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Marvel shocked everyone a few months ago when it suggested that Gwen Stacy was being resurrected, and that news was later confirmed as the resurrected Gwen Stacy was going to be introduced as the brand-new Gwenpool of this Marvel Universe (as the established Gwenpool, Gwendlyn Poole, comes from another reality), in a new Gwenpool series by writer Cavan Scott andStefano Nesi.
Marvel’s press release announcing the series noted:
Gwen Stacy returns as the darker, deadlier, and even more unhinged GWENPOOL, and who better to help Spidey navigate this soul-crushing revelation than the medium-shattering, attention-seeking Marvel Comics superfan that is the original Gwenpool!
It’s a wild team-up as the pair race to solve this unhinged mystery before it’s too late—because Gwendolye Poole knows better than anyone that there’s definitely not enough page time for two Gwenpools!
CBR talked to Cavan Scott, the bestselling author of the Star Wars: The High Republic books and comics, about the new series, along with some exclusive artwork for the series by Nesi (along with the cover for the third issue of the series. The solicits and the covers for #1-3 will run after the interview).
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Gwenpool’s Backstory, Powers, and Relationships, Explained
Gwenpool started life in the real world but was transported to the Marvel universe.
CBR: 2025 is the fiftieth anniversary of Gerry Conway being given the editorial directive of, “Bring Gwen Stacy back somehow,” and Conway’s resulting story becoming the first Clone Saga. It’s fascinating how much can happen from just a simple editorial directive. Now, 50 years later, you’ve been given an editorial directive that also includes Gwen Stacy returning. When you start a pitch for something like this, is it a matter of trying to come up with a concept that works for what you want to do that also meets the requirement of the directive? For instance, take Zombiotes. You’ve mentioned before how big a fan you are of the character, so I would imagine that it was you that worked She-Hulk into the assignment, rather than her being part of your initial Zombiotes directive, right?
So is it a similar thing here, where there is a certain type of story that you want to write, and if you can work that into the given directive, then everyone wins?
Cavan Scott: Matching a brief to a story you want to write is always the dance. The challenge — and the fun — is taking an editorial directive and finding the emotional core of a story you can believe in and want to tell. As soon as Jordan pitched the idea of bringing Gwen Stacy back in this way, and pitting her against Gwendelyn Poole, I knew I had to find something I could get behind, a way of making the concept resonate for me. Because if it resonates for me, then hopefully, it will resonate for readers as well.
There’s also an element of asking ‘why now’ and ‘why her?’ Of course, it helps when you’re dealing with Gwenpool which, at its core, is a comic book about comic books and our relationship with the characters. That gave me the nugget I need, so I dove back into Gwenpool’s past, re-reading everything the original blistering run (still one of my favourite runs in comics) to West Coast Avengers, Infinity comics and beyond.
As for Zombiotes, the brief allowed for an Avenger, and yes — I first fell in love with She-Hulk during her Fantastic Four days so including her it was a no-brainer. After all, Zombiotes might have been my only chance to add a tiny part to her ongoing story. That’s the joy of writing these kind of books. You get to contribute to characters you love. It’s almost a way of saying thank you to the creators that have gone before you for all the hours of enjoyment they’ve given you.
You’ve been writing for Marvel for quite some time now, but mostly on the Star Wars side of things, although you’ve recently been dipping your toes into the full-on Marvel Universe side of things with some crossover tie-ins. But despite writing sort of a Spider-Man tie-in series with Zombiotes (where, ironically enough, you resurrected a DIFFERENT Spider-Man-related character), this is the first time you’ve actually been able to write the wallcrawler himself. Could you speak a bit about how cool of an experience it is to deal with such an iconic character in a series that will clearly have a major impact on him?
I mean, it’s an absolute thrill. It’s Spider-Man, the first Marvel super hero I ever knew, ever read. The beating heart of the Marvel universe, no less!
He wasn’t in my original pitch — which seems bananas looking back, especially with Ms. Stacy already there — but I jumped at the chance when the suggestion came from the editorial office to have him swinging on in. Of course, the challenge from that point was to remember Spidey is the guest star here. This is still very much Gwenpool’s book. Her story. Although, the Marvel Super Hero Secret Wars-loving kid in me is still jumping up and down in glee that they allowed me to do [REDACTED] with him at the end of issue three!
Speaking of dealing with iconic characters, there are few writers working in comics today that have worked on as many distinctive IPS as you have, from Marvel to DC to Star Wars to Pacific Rim, and then when you lump in all of the notable British characters that you have worked on, it gets even crazier, like Doctor Who, Judge Dredd, Bananaman, Roger the Dodger, etc. So, having worked with so many established characters, how do you balance the desire to do something new with the desire to serve the established nature of the characters?
Writing iconic characters is always a tightrope walk. You want to honour what’s gone before, while also trying something new. The key for me is respect. You don’t break a toy simply to prove that you’ve played with it. But at the same time, if you’re not nudging the character in a fresh direction, why are you even there?
