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Quote1 You're a good cop, dad. You put on that badge and carry that gun because you know if you don't someone who shouldn't will. When I put on this mask, I only did it -- Because it freed me from responsibility. I thought I was special. And Peter Parker died because he tried to follow my example. I have to take responsibility for that. To make his death mean something. But I can't do it in a jail cell. This mask is my badge now. If I don't define what it means... monsters like this will. This is where I'm needed most. Quote2
Spider-Woman[src]

History

Spider-Gwen[]

Gwen Stacy was born in Forest Hills to George and Helen Stacy. Following her mother's death, she was raised by George alone. Gwen's free spirit and artistic inclinations often put her at odds with the type of ethics her father worked to instill. As a result of this contrast with her father, Gwen would often retreat into quiet seclusion and play the drums.

Over time, she developed a friendship with her neighbor and fellow introvert Peter Parker, sharing their love for music.[26] At Midtown High School, Gwen developed relationships with other students, a group of girls with whom she formed the band, The Mary Janes,[27] and rebellious affluent student Harry Osborn.[22]

After being bitten by a genetically-engineered spider, Gwen was granted arachnid-like super-powers, and started a career as a crimefighter, dubbed by the media as "Spider-Woman." She was given a costume and a set of web-shooters by retired crimefighter Janet van Dyne. Gwen spent most of her early adventures focused on exploiting and maintaining her newfound attention more than helping those in need; however, Gwen's behavior changed after her father expressed he believed Spider-Woman could easily help people.[27]

Spider-Woman's influence also caused one of the biggest tragedies in Gwen's life. The bullied Peter Parker, desperate to be special like his idol Spider-Woman, conducted an experiment that turned him into a Lizard-like creature. Parker crashed the Midtown Senior Prom, where Gwen fought him. Despite his pleas for de-escalation, Gwen did not pull any punches. Following Gwen’s beatdown, Peter returned to his human form but, due to the injuries sustained at Gwen's attacks, he died.[28] With no evidence or link to his transformation, Spider-Woman was blamed by the media for Peter's death and branded a criminal.[29]

Haunted by Peter's death, Gwen doubled her efforts to fight crime to redeem herself. Additionally, Gwen's father George was tasked with conducting the NYPD investigation to capture Spider-Woman. This drew the attention of Matt Murdock - a corrupt lawyer, leader of the Hand ninja, and the right hand and successor to New York's Kingpin of crime - who sent hitman Aleksei Sytsevich to kill George in an attempt to make an ally of Spider-Woman. After thwarting the murder attempt, Gwen found herself held at gunpoint by her father, and she was forced to reveal her double identity. She pleaded her innocence, and swore to never rest until criminals like the Kingpin were stopped. Captain Stacy told her to leave the scene before he changed his mind.[27][26]

Spider-Verse[]

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Gwen was one of the first spider-totems to join Spider UK's Spider-Army in order to combat the Inheritors during the Great Hunt.[27][30]

She was sent to Earth-21205 to recruit the spider-totem of that reality, a Peter Parker who was driven to madness and grief caused by the death of the Gwen of that reality and became the Goblin; however, that Peter was killed by Verna and her Hounds. Angered, Gwen swore vengeance and warped away from that reality.[31]

Spider-Woman was later present during the final fight against the Inheritors, during which the villains were finally defeated and dealt with.[32]

Return to her universe[]

Gwen later returned to her reality, where she still tried to turn the public opinion against her by becoming a vigilante. With the appearance of a new villain named the Vulture, Gwen set out to catch him and deliver him to the police in order to gain their trust. However, her vigilantism strained her friendship with Mary Jane Watson and the other members of her band, as well as with her father.[5] After her first fight with the Vulture ended in a humiliating defeat, Gwen learned that her father had lost jurisdiction of the manhunt for her, which had been reassigned to Frank Castle, a maverick police officer known for his brutal measures. An argument with her father was interrupted by the Vulture, who had been sent to find Spider-Woman by Murdock. Incapacitated by the Vulture's gas fumes, she was attacked by Castle, who managed to unmask her and was shocked to discover she was just a teenaged girl.[33] When a gig the Mary Janes was headlining was attacked by the Hand, Spider-Gwen broke up a fight between Black Cat and Murdock, who had taken a keen interest in making Spider-Woman his apprentice and figured out her civilian identity by watching her fight and targeting her family.[11]

Secret Wars[]

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Web-Warriors assemble

With the destruction of the universe, an amnesiac Gwen found herself on Earth-15513 under the assumed alias of Ms. Woodley, an employee of Ozcorp. teaming up with the Peter Porker of Earth-8311, the Anya Corazon of Earth-616, the William Braddock of Earth-833, the Pavitr Prabhakar of Earth-50101, and the Peter Parker of Earth-90214, Gwen managed to overthrow Mayor Norman Osborn and stop him from hijacking control of the Web of Life and Destiny. Following the restoration of the multiverse, Gwen became a part-time member of the Web-Warriors, helping to protect dimensions that had lost their Spider-Totems to the Inheritors.[34]

Return of the Lizard[]

