| 1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gwenpool_0.png]] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | ->''"A while ago I left the real world. I successfully traveled to the very weird space between realities, and emerged here. The comic book land of super heroes! And it was fun! I killed a bunch of rando fictional characters and got paid well for it. I knew the only way to survive in a place like this was to become a main character myself."'' |
| 4 | -->-- '''Gwen Poole''' |
| 5 | |
| 6 | You like ComicBook/SpiderGwen, you ''love'' ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}, so what could be better than these two together! No, not a team up, but as the same person (except not really)! |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Meet Gwendolyn Poole. She's from another universe, one where superheroes and space aliens exist only in the pages of comic books. A lifelong fan of comics, but especially Marvel's larger-than-life heroes, she one day finds herself displaced from her own New York City to [[Franchise/MarvelUniverse downtown Manhattan on Earth-616]], staring in awe as characters she grew up reading about rush past her to battle evil. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Realizing that she's quite literally [[TrappedInTVLand become a comic book character]], Gwen quickly decides to become a superhero, since no one wants to be a RedShirt extra. Dressed in a cheap, pantsless pink costume and armed with a pair of swords she bought on the internet, Gwen proceeds to sell her "skills" to the highest bidder as the rookie mercenary Gwenpool! |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Starting life in a series of WhatIf variant covers with ComicBook/GwenStacy as various heroes[[note]](kicked off by the unexpected popularity of the aforementioned Spider-Gwen)[[/note]], Gwen dressed as Deadpool became so incredibly popular -- especially among cosplayers -- that she got a backup story in a ''ComicBook/HowardTheDuck'' comic (later republished as ''Unbelievable Gwenpool #0''). Then a Christmas special. And finally her own ongoing series in the ''ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel'' lineup: ''The Unbelievable Gwenpool'' written by Christopher Hastings (''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja''), with art by the duo known as Creator/{{Gurihiru}}. This series served to give her a backstory which divorced her from her "Gwen Stacy Deadpool" origins and flesh her out into a proper character. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | Alas, while the series had its dedicated fans, it ended on its twenty-fifth issue. The character herself went on to be part of the short-lived ''ComicBook/MarvelAFreshStart'' version of ''{{ComicBook/West Coast Avengers|2018}}'' (2018 -- 2019). This was then followed by a five-issue limited series called ''Gwenpool Strikes Back'', wherein Gwen attempts to gain actual superpowers that can justify her continued existence in the Marvel universe. [[LateArrivalSpoiler Spoiler alert]], she succeeded, and has since made occasional appearances in other Marvel books and projects such as ''Webcomic/LoveUnlimited2022''. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | ---- |
| 17 | !!''Gwenpool'' provides examples of: |
| 18 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 19 | [[folder:General]] |
| 20 | * AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Funnily enough, she's this to ComicBook/HarleyQuinn, who herself had become Creator/DCComics' own answer to Marvel's ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} earlier in the 2010s as a comedic MetaGuy AntiHero. Both are blonde-with-dyed-highlights {{Genki Girl}}s who are also CuteAndPsycho and fill out the aforementioned MetaGuy AntiHero archetype. |
| 21 | * AmbiguousSituation: |
| 22 | ** How current Gwen's outside knowledge of the Marvel universe actually is. During ''Unbelievable'', it seemed to just be a vague mid-2010s.[[labelnote:A boring attempt to decode this.]]When we first see a glimpse of her world in Issue #3 of ''Unbelievable'', we see that ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'' was in theaters before she left: a movie which released in November 2016, 5 months after that issue came out, meaning Gwen was not only from our reality, but from the near future. Except, in Issue #16 ([[spoiler:when she returns to "the real world"]]), we see Gwen picking up her pull list at a comic store and there is talk about ''Comicbook/SecretWars2015'' being an ongoing event. The batch itself includes Issue #3 of the event, dating this as ''June 2015''. The following issue occurs a week later, with her dad talking about getting tickets for New York Comic-Con, which occurs yearly in October and starts selling tickets in May/June. So maybe they silently retconned Gwen to have left our reality sometime in Summer 2015? Well, that same issue also has a guy who is watching ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' for the third time that day... a movie that wasn't out until ''Spring 2016''.[[/labelnote]] This is further discussed in the letter section of ''Unbelievable'''s 24th issue, where Gwen theorizes [[spoiler:Ted's attempt to bring her back to the real world created a pocket dimension mimicking the time ''before'' she first entered the comic world, explaining away the inconsistencies]]. Later on, ''Gwenpool Strikes Back'' would have her reference concurrent events in other books, such as ''Immortal Hulk'', which suggests the possibility that she has some sort of ongoing awareness and knowledge; whether this is part of her powerset or a case of DependingOnTheWriter is up in the air. |
