8 Mysteries Even Spider-Man Couldn't Solve
5. What Really Killed Gwen - The Night Gwen Stacy Died
The specifics behind the death of Gwen Stacy was a mystery that Spider-Man couldn't give a definitive answer on for decades.
Of course, 1973's does-exactly-as-it-says-on-the-tin The Night Gwen Stacy Died is one of the most famous stories in Spider-Man lore. From Gerry Conway and Gil Kane - complete with legendary cover art from John Romita Sr. - this tale played out across just two issues and concluded with the tragic demise of Gwen.
For years, it was never known exactly what action caused the death of Peter Parker's first love.
Kidnapped by the Green Goblin and thrown off a bridge - depending on which books you're reading, said bridge varies between The George Washington Bridge and The Brooklyn Bridge - Spidey manages to fire off some webbing to help catch his falling beau. By the time the Wall-crawler gets to Gwen's body, she's dead... with the question being whether it was the shock of the fall that killed her, or whether Spider-Man's webbing had caused Stacy to fatally break her neck.
Even after then-Marvel Editor Roy Thomas stated Gwen's death was caused by the whiplash impact of Peter's web, that was conflicted in the comics by Green Goblin proclaiming it was the shock to her heart caused from the fall that was behind Gwen's demise.
Since then, there has been no set answer to this tragic question, with stories like 1994's Marvels miniseries claiming the fall caused Gwen's death, but then tales like Civil War stating it was indeed a broken neck that did Gwen in.