Waking up late for her new job at the Dollar Dog bodega, Gwen arrived to learn it had been attacked first by the Bodega Bandit - a small-time criminal stylizing himself after 18th century highwaymen; and then by a giant lizard-monster. Hunting down the Bodega Bandit, she learned that the Lizard had eaten his dog. Unwilling to believe the Lizard had come back, Gwen realized the culprit was Dr. Curtis Connors, the only other person aware that Peter had been the original Lizard, but that Connors had vanished after Peter's death. Haunted by her failure to save Peter, Spider-Woman located the Lizard in the sewers only to discover Connors was one of many. Her fight with the Lizards was interrupted by Captain America, who informed her the monsters were property of S.H.I.E.L.D. and that she was placing her under arrest.[26] Despite not wanting to fight Captain America - who her father idolized, Gwen was forced into a three-way battle between her and the Lizards and was knocked out. Waking up handcuffed with vibranium, Gwen was interrogated by Captain America, who accused her of being a member of the terrorist organization S.I.L.K. Noticing Dr. Connors and the other Lizards reverted to human form, Spider-Woman asked if Captain America had a cure, but was told that only a temporary suppressant existed. Devastated that this was going to be Peter's legacy, Gwen told Captain America that Peter had been the Lizard that attacked Midtown and that she didn't have a clue what S.I.L.K. was. Connors transformed back into a Lizard and attacked, but Gwen defeated him with help from Captain America and Jean DeWolff, a police friend of her father's. Deciding to give her a chance to prove her innocence, Captain America let Spider-Woman go, and Gwen later gave the Bodega Bandit her pet hamster to replace his dog.[8]

Attack of the Green Goblin[]

Visiting the Spider-Woman of Earth-616 using her Web-Warriors portal device for advice and to help free her from the vibranium handcuffs, Gwen asked her what her Earth-616 counterpart was like. Saying she should talk to Peter Parker, having never personally met Gwen Stacy herself, Jessica advised her to focus on being the best Gwen Stacy she can be rather than dwelling on what happened to Earth-616 Gwen and Earth-65 Peter. With Jess distracted by her pregnancy-induced hunger-cravings, Gwen returned to Earth-65 and was shocked to discover Harry Osborn - a high school friend of hers and Peter's - has returned after two years, having vanished after Peter's funeral.

Gwen was further shocked to learn that Harry blamed himself for Peter's death, having done nothing to stop Spider-Woman from killing one of his two best friends, and that he had spent his two years training as a soldier and joined S.H.I.E.L.D., later defecting to S.I.L.K. in order to take revenge.[28] Hunted by Harry as Spider-Woman, Gwen offered to surrender peacefully, but Harry - dressed in green goblin-themed powered armor and accompanied by orange and blue goblin androids - declares he's going to kill her. Gwen tried to talk Harry down, but he drank an improved batch of Lizard serum in order to gain an edge over her, knocked her out, and unmasked her, the shock of learning her identity causing him to lose control of the Lizard mutagen.[35] Regaining consciousness to see Captain America fighting the increasingly monstrous Harry, Gwen followed Harry into the sewers after Captain America was knocked out by a pumpkin bomb explosion and managed to talk him down, giving him the Lizard serum suppressant in order to reverse his mutation. Returning home, Gwen offered to tell her father the truth about how Peter died, but Captain Stacy told he'd retired from the force and for her to keep her secrets.[36]

Spider-Women[]

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While meeting with Earth-616 Spider-Woman and Silk on Earth-65, the three were attacked by the Super-Adaptoid, discovering this was merely a distraction for someone to steal Gwen's portal device and strand them on Earth-65.[37] While Jessica told Gwen to live her life and hang out with her friends, Gwen instead followed her and saved her and Reed Richards from being ambushed by S.I.L.K. agents.[25] Discovering that the leader of S.I.L.K. was Cindy Moon's Earth-65 counterpart, with Richards' help they managed to build a portal to Earth-616. Silk and Spider-Woman managed to track Cindy-65 to Parker Industries, but were ambushed by her. With Spider-Woman and Silk outclassed by her stolen tech, Cindy-65 revealed that she had created the spider that gave Gwen her powers, derived from the genetic material of an extraterrestrial arachnid. Incapacitating Gwen, Cindy-65 injects her with a formula that removes her spider-powers.[25] Returning to the Fact Channel, Gwen learned of the origin story of Jesse Drew and informed him of Cindy-65's deception. Jesse defected from S.I.L.K. and provided Gwen with radioactive isotopes derived from the DNA of the alien spiders that had bitten him, enabling her to temporarily restore her powers.[38]

Hunted by the Punisher[]