| 23 | ** Gwen specifically never explains how she entered the Marvel universe. Additionally, it's occasionally implied that she may never have been from the "real world" to begin within, but rather another Marvel dimension that is incredibly similar to ours. |
| 24 | ** If the events of ''Gwenpool Strikes Back'' [[spoiler:officially made her a mutant or not? It isn't made entirely clear if those within the Marvel universe merely ''consider'' her a mutant and she's able to play along with this misconception, or if her discussion with Kamala Khan actually resulted in her backstory actually being retconned to make her a reality warper native to 616.]] |
| 25 | * AnimalMotif: Gwen has an affinity for sharks. She's frequently seen with a cute shark styled backpack, some of her weapons have little shark faces on either them or the ammunition (as seen on the page image), her brief time with the West Coast Avengers had her tame and keep a young landshark as a pet, and in ''Gwenpool Strikes Again'' she has a shark in her costume as an online avatar. |
| 26 | * BadassNormal: Gwen has no powers. She is from the "real" world after all, so she starts out with a mountain of GenreSavvy and little else. As time goes on, she does get combat training courtesy of Batroc, and shows a natural affinity for gunplay. [[spoiler:Later subverted, as it turns out her being from the real world gives her the side effect of having some level of RealityWarping due to perceiving the universe as a comic book. Later series limited how well she could do this when she wasn't the main character, but by the end of ''Gwenpool Strikes Again'', she has full-time access to this power due to being retconned in-universe to be a mutant.]] |
| 27 | * BornLucky: Her taking advantage of tropes looks basically like ''supernatural luck'' to other characters. |
| 28 | * BreakingTheFourthWall: From the outside, and with extreme prejudice to boot. |
| 29 | * CanonImmigrant: In-Universe, Gwen originally hails from RealLife. Doctor Strange eventually helps "complete" her immigration, by way of "inserting" her life into the Marvel Universe. |
| 30 | * CListFodder: Referenced and defied as ''Comicbook/CivilWarII'' has Gwen running to Georgia for feeling "a D-list superhero like me is the kind that dies in these crossovers!" But down in the DeepSouth, she ends up stumbling upon Rocket Raccoon and Groot (or in her words, Squirrel and Talking Tree). |
| 31 | * ClothingDamage: Once Gwenpool suffers this, her [[MetaGuy Meta Gal]] nature makes her [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9KQakYw0C-k/V-xh4KZq87I/AAAAAAAAFC4/E_bRB1iirwAR6pw_Xh_1s9lGpqw6mdmAgCEw/s400/NickKhocke.PNG lampshade it to hell and back.]] |
| 32 | * ComicBooksAreReal: The whole premise of the book is a normal unremarkable girl that's a fan of Marvel comics suddenly finding herself living in the world she loves so much. Unfortunately for her, real or not, the characters of the Marvel Universe don't really seem to like a self-proclaimed hero that doesn't care about collateral damage or actually saving people. |
| 33 | * ComicBookLimbo: In ''Unbelievable'', Gwen is aware that the cancellation of her ongoing means this for her entire supporting cast. Meanwhile, her increased fear of this is the driving force of ''Strikes Back''. |
| 34 | * CompositeCharacter: In practice, despite her meta-origin being a variant cover of [[ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied Gwen Stacy]] dressed as ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}, it would be far more accurate to describe her as ComicBook/HarleyQuinn if she [[JustForFun/XMeetsY had the backstory]] of ComicBook/SuperboyPrime. |
| 35 | * DependingOnTheWriter: Discussed and played with extensively. |
| 36 | ** Knowing the cancellation of her ongoing series is imminent, Gwen becomes aware that her supporting cast will disappear into ComicBookLimbo along with her. However, isn't the case with Batroc the Leaper -- a very well established ComicBook/CaptainAmerica villain -- who will just be written differently to fit whatever stories they will need him for. Gwen is painfully aware of that and can only say goodbye to her friend before he's "gone". |
| 37 | ** The final issue on her ongoing also discusses this, with [[spoiler:''Good'' Future Gwen noting that this will happen to them should they be brought back in the future by any new creative team that's interested in using her.]] |
