Spider-Man is a hero whose career is characterised by countless tragedies, from the shooting of his Uncle that starts him on the path to superherodom to that Iron Spider costume he wore during Civil War. Perhaps the greatest tragedy of all, however, was the Death of Gwen Stacy. Mary Jane may be the love of Peter Parker's life, but she was always second to Gwen, the blonde bombshell who saw past Peter's nerdy exterior and his teasing at the hands of her pals. Peter and Gwen's love was entirely believable, which made it all the more upsetting when she was kidnapped and then killed by the Green Goblin. Which would be a particularly horrible failure on Spidey's part as it was, if it weren't for the ambiguity if it was the Goblin's throwing her from the Brooklyn Bridge that killed Gwen, or if that "SNAP" sound effect when Spidey shoots a desperate line of webbing at his doomed lover was the web affixing to her leg...or her neck snapping. Heartbreaking. Which other super-failure moments would you include on this list? Share your own picks below in the comments thread.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