After enduring a brutal beat down in her powerless state from Cindy-65, Gwen realized how helpless she was without her powers.[39] Despite Captain America's support and her father issuing a public confession of how poorly the Spider-Woman investigation was handled, Gwen became depressed at the prospect of permanently losing her powers once her eight isotopes were used up. However, being powerless gave her an opportunity to reconnect with her friends. When discovered that Mr. Alby - her boss - had been forced to sell the Dollar Dog - which had been rebuilt from a bodega into a high-priced restaurant - to pay off the repairs from her fight with the Green Goblin, Gwen almost gave up being Spider-Woman forever but was stopped by the arrival of Frank Castle, who'd figured out she was Spider-Woman and attacked her. Gwen used one of the isotopes to knock him out and flee the scene.[29] Gwen tried to ask her father for advice, but they were attacked by Kraven the Hunter, an associate of Castle's from when he was a member of Tony Stark's War Machine mercenaries. While the isotope injector was damaged by Kraven, George Stacy stopped Castle from exposing Gwen as Spider-Woman.[40] Gwen sought advice from Jesse Drew, who told her to take her father and run, and considered seeking refuge on Earth-616 or help from her various allies, even contemplating becoming Murdock's apprentice if it would protect her father. After receiving an inspirational speech from the Bodega Bandit - who she had stopped from robbing a burger joint while out of costume - Gwen resolved to fight and had Reed Richards repair the injector, using the last of the isotopes to fight Castle. The fight between the two caused massive amounts of collateral damage, but George Stacy and Jean DeWolfe arrived in time to stop him from killing Gwen with his War Machine gauntlet. With Gwen despairing over her inability to break the cycle of violence ruining their lives, George decided to turn himself in for aiding and abetting Spider-Woman.[41]

Deal with the Devil[]

When Matt Murdock approached her and offered to help her in exchange for Spider-Woman's fealty, and Gwen’s help in persuading her father to work with Murdock, Gwen accepted, desperate to get legal representation for Captain Stacy.[42] Gwen was given new hope when Jessica Drew and her babysitter stopped by for Thanksgiving.[23] On Christmas Eve, Spider-Woman was attacked by the Hand ninja as a test of her skills, Murdock revealing he knew all about her power loss and offering her an unlimited supply of isotope samples. Gwen accepts, making Murdock Gwen’s “only hope for being Spider-Woman”.[43]

Meeting Miles Morales[]

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When Miles Morales' father vanished from Earth-616 and was found on Earth-65, Gwen teamed up with him and discovered that Jefferson Davis' Earth-65 counterpart was S.I.L.K. field agent known as the Scorpion.[44][20] Coming across an alternate future world where they were married and had children,[45] Gwen and Miles formed a romantic connection but were forced to part ways.[46]

Venomized[]

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With the revelation that corrupt district attorney Foggy Nelson had moved her father's trial date up, Gwen's life began to increasingly spiral out of control as her father refused to refute the charges against him, not caring that being found guilty would result in him being sent to prison and wanting to use the trial to reveal Spider-Woman's innocence. Vowing to do whatever it took to save her father, Gwen met with Murdock at Oscorp, where he and scientist Dr. Elsa Brock revealed a way Gwen could both permanently regain her powers and cure Harry Osborn: Exposing someone mutated by the Lizard serum to the radioactive spider-isotopes, both related through Cindy-65's research, would draw the mutagen out, transforming it into a black, amorphous symbiotic creature; Described as a “mutant cousin of Agent Drew’s original alien parasite” [47] and “a hybrid [with] all of the abilities of Spider-Woman plus the regenerative power of the Lizard".[6]

Agreeing to Murdock's plan for the sake of helping Harry, Gwen travelled to Madripoor with a squad of Hand ninja.[47] Gwen's meeting with Harry was interrupted by the arrival of Logan and Shadowcat, a pair of ruthless bounty-hunters sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. to capture Harry. Harry convinced Gwen to renege on her agreement with Murdock, and she turned on the Hand ninja sent to assist her.[48] Growing increasingly desperate as Harry's condition degenerated, Gwen called Murdock, who berated her for going back on their deal, but she refused to take Harry to the Hand, realizing that she'd unwittingly fallen into Murdock's trap.[49] When Harry fully transformed into the Lizard, Gwen teamed up with Shadowcat and Logan, using her isotopes to turn the Lizard serum in Harry's veins into Venom. The symbiote first bonded with Logan, whose healing factor made him immune to the radiation. Gwen and Shadowcat were able to work together to phase and separate him from Venom. The symbiote subsequently bonded to Gwen but, when Murdock arrived to gloat, Gwen stole his smartphone and played music in order to keep it under control. When she attacked him, Murdock revealed he'd stolen her portal device and revealed that her prolonged disappearance had let the Rhino beat her father into a coma. Enraged, Gwen gave in to the symbiote and swore revenge.[50][6]

Hunting down the Rhino as Venom, Gwen became increasingly aggressive and violent as the symbiote's influence over her grew. Otomo, Murdock's second-in-command, informed her of the Rhino's location, and "Gwenom" confronted him and Murdock, swearing to come for the Kingpin after she was done with the man who hurt her father. As she fought the Rhino, Gwen noticed police officers filming her and realized that it was a setup to discredit her father and reaffirm the notion that she was a criminal, but her desire for vengeance outweighed any misgivings over her actions, so Gwen kept fighting. Before Gwenom could strike a finishing blow on the Rhino, the Punisher intervened and separated her from the symbiote using a sonic baton before killing the Rhino himself using his War Machine gauntlet. Enraged that her vengeance was stolen from her, Gwen rebonded to the symbiote and was subsequently framed for the Rhino's murder, renewing the manhunt against her.[51]