| 38 | ** [[LampshadedTrope Lampshaded]] in ''Gwenpool Strikes Back'' #4, where the titular Gwen (who later indentifies herself as a "bridge" Gwen) calls her previous incarnations from different titles and all their personalities are varying levels of crazy and chaotic. ''Champions'' and ''Rocket & Groot'' Gwen are the quickest to resort to violence, with the later even earning a negative comparison to ComicBook/HarleyQuinn. By contrast, the ''[[ComicBook/WestCoastAvengers2018 West Coast Avengers]]'' and ''Superior Spider-Man'' versions are more level-headed team players. And naturally, the one penned by Hastings is considered the sweet and adorable fan favorite and most likely to be recognized by general readers.[[note]]The original one from the ''Deadpool'' alternate cover and the ''Howard the Duck'' version [[ItMakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext were too busy doing other things to help out]].[[/note]] |
| 39 | * TheEarthPrimeTheory: Supposedly comes from the real world, or at least from a world where all the rest of Marvel continuity is the stuff of comic books. Notably, when she believes she's been sent home, she discovers that she really hasn't, and it's actually just a comic book version of her real home. She then returns to the main Marvel Universe. |
| 40 | * GenreSavvy: |
| 41 | ** Gwen is a huge comic nerd so she knows how the world works and can exploit it to do pretty much whatever she wants. To the point of knowing that any fall from a great height will most likely not be fatal, so why bother with parachutes. However, this is deconstructed as Gwen only has a certain amount of knowledge in certain facts, and her knowledge is colored by her biases, as well as the limitations of her mind. It takes her time in a high-pressure situation to even ''remember'' Thor's secret identity, and she only thinks of M.O.D.O.K as the MemeticLoser that some Marvel fans view him as rather than the very serious and credible threat he is in-universe. [[spoiler: She also doesn't read ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}''. Apparently, his brand of humor's a little too [[MemeticMutation "LOL Memes"]] for her tastes.]] |
| 42 | ** Her entire point of putting on a costume is because she's fully aware that anyone in this universe who isn't in colorful tights making a huge spectacle of themselves is more or less a RedShirt. She also abuses this for her merc jobs since she knows the high paying ones that list some no-name are easy cash since they lack plot armor. [[spoiler: Unfortunately for her, one contract messed up the details and instead of fighting some random vampire like she prepared for, she had to face a HALF-vampire. Gwen knew [[ComicBook/{{Blade}} exactly who the contract was referring to]] once this clarification was noted, causing her to panic.]] |
| 43 | ** [[spoiler:Future Gwen fully abuses the fact that editors and fans won't allow her bigger actions to stick without an instant SnapBack to the status quo to have as much fun as she wants without having to worry about consequences. She abuses it and other laws of the Marvel Universe to become the most effective supervillain, mostly for her own amusement.]] |
| 44 | * IncomingHam: Gwenpool makes her first appearance to Black Cat (and the audience) by bursting through a door while on her motorcycle and shouting [[http://pre15.deviantart.net/a6a0/th/pre/i/2016/103/7/9/gwenpool_s_grand_entrance__hello_world__by_sunsetrising_art-d9y94t5.jpg "HELLO WORLD!"]] |
| 45 | * NoFourthWall: Gwen much like Deadpool knows and loves the fact that she is in a comic-book world. She frequently talks to and about the reader and she loves bringing up tropes. This is because she's from a world where the Marvel heroes are fictional. Doctor Strange eventually gets to see a glimpse of her world, and is mildly pleased that he's portrayed by Creator/BenedictCumberbatch. Though unlike Deadpool, Gwen can't "see" stuff like voice balloons or narration boxes, she is just aware that she now lives in a world she read about in comics. She does however see the world in the style of the artist on the book. |
| 46 | -->'''Gwen:''' [After asking a guy about his name and job] Sorry, I had to ask. I'm used to you looking more ''Quinones''[[note]]Artist of Howard the Duck[[/note]], and right now you're more ''Beyruth''[[note]]Artist of the Gwenpool backup stories[[/note]]... |
| 47 | ** In her cameo appearance in ''Rocket Raccoon & Groot'', she responded to Kitty Pryde randomly showing up for a gratuitous cameo with: |
| 48 | --->'''Gwen:''' Is ***ing Bendis writing this?! |
| 49 | ** This changes when she hits the "Beyond the Fourth Wall" arc in ''Unbelievable''. [[spoiler:From that point forward, not only does she begin to see all the comic book conventions around her, but they become {{Metafictional Device}}s that she can interact with like real world objects.]] |
| 50 | * SavingChristmas: What Gwen has to do in the Merry Mix-Up holiday special or Galactus will bring the presents, and pants will be given instead of thanks and so forth ''forever''. [[spoiler:Turns out Santa wanted to take a year off but overshot the magic which resulted in a whole lot of odd mixed-up holidays... and random cosmic horrors at the north pole.]] |
