in some cases, regressed due to certain retcons. Stan Lee saw Gwen’s death as a mistake, but despite various retcons to this death, Spider-Man andGwen Stacy thankfully remain essential parts of Marvel Comics.

Source: The Comics Journal