So I always start by identifying what the essence of a character means to me. What must remain true for them to still feel like themselves, even if you’re pushing that truth to the limit. Whether it’s Gwenpool or Bananaman (wow – what a sentence!) my job is to find what’s iconic and what’s elastic… and then stretch accordingly!
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Gwenpool has been through so many fun adventures with other heroes during her relatively short history, including Doctor Strange and Deadpool.
Robert Zemeckis once wrote about how irked he was that the trailer for What Lies Beneath gave away the big twist in the film. He tried to get them to change it, and he was told that audiences just want to know what happens in the movie before they go to see it, and, well, What Lies Beneath was then a blockbuster hit with the spoiler trailer, so Zemeckis noted that he just stays out of marketing period now. I think of that whenever I see fans seeming to want to know what will happen to their favorite characters before the story even STARTS. Obviously, you can’t tell readers that everything will be great for the original Gwenpool in this series, but it is clear from everything you have said about this series (and about Gwenpool on social media) that you are someone that fans SHOULD trust with the character. How, though, do you assure fans of that without spoiling your whole comic book?
I’m not sure you can, to be honest. Not fully. All you can ask if for them to pick up the book and judge it on its merit.
I hope my track record helps — how I’ve treated characters in the past, trying to find their voice and honour their journey — but I know that for many readers, this might be their first time encountering my work. They don’t know me from Adam Warlock! All I can do is repeat that I love Gwenpool. I love what she represents. And I want her to thrive.
Does that mean that she gets an easy ride? Of course not. This is comics. Part of the fun is putting our characters through the wringer. But I’m not here to tear anything down. I want to build something fun, strange and unexpected. And it’s all done from a place of respect. That’s my promise.
One of the things that I’ve admired about your non-Star Wars work is your ability to blend genres so well, with Godfather of Hell being a notable recent example of two distinctive concepts mixed together. Will that be the case with Gwenpool, as well?
Well, that’s lovely of you to say. By its very nature, this new Gwenpool mashes together two specific genres — the post-modern, meta romps we’ve come to know and love from Gwendolwyn and something darker as the world around Gwenpool tilts harsher, more unforgiving reality. The question is… will Gwen Poole tilt with it?
While you’re a relative newcomer to the Marvel Universe, Stefano Nesi is a newcomer to mainstream comics period, at least as a penciler, so could you help hype him up to readers now? What has it been like to collaborate with Stefano and Matt Milla, the colorist on the series (Milla, of course, is a veteran Marvel colorist)?
Stefano has been such a great collaborator, bringing so much energy and life to the book. And boy-oh-boy, does he get emotion! He delivers dynamic Marvel storytelling issue after issue, with this incredible expressive, almost animated quality that fits Gwenpool perfectly. He understands completely how to balance chaos with character. It’s a rare gift.
And then you add Matt to the mix and its just magic. A dream team. Gwenpool couldn’t be in better hands.
Or should that be the Gwenpools? You’ll need to pick up issue 1 to find out!
GWENPOOL #1 (OF 5)
Cavan Scott (W) • STEFANO NESI (A) • Cover by CHAD HARDIN
VARIANT COVER BY GODTAIL • VARIANT COVER BY GREG LAND
VARIANT COVER BY GURIHIRU • ICONIC VARIANT COVER BY TODD NAUCK
VARIANT COVER BY JEEHYUNG LEE • VIRGIN VARIANT COVER BY JEEHYUNG LEE
PROMO ART VARIANT COVER BY PACO MEDINA
GWENPOOL IS BACK AND MORE DANGEROUS THAN EVER!
Everyone’s favorite reality-twister’s life is changing, becoming darker…grittier…and bringing her own brand of hyper-violent justice to a battle-strewn NYC! Who is this dark Gwenpool? And what has she got to do with the Spectacular Spider-Man? Guest-starring: Fin Fang Foom AND Jeff the Land Shark – this one will shock you to your core!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
GWENPOOL #2 (OF 5)
Cavan Scott (W) • STEFANO NESI (A) • Cover by CHAD HARDIN
GWENPOOL VARIANT COVER BY LEIRIX • GWENPOOL VIRGIN VARIANT COVER BY LEIRIX
FANTASTIC! VARIANT COVER BY TBA • VARIANT COVER BY TBA
ENTER…WEAPON EX!
Gwenpool faces her deadly doppelganger as New York burns. Who is the mysterious Architect, and what are his plans for the Marvel universe? Guest-starring: The Spectacular Spider-Man and Kate Bishop!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
GWENPOOL #3 (OF 5)
Written by CAVAN SCOTT
Art by STEFANO NESI
Cover by CHAD HARDIN
WORLD WITHOUT A GWENPOOL!
The funeral of Gwendolyn Poole. Two graves. Two bodies. Two restless souls. Peter Parker finds himself trapped in the past as Kate Bishop faces a future without her friend. The new Gwenpool’s world takes a dark turn…toward vengeance!
“}]] In a CBR exclusive interview with writer Cavan Scott, he talks about Gwen Stacy’s wild new resurrection, plus dealing with the original Gwenpool Read More