History ComicBook / SpiderGwen

Spider-Gwen quickly found her way outside comic books, with a variant of the character who hails from the same universe as ComicBook/MilesMorales making an appearance in the final season of ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan'', just two years after her debut. ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'''s incarnation of Gwen Stacy would go on to develop spider powers herself later in the show's run[[note]](first during it's adapatation of ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'', with a MacGuffin later restoring them)[[/note]]. Versions of the character more reflective of this Gwen Stacy's backstory and persona would later appear in the ''Franchise/MarvelRising'' franchise (the first instance of the character using the alias "Ghost Spider") and Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation's ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse''.

Spider-Gwen quickly found her way outside comic books, with a variant of the character making an appearance in the final season of ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan'', just two years after her debut. [[note]]In ''Ultimate'', she comes from the same universe as Miles and took up the mantle after he had disappeared from his dimension to assist Peter during the show's second ''Spider-Verse'' arc.[[/note]] ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'' would also include her.[[note]]An adaptation of ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'' saw all of New York get spider powers, starting with Gwen, who had no SecretIdentity and was known as Spider-Gwen to the city; a MacGuffin would restore her powers a season later and she would take the name Ghost Spider and add the mask that the suit had lacked before; it is as yet unclear if her identity is supposed to be secret or not, and if it is, just how much anyone is really fooled.[[/note]] Versions of the character more reflective of this Gwen Stacy's backstory and persona from the comics would later appear in the ''Franchise/MarvelRising'' franchise (where she is referred to as Ghost Spider) and Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation's ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse''.

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Briefly gets one in the form of Rhino, who flirts with her while trying to kill her father in ''Edge'' #2.

As part of the ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel initiative that resulted in the aftermath of ''Secret Wars'', Gwen returned with a new ongoing title --''[[TheAdjectivalSuperhero Radioactive]] Spider-Gwen''-- while also featuring in the multiversal ''ComicBook/WebWarriors'', as a member of the team. This run had Latour et al. return, and ran for 34 issues. Upon Marvel's ''[[ComicBook/MarvelAFreshStart Fresh Start]]'', Gwen gained a new ongoing comic series entitled ''Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider'', with Latour's team leaving for a new creative team consisting of Creator/SeananMcGuire as writer, Takeshi Miyazawa as penciller [[note]]Rosi Kämpe during the ''Spider-Geddon'' arc[[/note]], and Ian Herring as colorist.

Spider-Gwen quickly found her way outside comic books, with a variant of the character making an appearance in the final season of ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan'', just two years after her debut. [[note]]In ''Ultimate'', she comes from the same universe as Miles and took up the mantle after he had disappeared from his dimension to assist Peter during the show's second ''Spider-Verse'' arc.[[/note]] ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'' would also include her. [[note]]An adaptation of ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'' saw all of New York get spider powers, starting with Gwen, who had no SecretIdentity and was known as Spider-Gwen to the city; a MacGuffin would restore her powers a season later and she would take the name Ghost Spider and add the mask that the suit had lacked before; it is as yet unclear if her identity is supposed to be secret or not, and if it is, just how much anyone is really fooled.[[/note]] Versions of the character more reflective of this Gwen Stacy's backstory and persona from the comics would later appear in the ''Franchise/MarvelRising'' franchise (where she is referred to as Ghost Spider) and Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation's ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse''.

[[RoleSwapAU But what happens when the script is flipped and their places are reversed]]? In the AlternateUniverse known as Earth-65, it was ''Gwen'' who got bitten by the radioactive spider and ''Peter'' who died on her watch. Here she's known as Spider-Woman, Ghost-Spider, or "[[FanNickname Spider-Gwen]]".[[note]]"Spider-Gwen", while a cool name, completely defeats the point of having a secret identity, so Gwen obviously never used it. It briefly caught on in-universe after she revealed her identity, but she considered it an AtrociousAlias. However, the FanNickname caught on with the publishers and was [[AscendedFanon adopted]] as the title for her solo series, making this a recursive, [[EnforcedTrope enforced]] case of IAmNotShazam.[[/note]]

[[RoleSwapAU But what happens when the script is flipped and their places are reversed]]? In the AlternateUniverse known as Earth-65, it was ''Gwen'' who got bitten by the radioactive spider and ''Peter'' who died on her watch. Here she's known as Spider-Woman, Ghost-Spider, or "[[FanNickname Spider-Gwen]]."[[note]]"Spider-Gwen", while a cool name, completely defeats the point of having a secret identity, so Gwen obviously never used it. It briefly caught on in-universe after she revealed her identity, but she considered it an AtrociousAlias. However, the FanNickname caught on with the publishers and was [[AscendedFanon adopted]] as the title for her solo series, making this a recursive, [[EnforcedTrope enforced]] case of IAmNotShazam.[[/note]]

''ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied'' is easily one of the best-known ComicBook stories of all time, infamous for killing off ComicBook/GwenStacy, then-girlfriend of ComicBook/SpiderMan. Though she's continued to live on in the MarvelUniverse since dying -- usually through clones and alternate universes -- she's almost always been defined by [[StuffedIntoTheFridge her death being used]] [[ILetGwenStacyDie as a means for Peter's character development.]]

[[RoleSwapAU But what happens when the script is flipped and their places are reversed]]? In the AlternateUniverse known as Earth-65, it was ''Gwen'' who got bitten by the radioactive spider and ''Peter'' who died on her watch. Here she's known as Spider-Woman, Ghost-Spider, or "[[FanNickname Spider-Gwen]]." [[note]]"Spider-Gwen", while a cool name, completely defeats the point of having a secret identity, so Gwen obviously never used it. It briefly caught on in-universe after she revealed her identity, but she considered it an AtrociousAlias. However, the FanNickname caught on with the publishers and was [[AscendedFanon adopted]] as the title for her solo series, making this a recursive, [[EnforcedTrope enforced]] case of IAmNotShazam.[[/note]]

Making her debut in ''Edge of Spider-Verse'' #2, a tie-in to the 2014-2015 ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'' event, [[SmurfetteBreakout Spider-Gwen struck a tremendous note with fans]], prompting Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}} to announce her own ongoing book just weeks after the one-off issue was published. Written by Jason Latour, illustrated by Robbi Rodriguez, and colored by Rico Renzi (the same creative team behind ''Edge'' #2), ''Spider-Gwen'' made its official debut in February 2015, following the publication of two other ongoing titles headlined by Spider-Women[[note]] Jessica Drew's ''[[ComicBook/SpiderWoman2014 Spider-Woman]]'' and Cindy Moon's ''ComicBook/{{Silk}}''[[/note]].

* SecretIdentity: By ''Radioactive Spider-Gwen'' #3, both Matt Murdock and Frank Castle knows Spider-Woman is Gwen Stacy. The former confronts George Stacy with the truth in that issue, figuring it out thanks to Spider-Gwen's behavior. Meanwhile, that issue had Castle actually see her unmasked and later figure out that the woman he fought was George's daughter due to ''his'' behavior. Mary Jane also comes to suspect that Gwen is the web-slinger by matching the superheroine's appearances with her bandmate's new tendency to suddenly disappear, though she's unable to convince the others of her theory.

* ILetGwenStacyDie: The series is set in a reality where ''Gwen'' was the person bitten by the spider and ''Peter'' died on her watch. [[TheLostLenore His death heavily plagues her with guilt.]]

After 10 issues, ''Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider'' would end and be replaced in with a SequelSeries: ''ComicBook/GhostSpider2019''. This series provides the biggest change to her status quo yet: Gwen will now [[CanonImmigrant immigrate]] to the mainstream [[Franchise/MarvelUniverse 616 universe]]. Splitting time as a college student and a superhero, now one of ''many'' and not the only one, Gwen finds all new challenges. See the relevant page for trope pertaining to that series.

* WhoWritesThisCrap: Utau the Watcher does not have a fond opinion of Earth-65, and does not like to have to keep watching it. The "Mary Janes" are discussing who will play the drums in Gwen's absense? MJ suddenly finds her ex? "Sigh". Even when Gwen bonds to the Venom symbiote and starts becoming a NominalHero, his response is {{invoked}} DarknessInducedAudienceApathy.

* ''VideoGame/SpiderManUnlimited'' (2014)

* ''VideoGame/MarvelHeroes'' (added in 2015)

* ''VideoGame/AvengersAcademy'' (2016)

* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder'' (2019)

** While dodging police cars in the first issue of the second volume, an ad can be seen for [[Franchise/IronMan Hammer Industries.]]

* AdaptationalVillainy:

But what happens when the script is flipped and their places are reversed? In the AlternateUniverse known as Earth-65, it was ''Gwen'' who got bitten by the radioactive spider and ''Peter'' who died on her watch. Here she's known as Spider-Woman, Ghost-Spider, or "[[FanNickname Spider-Gwen]]." [[note]]"Spider-Gwen", while a cool name, completely defeats the point of having a secret identity, so Gwen obviously never used it. It briefly caught on in-universe after she revealed her identity, but she considered it an AtrociousAlias. However, the FanNickname caught on with the publishers and was [[AscendedFanon adopted]] as the title for her solo series, making this a recursive, [[EnforcedTrope enforced]] case of IAmNotShazam.[[/note]]

* RoleSwapAU: A Canon WhatIf AlternateUniverse where Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker's roles are switched.

''ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied'' is easily one of the best-known ComicBook stories of all time, infamous for killing off Gwen Stacy, then-girlfriend of ComicBook/SpiderMan. Though she's continued to live on in the MarvelUniverse since dying -- usually through clones and alternate universes -- she's almost always been defined by [[StuffedIntoTheFridge her death being used]] [[ILetGwenStacyDie as a means for Peter's character development.]]

* SoundtrackDissonance: To show she still has a childish attitude in this universe, Earth-65 Cindy Moon sings "[[Disney/{{Aladdin}} A Whole New World]]" before telling Gwen and 616-Cindy that they can rule the world together.

* AdaptationalSexuality: [[spoiler:Mary Jane Watson]] is in a relationship with Glory Grant.

* AdaptationalSexuality: [[spoiler:Mary Jane Watson]] is [[BiTheWay in a relationship]] with Glory Grant.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Matt Murdock of Earth-65 is a corrupt lawyer and a murderous crime boss.

* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: Just as the title of her book implies, Gwen's are spiders, after the radioactive one that was the source of her powers. This becomes even more apt after the "Gwenom" arc, from which point [[spoiler:her costume and abilities come from a symbiote that presents as a enormous clutter of spiders she can control]].

** Officer Frank Castle is a straight example.

* DeclarationOfProtection: When Earth-616 Peter tells her about his failure to save his Gwen Stacy, and she tells him about her failure to save her Peter Parker, they make a deal to watch each other's backs.

* ForWantOfANail: In Gwen's home universe, ''she'' was the one bitten by the spider. Peter Parker, inspired by Spider-Woman, became the Lizard in an attempt to feel special himself. Peter's death at the hands of Gwen led to Harry Osborn feeling guilt for not being able to prevent it, spending the next few years working to become the Green Goblin to get revenge.

* GarageBand[=/=]GirlGroup: Gwen's the drummer of a band called [[SpotlightStealingSquad The Mary Janes]], with --you guessed it-- [[FaceOfTheBand Mary Jane Watson]] as the lead singer. Their most popular song is [[MythologyGag "Face It, Tiger."]]

* GreekChorus: The Watchers of Earth-65 occasionally shows up to play this role, with Earth-8 joining in sometimes.

** Volume 2, Issue #29 has the Watcher from Earth-8 show up to make sure 65 is doing his job and to see how things are going, since the events of Earth-65 form the foundation for that dimension. The duo spends the issue observing the events, before getting dragged into the plot themselves when [[spoiler:suddenly Gwen disappears from observable reality]].
--> '''Earth-8 Watcher''': "Did I just see your Uncle Ben tell your Gwen to... to... to [[spoiler:'''kill''' Matt Murdock?]] (...) He's an [[CoolOldGuy Uncle]] [[TheMentor Ben]], 65! He can't just-- 'Great Responsibility'? [[WhatTheHellHero Doesn't ring a #&$% bell]]?!"

** Earth-617 was previously used as the designation for a universe besieged by Nightmare. At the end of the ''Gwenom'' arc, [[spoiler: Gwen-65 is shown ''creating'' Earth-617 by being warped to the past of Earth-616 and running into her mainstream counterpart, causing a new offshoot timeline to form.]]

* ThinDimensionalBarrier: In one arc Gwen ends up in a parallel reality of the 616 universe, a little while before that reality's Gwen was killed by Green Goblin, and is forced to seek help from her. She theorizes that there are thin spots between realities one may be capable of traversing. To Spider-Gwen's [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe incredulity]], the nearest confirmed point is ''just'' above the water by the Brooklyn Bridge, and to achieve sufficient velocity to break through she needs to dive at it from the top.

* WhoWritesThisCrap: The Watcher does not have a fond opinion of Earth-65, and does not like to have to keep watching it. The "Mary Janes" are discussing who will play the drums in Gwen's absense? MJ suddenly finds her ex? "Sigh"

* TheHeavy: It's revealed during the ''Spider-Women'' crossover that [[spoiler: Earth-65 [[ComicBook/{{Silk}} Cindy Moon]]]] is responsible for giving Gwen her powers.