‘Spider-Gwen’ Is To Be Marvel’s Latest Web-Slinger


As the gender equality movement gains steam, the effects can be seen in media from film to television, and now Marvel is bringing it to the comic shelves with the revival of Gwen Stacy and her alter ego, Spider-Gwen. The character of Gwen Stacy has been dead since 1973, according to the Huffington Post, when she was killed in The Amazing Spider-Man, issue No. 121. Basically, Marvel writers killed the character off to advance the plot and to prove to their readers that even superheroes sometimes fail to rescue every soul.

Now, 43 years later, Marvel is reviving the long-dead Gwen Stacy to bring another strong female superhero to the comic book stands, and it’s a character they hope will compliment (and compete with) DC Comics’ Batgirl.

The storyline, which was created for Spider-Gwen’s debut in a Spider-verse crossover, delivers readers to Earth-65, an alternate universe where Peter Parker died and Gwen Stacy was the character bitten by the radioactive spider. Incidentally, the universe we’re all familiar with, wherein Peter Parker becomes the infamous web-slinger, takes place on Earth-616, reported USA Today.

Spider-Gwen’s prominent role in the Spider-Verse crossover story was something of a gamble for Marvel writers. Bringing back a character that hasn’t been seen in over four decades had the potential to backfire, but it seems Marvel fans were ready and waiting for a new strong female superhero.

“We were pretty active about plastering it all over the Internet,” writer Jason Latour said.

“The response just seemed to balloon. People really liked the costume and they were really into the idea, and if you had your finger on the pulse of Tumblr — not that I do but if you just took a peek at it — it was insane before the book even came out with how much fan art and speculation there was about it.”

So, what else is known about Gwen Stacy? There wasn’t much to start with, but starting essentially from scratch can sometimes be better, and it has enabled Marvel to create an updated, smartphone-wielding, female lead to attract younger generations. ABC News reports that Spider-Gwen will have a unique life, very different from that of Peter Parker’s life in the Earth-616 universe. Gwen Stacy will be fending off J. Jonah Jameson’s attacks (He blames Spider-Gwen for the death of Peter Parker) and working with her rock and roll band when she’s not fighting crime and saving the innocents.

Latour is as excited about the debut of Spider-Gwen’s new storyline as the Marvel fans scouring the internet for more info on the newest female superhero.

“The fact that it’s a woman does change the meaning and subtext of everything that’s going on. As a creator, that’s really enjoyable and it opens up the story to go in a lot of directions it wouldn’t have gone before.”

Since this is an alternate universe in the larger Marvel universe, fans can expect Spider-Gwen to battle new villains. Long-time Marvel fans will also recognize old favorites, but they shouldn’t feel too comfortable with the classic villains, either. Even the old standbys will have a few surprises up their sleeves. After all, it is an alternate universe!

And it seems a movie isn’t far off, either! Sony may be plotting a new all-female Spiderman movie.

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