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Most Spider-Man movies and TV shows pair Peter Parker with Mary Jane Watson. However, Mary Jane wasn’t Peter’s first true love. In Marvel Comics, Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy dated for years before Green Goblin ultimately took her life. Even though the original version of Gwen has never fully returned, fans of their relationship have plenty of additional reading material.
Versions of Gwen Stacy have appeared in multiversal books like Spider-Men and Spider-Verse. In Marvel’s 616 universe, Peter Parker has encountered many clones of Gwen. While these aren’t the original, they still further Peter and Gwen’s relationship and scratch an itch for fans looking for more time with Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy.
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Spider-Man: Reign was a particularly bleak future for the Web-Slinger, and there are several other similar stories in comic books with other heroes.
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“The Night Gwen Stacy Died” by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane, John Romita, Tony Mortellaro & David Hunt
“The Night Gwen Stacy Died” was a turning point in Spider-Man’s life and is certainly one of the darkest Spider-Man comics ever. Fans of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy’s relationship may not want to revisit the darkest moment of their history, but it is undoubtedly the couple’s most famous moment.
Spider-Man’s life forever changed after Gwen Stacy’s death. Peter Parker fell in love with Mary Jane Watson, and writers concocted various Clone Sagas that saw Gwen Stacy (not really) return in various ways. “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” is a pivotal moment in their relationship, but it is not a happy one.
What If? #24 by Tony Isabella, Gil Kane, Frank Giacoia & Carl Gafford
Years later, an issue of Marvel’s What If? asked the question: What if Gwen Stacy had lived? This was a rare, albeit short-lived treat for fans who wished Peter Parker had ended up with Gwen Stacy instead of Mary Jane Watson.
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From enemies to lovers to friends and back again, Spider-Man and Black Cat share one of the most complex romances in Marvel Comics.
In What If? #24, Spider-Man successfully saves Gwen in the battle against Green Goblin. Gwen ultimately learns Peter’s secret, and the two get married. The comic ultimately ends on a dour note, with Peter on the run after the world learned his identity as Spider-Man. Still, readers saw Peter and Gwen happy together in an alternate universe for a brief moment.
8 Gwen Stacy “Returned” In “The Original Clone Saga”
Amazing Spider-Man #139-149 by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, Frank Giacoia, Dave Hunt & Jan Brunner
In what is now dubbed “The Original Clone Saga,” Miles Warren became the Jackal and tormented Peter Parker with a clone of himself, a Spider-Man clone who would survive their initial encounter and one day become Ben Reilly, the Scarlet Spider. Amidst this chaos, Peter Parker learns that Gwen Stacy is alive!
In true comic book fashion, the truth of Gwen Stacy’s survival was a misdirect. This Gwen was a clone. The payoff may have been frustrating for some, but fans believed Peter and Gwen could reunite before he learned she was a clone.
7 Romance & Heartbreak In Spider-Man Comics
Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane by Sean McKeever, Takeshi Miyazawa, David Hahn & Christina Strain
The Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane miniseries and its sequels are comics that focus less on Spider-Man’s superheroic adventures and more on Mary Jane and her life as a high school student in a New York City full of superpowered heroes and villains. Gwen Stacy also briefly appears in Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane.
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Spider-Gwen has starred in multiple solo series across her relatively short history and has met plenty of variants, from Nightbird to Gwenverine.
While Peter and Gwen date for a while, Peter and MJ soon realize they belong together. The outcome may dissatisfy Peter/Gwen fans, but seeing them dating, if only for a little while longer, is still more time together than Earth-616 Peter and Gwen ever had.
6 More Gwen Stacy & More Spider-Man
The Clone Saga by Terry Kavanagh, Joey Cavalieri, Todd Dezago, J. M. DeMatteis & Tom DeFalco
In the ’90s Clone Saga, all bets were off. The Jackal returned with a vengeance. This time, he didn’t just create one Spider-Man clone, but an army of them. Additionally, the Jackal created many clones of Gwen Stacy.
Gwen was far from a main character in the Clone Saga. The Jackal used her “resurrection” as just another tool to help unravel Spider-Man’s world. Peter Parker and Ben Reilly encountered these Gwen clones, adding to their heartbreaks. However, Gwen’s appearance in the modern Clone Saga doesn’t have the same weight as in the original.
