9 Worst Things That Ever Happened To Gwen Stacy
Somehow Gwen dying isn't even the worst thing to happen to her.
Gwen Stacy is one of the most important characters in the history of comic books.
While some may dismiss Gwen as merely a supporting player in the larger story of Spider-Man, she's far more than that. This is a character who was (and alt-world is?) pivotal in the comics industry, with Gwen being involved in several huge comic book moments and likewise being a major influence on the comic book business overall.
Created by the legendary duo of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy made her official bow in December 1965's The Amazing Spider-Man #31. At times depicted as a free spirited party girl, at others a super-smart genius, Gwen went on to become a prominent part of the Spider-Man comics over the next several years.
Of course, that "prominent part of" element was brutally brought to an end in 1973 when Gwen was killed off.
That moment in itself is such a key point in comic book history, but that, believe it or not, was not the only horrendous thing to have happened to Gwen.
If you thought death was bad, that’s sadly just the tip of the iceberg for the brilliant, but tragically doomed Gwen Stacy.
9. Being Omitted From FOX's Spider-Man Cartoon
FOX's Spider-Man: The Animated Series of the 1990s is seen as one of the greatest superhero shows of all-time, with the series beloved for the sheer number of characters and stories that it pulled directly from the comics.
While that animated offering featured pretty much any and all villains tied to Spidey's rogues' gallery, there were also fellow heroes turning up in the form of Daredevil, The Punisher, Iron Man, Captain America, and so many more.
On the love interest front, Peter Parker found himself involved with Mary Jane Watson, Felicia Hardy, and Debra Whitman at various times, but the one person conspicuous by their absence was Gwen Stacy.
For fans of ol' Web-head, the five seasons and 65 episodes of Spider-Man were sorely lacking on the Gwen front. It felt like a borderline insult to Gwen to have such a detailed, deep Spidey show and not include the character in any way bar a brief appearance from the Earth-31198 version of Gwendolyne Stacy.
Having had the chance to interview Spider-Man supervising producer Bob Richardson earlier this year, Bob explained:
"I think we wanted to concentrate on Mary Jane as Peter’s love life and avoid the whole Gwen Stacy death issue in Spidey’s fight with Green Goblin. Also, it was always a little wacky, from a story point of view, what Gwen actually died from: the shock of the fall; Spidey’s webbing breaking her fall and her neck and so on."