After brutally attacking and nearly killing the Bodega Bandit, Gwen solicited Reed Richard's help in infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D.'s maximum-security prison to ask Cindy Moon for her help with controlling Venom, and to confront her over why she'd set the mutant spider that had bitten her loose. Cindy revealed that despite wanting power more than anything, she hadn't used the mutant spider on herself out of fear of failure. Cindy reveals that Gwen’s dark thoughts, anger, and thus her quest for vengeance, are not the result of Venom but were her own. Cindy challenged Gwen to let go of her rage and hatred towards Murdock, saying that seeking revenge would only play into his hands. However, Gwen's determination to take the Kingpin down was only renewed after seeing that Felicia Hardy had been thrown into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s maximum-security prison as a result of her attack on Murdock, the former Black Cat despairing that Murdock had won and anyone and anything not already under his control soon would be.[19]

Hunting down the corrupt cop responsible for letting the Rhino into her father's cell, Venom was about to kill him but was confronted by the Punisher. Rejecting his offer of an alliance to take down Murdock, she offered the cop a chance to redeem himself by turning himself in, and later approached Ben Parker and unmasked herself.[52]

Gwen would soon reveal her dual identities to May and the Mary Janes as well, professing her guilt in hiding her life from Spider-Woman from them for so long. Gwen's bandmates were shaken yet supportive, but Ben emboldened Gwen to continue on with her plan of vengeance against Murdock. As Em Jay, Betty, and Glory were berating Ben, Castle contacted Gwen who then snuck out in the midst of the fight.[53]

Gwen zipped onto the roof of Murdock's building, where a bloody, disheveled Castle was aiming his War Machine gauntlet towards Murdock. Gwen threw Murdock into the air with a webline, causing Castle to miss, but as Castle fired another blast while Gwen belittled him for descending into violence Captain America rushed in and disarmed and incapacitated Castle. Cap attempted to console Gwen, promising Gwen that Murdock "will see justice". Recalling her own experiences with the police, as well as Murdock’s sway over the courts and justice system, Gwen turns on Cap, rallying that Murdock "owns both sides of the law. He is your justice." Gwen overpowers Cap, breaks her arm, and knocks her out.

Gwen dangled Murdock over the edge of the building, prepared to kill him, but when Murdock finally revealed his obsession with her—a long test to see whether or not she can be corrupted by power, just like he was—Gwen could no longer go through with killing him. As Murdock taunted Gwen, her teleportation device worn by Murdock on his wrist began beeping insistently before a portal opened from it and sucked Gwen into an alternate dimension, her presence giving rise to a new timeline called Earth-617.[54]

Gwen almost immediately encountered the Gwen Stacy of that reality, who initially presumed Gwen-65 to be a clone. Frustrated with the overwhelming time pressure, and not wanting to deal with Gwen-617’s problems, Gwen walked out on her counterpart, but not before Gwen-617 heard Gwen referring to herself as "we." Upon learning that Gwen-617's father had been killed and seeing how she was coping with her loss, Gwen-65 came to the realization that at least her own father was still alive and that she should have stayed with him instead of giving into her rage.[55] Gwen-617 used Empire State University's supercomputer to locate a weak spot between dimensions, taking Gwen-65 to the Avengers manor to get it checked by Tony Stark and Hank Pym. Using a device engineered by Stark, the two Gwens located a weak spot near the George Washington Bridge - Gwen-65 noting the irony. Saying farewell, Gwen-65 promised to Gwen-617 that she'd never forget how lucky she was to still have her father, and leapt off the bridge to return home.[18]

The Trial of Spider-Gwen[]

After returning to Earth-65, Gwen approached J. Jonah Jameson and revealed the truth to him, unmasking herself.[18] Contacting her friends, Gwen reveals to them how when she inputs anger, fear, and pain into Venom it becomes “too much and it’s like a dam bursts”. Gwen concludes that “if the Venom gives me back ten times what I put in, maybe it’s time I think more about what I give.” With the help of Reed Richards and the Mary Janes, Gwen forms a plan to take down Murdock and take back her web-watch.

Confronting Murdock, who had been deemed a liability by the Hand, using a band recording of the Mary Janes played through technology adapted by Reed. The sound crippled Murdock while it strongly affected the Venom symbiote. Gwen declared herself free of his machinations, achieving a balance with Venom which transformed into a replica of her old costume. Retrieving her dimensional portal watch, she left him to face the Hand by himself when he rejected her offer of redemption.