5 Peter Parker & Gwen Stacy Have New Lives
Spider-Man: Life Story by Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley, John Dell & Frank D’Armata
Gwen Stacy was Peter Parker’s main love interest in Spider-Man: Life Story until she suffered the same fate as her 616 counterpart. However, a clone of Gwen Stacy survived Spider-Man’s initial encounter with the Jackal.
Spider-Man: Every Love Interest Ben Reilly Has Had In The Comics
While Spider-Man’s clone Ben Reilly hasn’t been around as much as Peter Parker he has still had quite a few interesting love interests over the years.
Unlike the ’90s Clone Saga, Gwen’s clone had a much larger impact on Peter Parker’s life. She and Ben Reilly stayed together and developed a whole life, removed from New York and Spider-Man. The Life Story Gwen Stacy had a much happier ending, and Marvel Comics should think about giving a similar happy ending to one of Gwen’s clones in the 616 universe.
4 The Amazing Spider-Man Meets Ultimate Gwen Stacy
Spider-Men by Brian Michael Bendis & Sara Pichelli
The Ultimate Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy, had one wild life. After being cloned and bonding with the Carnage symbiote, the real Gwen Stacy survived and lived with Aunt May following the death of Ultimate Peter Parker. In the Spider-Men miniseries, the Amazing Spider-Man entered the Ultimate universe, meeting the Ultimate versions of Miles Morales, May, and Gwen.
This interaction gave Peter Parker some semblance of closure that he desperately needed. Gwen was excited to meet a Peter Parker who had lived well into his 20s, and Peter was happy to be able to meet a Gwen Stacy who still lived.
Clone Conspiracy by Dan Slott, Christos Gage, Jim Cheung, R. B. Silva, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Jamal Campbell & Irene Strychalski
Like a broken record, another clone of Gwen Stacy surfaced during the Clone Conspiracy miniseries. The Dead No More storyline is tied into Dan Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man and Superior Spider-Man comic runs. A new version of the Jackal arrived to do what Spider-Man couldn’t: Save everyone.
A Guide to Spider-Man’s Main Love Interests
From Mary Jane’s girl next door to some of the world’s most powerful superheroes like Captain Marvel, Spider-Man has had quite a colorful love life!
This Gwen Stacy was technically a clone, but as close to the real version as genetically and mentally possible. The Clone Conspiracy tie-in comics delved into Gwen’s psyche, addressing past trauma in remembering “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” and her coming to terms with the reality that she was still not the original Gwen.
2 Spider-Man Meets Spider-Gwen In The Spider-Verse
Spider-Verse by Dan Slott, Olivier Coipel, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Wade Von Grawbadger & Cam Smith
Spider-Gwen debuted in the original Spider-Verse comic event. Through her Edge of Spider-Verse one-shot, readers learn about her world history and how this Gwen lost her Peter Parker in an ironic turn of events. The Amazing Spider-Man of Earth-616 meeting with Spider-Gwen was touching for both parties.
Both Peter and Gwen could see that alternate versions of the people they cared deeply about found success and power as Spider-People. She may not be the original Gwen, but Spider-Gwen is, in many ways, a far better, far deeper character than the Silver Age Gwen.
1 Peter Parker Mourns The Loss Of Gwen Stacy
Spider-Man: Blue by Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale & Steve Buccellato
Fans of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy’s relationship looking for meaningful interactions between the characters, not within clone sags or through multiversal travel, should look no further than Jeph Loeb and Time Sale’s Spider-Man: Blue miniseries.
Spider-Man: Blue took fans back to Spider-Man’s Golden Age when Peter was a simple college student in love with Gwen Stacy. He would have spent the rest of his life with her. In Spider-Man: Blue‘s tragic finale, readers learn that the comic’s narration came from a series of tapes Peter had been recording after Gwen’s death––a series of vocal notes meant for Gwen that she’ll never hear.
The Amazing Spider-Man
Spinning out of Amazing Fantasy #15, Marvel’s Spider-Man gained his own series with 1963’s The Amazing Spider-Man! For decades, fans have anxiously awaited for the next issue of the Web-Slinger premier series to read up on the latest adventures of their favorite superhero!
“}]] Peter Parker may have lost Gwen Stacy in one of Spider-Man’s darkest moments, but fans can still enjoy the romantic couple in a few must-read comics. Read More