Conway later said his contribution to the decision was motivated by a desire to bring Mary Jane Watson to the forefront, as he shared Lee's feeling that she was a more interesting character than Gwen Stacy: " hadn't lost the edge that made her an interesting character. It was Romita who first suggested the idea, during a plotting session with Conway when Romita was still penciller on The Amazing Spider-Man. Together with inker John Romita, Sr., they came to the decision to have Gwen Stacy killed off. Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas succeeded Stan Lee as writer and editor, respectively, of The Amazing Spider-Man. However, Mary Jane Watson's unexpected popularity with readers after her debut changed the course of the plan as fans liked Mary Jane more and demanded for her to be Peter Parker's main love interest instead, and that "no matter how we wrote it, Mary Jane always seemed more interesting!" Death Īccording to Lee, who scripted all of the stories featuring Gwen Stacy up to this point, the original intent was for Gwen Stacy to be Spider-Man's central love interest. Gwen's feelings for Peter eventually prompted her to return to New York, and their relationship was rekindled. She wanted Peter to ask her to marry him and convince her to stay, but his guilt stopped him from proposing. Gwen blamed Spider-Man for his death, and left for Europe to cope with her loss. Though her father was both fond of Peter and supportive of his alter-ego Spider-Man, his death strained Peter's relationship with Gwen after he was killed by falling debris during a battle involving Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. Later issues introduced Gwen's father, NYPD Captain George Stacy, as well as her mother Helen Stacy and her uncle Arthur Stacy. Their relationship began almost immediately after Peter stopped going out with Mary Jane Watson, whom he began to see as shallow and self-absorbed. Gradually, however, a romance developed Gwen, a science major, appreciated Peter's intellect. She dated both Flash Thompson and Harry Osborn to make Peter jealous. In her initial appearances, Peter Parker met Gwen while both were studying as undergraduates at Empire State University, but with Aunt May in the hospital, Peter was troubled and ignored her advances. Fictional character biography Early history Stan Lee claimed that his wife, Joan, was the inspiration for Gwen. ( July 2013)Ĭreated by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, Gwen Stacy first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 (December 1965). An alternate reality rendition of the character was voiced by Hailee Steinfeld in the 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The character has been portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard in the 2007 film Spider-Man 3 and by Emma Stone in the 2012 reboot film The Amazing Spider-Man and its 2014 sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Her death has haunted Peter ever since, and stories published long afterwards indicate she still holds a special place in his heart. A college student and the daughter of George Stacy and Helen Stacy, she was the first romantic interest for Peter Parker following his high school graduation before she was murdered by the Green Goblin ( Norman Osborn). Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man. The Amazing Spider-Man #31 (December 1965) Artwork of the cover of Gwen Stacy #1 (February 2020)