Meeting with Detective Jean DeWolff, Gwen allowed herself to be arrested, desiring to atone for her crimes.[56] Gwen was assigned Jennifer Walters as an attorney, being told that she wasn't on trial for anything she had done but everything Spider-Woman could do. Despite the efforts of DA Foggy Nelson to get the case thrown out, Gwen was convicted by the jury and sentenced to one year in a maximum security S.H.I.E.L.D. prison. Despairing that her sentence had been so lenient despite all the damage she'd caused, Gwen allowed herself to be brutally beaten up by the other inmates and psychologically tormented by the Vulture, who had established himself at the top of the prison's hierarchy. Gwen rejected an offer by Captain America to let her out of prison if she joined a black-ops team consisting of potential assets like Black Cat, Silk, Kitty Pryde, Logan, and the Punisher; stating she needed to be held fully accountable for her actions as Spider-Woman.[57]

After a year in prison, Gwen was released and reunited with the Mary Janes; initially vetoing Betty Brant's suggestion that the band go on tour and use that as an excuse for Spider-Gwen to help people in places outside New York. Learning that her father had awakened from his coma and was undergoing rehab, Gwen and George discussed their respective second chances while en route to the Dollar Dog; Gwen telling her father that what had happened to her wasn't his fault and that she wanted to find a way of helping people that didn't involve violence, and George assuring her that no matter what the future held in store for them he had her back. When a fire truck went past the diner, Gwen bid her father farewell and left to assist the firefighters in evacuating a burning apartment building.[4]

Spider-Geddon[]

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Gwen Vs. Gwen.

When the Superior Octopus used the cloning technology of the Inheritors and merged with the New U Technology in order to make himself immortal, the Web-Warriors decided to reassemble the Spider-Army in order to stop him, fearing the Inheritors would hack it and return.[58] Because they were sending Spider-Bots, their fears would prove to be true, has they would have the technology to do it.[59] Before that, Spider-Gwen was approached by Spider-Ham and she joined with the rest of the Spider-Army, who lastly recruited Miles Morales. When they arrived at Otto's lair, it was already to late, and she witnessed as the Spider-Noir killed himself and Spider-UK's life energy was absorbed by the Inheritors.[60]

Verna then got her hands on Gwen's Dimensional Travel Watch and sent her to another dimension.[61] There she met an alternate version of herself who became that world's Green Goblin. Peter and Mary Jane explained what happened and that Harry Osborn was that world's Spider-Man. It's also revealed that world's Gwen Stacy was working on a project to make Harry travel between dimensions with his Spider-Powers, showing she could help Spider-Gwen return to her friends. In the end, the Goblin was cured of her insanity and helped develop the Ticket to the Multiverse, which would allow her counterpart to travel through the Multiverse.[62]

Instead of just going straight back to San Francisco, Gwen decided to recruit as many spider-totems as she could, including the mainstream Spider-Man.[63] She arrived at the Transamerica Pyramid just in time to see Miles, now with the power of the Enigma Force, fight with the now revived father of the Inheritors, Solus. Peter commanded the Spider-Army to obey Otto's orders, which meant Miles killing Solus with the Sword Vigor. After he was slain and the rest defeated, they created new clone baby bodies to the Inheritors, without their memory and free of their hunger, whom were adopted by Spider-Ma'am. With the Web of Life and Destiny now destroyed, Gwen was the only one who could travel through the Multiverse.[64] Gwen would later venture to Earth-90214 and Earth-803 to inform of Spider-Noir and Spider-UK's deaths to their relatives and friends.[65]

Outlawed and Exiled[]

After Gwen began attending Earth-616's ESU, she informed Peter about the Jackal having followed her and wanting to kidnap her. Peter then told Gwen about C.R.A.D.L.E., and the Underage Superhuman Welfare Act, which outlawed every superhero under the age of 21, following an accident with the Champions. This news infuriated Gwen, who was totally against the idea, and refused Peter's proposal to remain in her home reality and skip school for the time being.[66] After talking to her father and to the Bodega Bandit, Gwen teamed up with Sue Storm and Johnny Storm to disrupt Man-Wolf's gang activity.[67] The next day when she faced the duo, they demanded that she leave New York, since they were now the new rulers. After she refused, Sue tried to kill her, much to Johnny's dismay, but Gwen's symbiote allowed her to fight back. Despite her best efforts, she was blackmailed by the Storms into leaving for good, and after bidding her father goodbye, went into self exile in the Prime Marvel Universe.[68]

Order of the Web[]

Now living in the 616 reality, upon Julia Carpenter's warning an unknown force brought Spider-Man (Peter) into conflict with Sin-Eater, Gwen told him that she didn't really how her counterpart would think about Norman Osborn.[69] After Peter left and continued on to save Norman from Sin-Eater, Gwen became a founding member of the Order of the Web with the other spider heroes to save Peter from Norman, after the temporary abatement of Sin-Eater.[70] While escaping, Norman antagonised Peter about Gwen which caused him to lose his cool, and tossed Norman out for Sin-Eater as they escaped.[71] From Peter's sacrifice of Norman sealing a deal with Kindred, Gwen and the Order were possessed in consequence by a demon sent by Kindred to destroy Peter, pursuing the veteran Spider-Man to the Sanctum Sanctorum.[72]

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Gwen names the Order

Under the control of Kindred, the Order began wrecking havoc across the city and even battling the New Warriors.[73] Arriving at the Brooklyn Bridge they attacked innocent bystanders and were also harming themselves, as Ghost-Spider threw Miles out of the bridge in order for Kindred to taunt Peter even more, forcing Peter to made a deal with the demon. Kindred accepted the deal and released the spider heroes from his control.[74] The confused heroes were then met by Doctor Strange and Black Cat, and the sorcerer explained that they needed to collaborate in order to help Peter and they all went to the Astral Plane, leaving Black Cat behind.[75]

