History ComicBook / TheNightGwenStacyDied

* KilledOffForReal: Gwen. Originally the plan with Osborn as well; they eventually brought him back, but it took 23 years.

** Later retcon would go on to have him [[spoiler: be revealed to have fathered children with Gwen Stacy while she was in Europe before her death.]]

---> '''Green Goblin:''' It's quite simple, web-spinner. Your presence in this world has been a source of constant agony to me. I wish you to leave it permanently. Or else...Gwen Stacy dies!

---> '''Spider-Man:''' Mister, are we living in the same universe? You killed my woman Goblin, and you're raging about a '''blasted bargain-basement toy?'''

* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: ''''NOPE''''.

* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Inverted big time.

After this little relapse, things didn't go so well for Osborn. Harry's drug use had taken its toll on his relationship with Mary Jane Watson, and she split it off with him. Devastated, he had a little relapse of his own, overdosing on LSD. Norman's business wasn't doing so hot either, and the coupled stress of his shattered home life and business life [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope drove him back into insanity]]. He took up the Goblin mantle again and kidnapped Gwen Stacy, knowing that Spider-Man would surely follow. Just to make sure Spider-Man knew it was him, he left one of his pumpkin bombs sitting on Gwen's purse. Spider-Man tracked the Goblin and an unconscious Gwen down to the George Washington Bridge (although just about any bridge in New York has been used in flashbacks or other continuities). The Goblin gave Spider-Man a SadisticChoice: surrender or Gwen died. Spider-Man and the Goblin began to fight, and in the midst of the battle, the Goblin threw Gwen off the bridge. Acting quickly, Spider-Man shot a webline to save her, [[ILetGwenStacyDie only to find her dead when he brought her up.]]

* ItGotWorse: As if Spidey's life didn't suck enough now, this story's events were the direct cause of TheCloneSaga, Harry becoming [[LegacyCharacter the next Green Goblin]], contracts being put out on Spider-Man that LukeCage and ThePunisher tried to fulfill, and indirectly allowing for [[TheOtherDarrin the Hobgoblin]] to exist.
** Later retcon would go on to have him [[spoiler: be revealed to have fathered children with Gwen Stacy while she was in Europe before her death.]]

The year was 1973. For ten years, Spider-Man had been one of Marvel's most popular characters. The patterns of Peter Parker's life were pretty well established. He attended Empire State University, fought creeps like [[MadScientist Doc Ock]], [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent the Lizard]], [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame Kraven the Hunter]], [[MasterOfIllusion Mysterio]], and [[AxCrazy the Green Goblin]], made money by selling pictures of himself in action to ''The Daily Bugle'' and its cantankerous publisher J. Jonah Jameson, and was deeply in love with Gwen Stacy.

* WhamEpisode: A hero never failed so spectacularly before. This storyline is considered one of the signs of the shift from the [[TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] to [[TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]]. The death of a main supporting character (excluding [[DeathByOriginStory those killed off at the beginning]]), let alone the [[LoveInterests love interest]], was unheard of at the time.

For the most part, superheroics had been a game to Parker. The closest he'd personally gotten to death was nearly being pinned under a ton of machinery in Doctor Octopus' lair, and he nearly always came out on top in the end. He did have a small problem where Gwen's father a cop died while he was fighting a battle, but that was written as a HeroicSacrifice after he was revealed to have [[DeathBySecretIdentity found out Peter's secret identity]] in 1970. It would be his secret identity being exposed again that would set into motion another series of tragic events. The [[NormanOsborn Green Goblin]] managed to stalk Spider-Man (whose spider-sense had been numbed) and discover that his greatest foe [[hottip:*:although this is Gobby in the '60s we're talking about. ''Only'' foe works too]] was no older than 19 or 20. He successfully captured Parker and in his arrogance revealed his identity as NormanOsborn, the father of Peter's classmate (and future roommate) Harry. Taking advantage of Osborn's inability to shut up, Spidey eventually broke free of his restraints and battled the Goblin. During the fight, an accident induced LaserGuidedAmnesia in Osborn, making him forget that he'd ever been the Green Goblin. Peter thought that he'd seen the last of the Goblin, until AmnesiacDissonance caught up with Osborn and he started remembering in short spurts that he was the Green Goblin. The first time this happened, it resulted in the also famous storyline ''The Goblin Returns,'' which challenged the Comics Code Authority's guidelines on portraying [[DrugsAreBad drug use]].

[[quoteright:350:[[{{Spider-Man}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/121-Cover-The-Night-Gwen-Stacy-Died_2550.jpg]]]]An iconic storyline in MarvelComics' ''[[Comicbook/SpiderMan The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' series, spanning issues #121-122 (June-July, 1973). As the title implies, it is infamous for killing off Spider-Man's girlfriend Gwen Stacy. It was written by Gerry Conway, and drawn by Gil Kane.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The Goblin attempts to kill Spider-Man by impaling him with his hovercraft, but Spidey jumps to avoid it and it hits Osborn instead.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: This storyline marks the beginning of Mary Jane's transition from shallow party girl, to valuable support and love interest for Peter.

* UnstoppableRage: The Goblin's response to the SkewedPriorities example above push Spidey into one.

* ThouShaltNotKill: The Goblin almost makes Spider-Man break his no-kill rule, but after nearly beating him to death, Spider-Man feels disgusted by himself and backs off.

* ThouShaltNotKill: The Goblin almost makes Spider-Man break his no-kill rule, but after almost beating him to death, Spider-Man feels disgusted by himself and backs off.

* WatchItStoned: Averted hard with Harry. LSD makes him a nervous schizophrenic wreck who becomes afraid to be alone, and begins wondering whether he even exists.

* CloseOnTitle: The title doesn't appear until the last panel, in order to prevent readers from discovering too early which character would get killed off.

For the most part, superheroics had been a game to Parker. The closest he'd gotten to death was nearly being pinned under a ton of machinery in Doctor Octopus' lair, and he nearly always came out on top in the end. And most importantly, he'd successfully kept his identity a secret. That changed when the Green Goblin managed to stalk Spider-Man (whose spider-sense had been numbed) and discover that his greatest foe [[hottip:*:although this is Gobby in the '60s we're talking about. ''Only'' foe works too]] was no older than 19 or 20. He successfully captured Parker and in his arrogance revealed his identity as NormanOsborn, the father of Peter's classmate (and future roommate) Harry. Taking advantage of Osborn's inability to shut up, Spidey eventually broke free of his restraints and battled the Goblin. During the fight, an accident induced LaserGuidedAmnesia in Osborn, making him forget that he'd ever been the Green Goblin. Peter thought that he'd seen the last of the Goblin, until AmnesiacDissonance caught up with Osborn and he started remembering in short spurts that he was the Green Goblin. The first time this happened, it resulted in the also famous storyline ''The Goblin Returns,'' which challenged the Comics Code Authority's guidelines on portraying [[DrugsAreBad drug use]].

* WhamEpisode: A hero never failed so spectacularly before. This storyline is considered one of the signs of the shift from the [[TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] to [[TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]]. The death of a main supporting character (excluding [[DeathByOriginStory those killed off at the beginning]]), let alone the [[LoveInterests love interest]] was unheard of at the time.

* WatchItStoned: Averted hard with Harry. LSD makes him a nervous schizophrenic wreck who becomes afraid to be alone, and begins wondering whether he even exists.