Gwenom vs MJarnage[]

When the dark elder god Knull - creator of the Prime Marvel Universe's symbiotes - attacked Earth, Gwen found her symbiote - one of the few outside of Knull's ability to control - being adversely affected by their bloodlust, causing it to slowly transform into its Venomized form. Unable to save her roommates from being taken over during a fight with a symbiote dragon and worried about what would happen if her symbiote came into contact with one of the Prime Marvel Universe's, she attempted to return to Earth-65 using her Ticket to the Multiverse. At that exact moment on Earth-65, the Jackal bonded a sample of Gwen's symbiote to Mary Jane, which caused her to be teleported to the Prime Marvel Universe through their shared symbiote. Gwen caught MJ, but before either could process what had just occurred they landed in a pool of living abyss. MJ was taken over by a symbiote that merged with the portion of Gwen's artificial symbiote and was dubbed Carnage by Knull, who commanded her to kill Gwen and bring him her artificial symbiote.[76]

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Symbiote vs. Symbiote

Transforming into her Venom form, Gwen attempted to warn MJ that the gestalt symbiote would kill her, but MJ refused to listen to Gwen's attempts to reason with her, berating her for having abandoned her and their friends, and accusing her of wanting to be the only superpowered member of their group. Carnage knocked Ghost-Spider into a pool of living abyss and Gwen was pulled into the Symbiote Hive-Mind by Knull, who informed her that MJ had willingly sworn fealty to him in exchange for power and mocked her for having obliviously pushed MJ away. Refusing Knull's order for her to submit to his will, Gwen refused to let Knull have her friend, the dark god accepting her challenge. Gwen pursued Carnage, stopping her from harming civilians and challenging her to a battle of the bands. The soundwaves destabilized Carnage's gestalt symbiote, enabling Gwen to reassert control over the portion of her symbiote bonded to MJ and seemingly kill the living abyss bonded to MJ. With MJ passing out from radiation sickness, Gwen vowed to keep her safe and find a way to return them both home - not noticing that part of the Carnage symbiote remained bonded to her.[77]

Into the Gwenverse[]

At some point, Gwen and MJ returned to Earth-65, where Gwen resolved the situation with the Storm twins, rescued her friends from the Jackal, and resumed her duties as a superhero and member of the Mary Janes. While struggling to repair her damaged reputation as a superhero and relationship with MJ and her father, Gwen was abruptly struck by a pulse of temporal energy while attempting to use the Ticket to the Multiverse and fell through a multiversal portal. Gwen was rescued by Spider-Zero, the Master Weaver of the Web of Life and Destiny, and they returned to find Earth-65 had been overwritten to a dystopian futuristic society. Taken aback by MJ being openly flirtatious and friendly with her and having forgotten her secret identity, Gwen and Spider-Zero fled from a police mech and sought refuge in a library, where Spider-Zero revealed that the pulse had split Gwen's essence into five alternate versions of herself who had obtained the powers of Thor, Captain America, Wolverine, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel.

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Gwen and her variants

Attacked by the police mech, which was piloted by her own father, Gwen was rescued by Spider-Zero and taken to Loomworld, where she was informed that Earth-65 had been rewritten from some point in the future and that in order to restore it she had to gather the alternate versions of herself and recombine with them before the changes to the timeline became permanent. Gwen was sent to 800 CE to find the variant of herself who had obtained the powers of Thor, Thorgwen. Worried that Thorgwen's existence would result in the appearance of more dangerous supervillains, gods, and cosmic entities, Ghost-Spider attacked her and tried to steal Mjolnir, being mistaken for Loki. As Thorgwen exposited her backstory and blasted her with a bolt of lightning, Ghost-Spider realized that Thorgwen embodied her attention-seeking side.[78] Gwen was able to talk her Thor counterpart down from a fight by exploiting her self-absorbed nature, persuading Thorgwen to accompany her to the mid-20th century, where they encountered Gwen Rogers -- aka Captain America. Gwen's attempt to befriend the prudish embodiment of her desire to do good was disrupted by Gwen Howlett, aka Wolverine, the embodiment of her unrestrained fiery temper and rage. A fight between the four Gwens broke out, but was interrupted when Finale's Terminal Six attacked attempting to kill them.[10] Taken to Loomworld by Spider-Zero, the four Gwens set out to recruit Toni Stacy, aka Iron Gwen, the embodiment of Gwen's love for science fiction and anime. Another fight with the Terminal Six ensued where Norman Osborn was revealed to have become a Human/Skrull hybrid after accidentally having been scarred by Wolverine in the past, attempting to kill Toni in a fit of rage. Badly wounding him in self-defense, Toni reluctantly agreed to accompany the other Gwens after being disowned by Howard Stark.[7]

Shadow Clones[]

Gwen would eventually get a part-time job at a smoothie shack, where she met Mateo, a guy she had a crush on. Ghost-Spider would later fight the Sinister Six of Earth-616, who attacked Gwen on her dimension before she successfully sent them back to their universe. She then came across a version of Doc Ock while on patrol, but quickly realized that the villain was actually another Gwen Stacy. After an investigation led by Reed Richards, they found out that the villain was a clone of Gwen Stacy.[79] They would soon be attacked by a version of Gwen that was made of sand, whom the other two Gwens quickly freed from her control device.[80]

Personality

Quote1 Even when you're not wearing a mask, you're still a super hero. You're still on the outside. You don't get to be normal. All you get to be is special. Forever. Quote2
Spider-Woman[src]

Gwen is a free-spirited individual with artistic inclinations, traits of which would put her at odds with the types of ethics her father tried to instill. She has an interest in music, hence her role as a drummer in the Mary Janes, and a love for corn dogs. Like her father, Gwen possesses a strong sense of justice and is a natural detective, both of which catered well to her decision to become a superhero after receiving her powers.

In her earlier adventures, Gwen relished in the attention as Spider-Woman, opting to exploit and maintain it rather than use her abilities altruistically; however, her behavior changed when her father expressed his belief that Spider-Woman could easily help people.[27] After Peter Parker, who had mutated into the Lizard, died in a fight against her, Gwen harbored an immense amount of guilt, and her being blamed by the public for his death only served to worsen it greatly. Regardless, she had a strong enough will to continue being Spider-Woman, no matter how much enmity much of the world had for her.[29]

Unfortunately, Gwen's protective nature has given way to desperation and vengeance at times, as she had been prompted her to commit terrible actions or at least consider them. Most notably her response to her powers diminishing and the mounting charges against her father, when she entered a deal with the Matt Murdock of her dimension, which led to a series of disastrous events, including her union with the symbiote and her intentions to kill Murdock for his transgressions.[42][52]

At the end of the day, Gwen is willing to take responsibility for her actions and recklessness. This is shown after she spared Murdock, in which she revealed her identity and turned herself into the authorities, as well as accepting her conviction and a one-year sentencing to a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison.[18][56] She even declined Captain America's offer to join a task force as recompense for her sentencing, opting to carry out her sentence and endure the abuses she faced in prison.[57]

After her release from prison, Gwen had struggled to balance her civilian and superhero lives. She realized it was foolish of her to expect to return to a normal life, and lamented the fact that she no longer had a secret identity, but struggled onward as best she could.[56] Upon realizing she could carry out a normal life in the Prime Marvel Universe, she decided to enroll in the ESU located there and came to enjoy the lifestyle split between there and her own dimension. When coming to terms with her present circumstances, she decided to rebrand her superhero identity after something Miles Morales had said to her when he first saw she had survived their latest encounter with the Inheritors,[64] "Ghost-Spider," believing that "death follows [her]."[3]

After bonding with the symbiote, Gwen initially regretted becoming host to it. Noticing that since bonding with it she became much more aggressive and violent. She had also become wary of it's behavior, such as dispensing "gummy spiders" she is not controlling, the frequent headaches, and occasional blackouts. However, she also acknowledges that it is a living creature that is her responsibility, and she has taken it upon herself to show it a better path alternative to the more destructive nature its inclined to.[4][81]

Reputation[]

Initially, Gwen's reputation as Spider-Woman was favorable. However, after Peter Parker died fighting her as the Lizard, the public largely blamed her for his death, and the NYPD and S.H.I.E.L.D. sought her capture. In the NYPD, some had even considered Spider-Woman to be more of a dangerous animal to be put down than a criminal.[47] Unsurprisingly, the John Jonah Jameson of her dimension had largely opposed her and branded her a menace, which had pedigree due to the concurrent warrant for her arrest.[8][29]

After revealing her identity and finishing her prison sentence. The public's reception of her had improved considerably,[4] with J.J. Jameson even publicly welcoming her back to the city on television (though it was most likely to improve his own reputation).[82] As of now, she is currently able to work closely with most forms of authority in New York, particularly the NYPD, as the officers now know of her relations to Captain Stacy.[81] However, some people still harbor resentment towards her, as shown when told to leave a restaurant when on a date with Harry, and Gwen herself struggled to deal with the attention she was getting.[83]

Ultimately, Gwen later decides to go to Earth-616 to attend the ESU located there. As the newly dubbed "Ghost-Spider," she was received warmly there as a partner of Spider-Man, but at the same time, the public does not know her identity.[3][15]

Relationships[]

Peter Parker of Earth-616, having been in a relationship with his own dimension's Gwen Stacy and deeply affected by her death, was shocked to see Gwen among the many Spider people recruited to fight the Inheritors.[30] Initially, Peter refused to endanger Gwen in any way,[84] but they eventually compromised as the conflict with the Inheritors escalated, promising to look out for each other.[85] Following the Inheritors' defeat, Gwen and Peter have a platonic relationship and the latter welcomed Gwen to his dimension when she decided to enroll in the ESU there.[3]

Gwen had developed romantic feelings for Miles Morales, which were reciprocated by the latter. When traveling to multiple dimensions, Gwen had discovered Earth-8, a dimension in which versions of herself and Miles were happily married and with two kids, who both possess abilities similar to their parents. Unfortunately, the two were eventually forced to part ways and returned to their own dimensions.[46] Gwen had also went on to date the Harry Osborn of her dimension some time after mourning the Spiders who were killed during the Spider-Geddon event. However, Gwen quickly found herself to be reluctant to go any further with it, as she had realized how no longer having a secret identity hurt her chances at having a normal life, as well as endangered those around her.[86]

Attributes

Power Grid[95]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Some Training:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/None:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Enhanced:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Superhuman:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (800 lbs-25 ton):Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Learned

Powers

  • Venom Symbiote: Gwen lost her powers as a result of Cindy Moon depowering her with her Power Glove,[25] but exhibits similar capabilities as a result of having bonded to the Venom symbiote.[6]
    • Superhuman Strength: The symbiote enhances Gwen's strength and allows her to lift roughly 10 tons.[2]
    • Superhuman Durability: The symbiote enhances Gwen's durability to superhuman levels.[2]
    • Superhuman Agility: The symbiote enhances Gwen's agility to superhuman levels.[2]
    • Wallcrawling: The symbiote allows Gwen to cling to most surfaces.[2]
    • Spider-Sense: The symbiote grants Gwen a spider-sense that warns her of incoming danger.[2]
    • Camouflage: The symbiote can mimic other clothes and camouflage her appearance.[2]
    • Constituent-Matter Generation: The symbiote can generate ensnaring tendrils and organic webbing.[2]
    • Healing Factor: The symbiote can heal Gwen's injuries.[2]
    • Spiders Control: Gwen can control the spider-like creatures that make up her costume and use them like semi-autonomous scouts.[2]

Abilities

Skilled Detective: Gwen has a proclivity for analytical thinking and detective work.[26] She is also the daughter of a police captain, thus she knows some police protocols and methods.[26]

Musician: Gwen plays the drums with her band, The Mary Janes.[26]

Skilled Fighter: Gwen is a skilled freestyle fighter. However she learned most of her moves from Kung-Fu movies;[26] according to Cindy Moon, Gwen does not know how to throw a proper punch.[39]

Weaknesses

  • Vulnerability to Heat and Sonics: High intensity sounds or heat can disrupt her link with the symbiote.[2]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Web-Shooters: Given to Gwen by Janet Van Dyne. They trap moisture from the air to create a "web-fluid" that allows her to eject web ropes, nets, and globs.[26]

Smartphone: Gwen's phone "contains her entire life."[26]

Ticket to the Multiverse: With the help of her Earth-3109 counterpart, Gwen can travel between dimensions with a pendant that is essentially a modified Dimensional Travel Watch that's specifically keyed to her body's unique radiation signature.[13] It can also be worn as a bracelet.[63]

Transportation

Travel between dimensions.

Notes

Trivia

  • Despite being introduced somewhat recently, this version of Gwen Stacy became very popular among the fans with some even demanding for her own series. She eventually got one starting with Spider-Gwen.
  • Gwen is not an Eminem fan.[90]
  • Gwen is "sick with the burns and bad at puns."[26]
  • A hallucination of Spider-Ham sometimes provides her inner dialogue.[26]
  • Gwen has Taylor Swift on vinyl.[91]
  • Spider-Gwen was voiced by Reba Buhr in Spider-Geddon: Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider.
  • Since her inception, Gwen's full given name has repeatedly been spelled "Gwendolyn" by her creator, Jason Latour, as well as most subsequent writers; however, after being given erroneous information by a fan, Seanan McGuire suggested "Gwendolyn" was a typo and her name should instead be spelled "Gwendolyne," spelling it as such in Ghost-Spider despite the fact that at that point it had never appeared in any Marvel publication as such.[92] When this was pointed out, Seanan McGuire replied that the change in how Gwen's full name was spelled was "most likely" due to "[different] spelling conventions [or] different copy-editors."[93]
  • Gwen has been variously drawn as having short messy hair with no accessories and long hair with a black headband - identical to her Earth-616 counterpart's.
  • The Sue Storm of Gwen's reality used to be Gwen's hero.[16] Gwen follows Sue's shared social network account with her brother Johnny.[67]
  • Gwen has a separate social media account for her Ghost-Spider identity.[67]
  • Stacy was seventeen when she became Spider-Woman.[68]
  • Gwen was capable of lifting the Mjolnir of Thorgwen's reality. It is presumed, but unknown if that version of the hammer had the worthiness enchantment.[78]

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe #1
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 King in Black Handbook #1
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #10
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Spider-Gwen (Vol. 2) #34
  5. 5.0 5.1 Spider-Gwen #1
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Spider-Gwen (Vol. 2) #24
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Spider-Gwen: Gwenverse #3
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Spider-Gwen (Vol. 2) #2
  9. Spider-Gwen #2
  10. 10.0 10.1 Spider-Gwen: Gwenverse #2
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  12. Clone Conspiracy #1
  13. 13.0 13.1 Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #3
  14. 14.0 14.1 All-New Wolverine Annual #1
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  17. Ghost-Spider Annual #1
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