| 51 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Leaves the Champions when she realizes that they are dealing with relatable, real world issues instead of over the top super villainy. |
| 52 | * SecretSecretKeeper: Due to the fact Gwen used to be an ordinary comic book reader she knows all[[note]]or at least most[[/note]] secret identities but most superheroes don't seem to know she even exists and she hasn't made any mention of it to the few she has met. This is deconstructed when Gwen meets Comicbook/{{Thor|2014}} [[spoiler:who nearly kills her just for calling her "Jane".]] And comes to aid her when Gwen goes to search for Cecil in Comicbook/GhostRider's high school (while blindfolding Hawkeye to ensure Robbie remains undercover). |
| 53 | * VariantCover: Gwen owes her entire existence to this, Doylistically. A set of themed variant covers showing ComicBook/SpiderGwen dressed up as the comics' protagonists included one of her in a pink version of ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'s costume, which became so popular with fan-artists and cosplayers that Marvel decided to introduce a version of the character to the actual comics. |
| 54 | * VitriolicBestBuds: Gwen has this with her {{Frenemy}} Deadpool. She claims she finds him annoying and never read his comics because they were too "LOL MEMES" for her taste. Despite this, they have teamed up several times in each other's books. In ''Gwenpool Strikes Back'' they apparently get along fairly well as fellow fourth-wall breakers and Gwen is even comfortable enough around him to [[FirstNameBasis call him "Wade"]]. |
| 55 | * WrongGenreSavvy: |
| 56 | ** In an issue of ''ComicBook/Champions2016'', she's convinced that a small town ran by a bigoted sheriff is actually being controlled by a hidden supervillain. The team comes close to beating her senseless over the fact that, sorry, people can be that evil without the aid of supervillains. She disappears at the end of the issue ''still'' convinced about hidden villains. In her defense, there have been ''many'' stories where it's revealed that [[TownWithADarkSecret a supervillain is behind a small town's populace acting shady]]. It's just that she didn't accept that ''The Champions'' is a book focused on real-world issues and subverts thus tropes like that. |
| 57 | --->'''Gwen:''' If I wanted to navigate [[GreyAndGrayMorality amoral shades of gray]] -- [[{{escapism}} Yuck]] -- I would have stayed on my ''[[RealLife own]]'' Earth. |
| 58 | ** When fighting [[spoiler:Deadpool]] in issue 13 of ''Unbelievable'', Gwen realizes how badass he is, but assumes she'll be safe since this is her own book and she'll have PlotArmor. The moment she says that very thing out loud, [[spoiler:Wade]] figures out what's going on and gives her a long ReasonYouSuckSpeech regarding her reliance on plot armor when she is still effectively a D-lister trying to fight an [[PopularityPower extremely popular A-lister]]. The only way she gets out of this is by pointing out that if everything he said is true, why is he playing along with Arcade's game? |
| 59 | --->'''[[spoiler:Deadpool]]:''' [[spoiler:I've had hundreds of issues. I don't know how many series. I guest appear '''everywhere'''. Comics, [[VideoGame/{{Deadpool}} video]] [[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 games]], TV shows, and let's not forget, [[Film/Deadpool2016 the highest-grossing R-Rated film of all time]]. You however, first appeared as a back-up in ''ComicBook/HowardTheDuck'' because they weren't sure if anyone would like you]]. You are the last person who can kill me. |
| 60 | [[/folder]] |
| 61 | |
| 62 | [[folder:''The Unbelievable Gwenpool'' (2016-2018)]] |
| 63 | * NinetiesAntiHero: Gwen attempts to [[InvokedTrope invoke]] this in Issue #6. After getting [[TheCape reprimanded by Miles]] for trying to kill one of his classmates, Gwen starts to wax poetic over how the two are destined to have a LetsYouAndHimFight and TeethClenchedTeamwork dynamic for years to come. |
| 64 | * AlasPoorYorick: Done with [[spoiler:Cecil's]] skull in Issue 2. |
| 65 | * AlreadyDoneForYou: In the first issue, Gwen takes a job to deal with Teuthidans selling weapons to HYDRA, only to find that someone else had already dealt with it. She kills him and takes the credit for it. [[spoiler:This gets her involved in M.O.D.O.K.'s business.]] |
| 66 | * {{Animesque}}: The first series courtesy of being drawn in Gurihiru's typical style. |
| 67 | * ApprovalOfGod: InUniverse. At one point, Dr. Strange takes a look into our universe and approves of Creator/BenedictCumberbatch's casting as him in [[Film/DoctorStrange2016 the 2016 movie]]. |
| 68 | * ArmorPiercingQuestion: |
| 69 | -->'''Gwen:''' ''[to Deadpool after his ReasonYouSuckSpeech about PopularityPower]'' If you're so ''powerful''... If you know all this... ''stuff''... Then ''why'' are you trapped by ''Arcade''? Why are you ''playing out'' this story? |
| 70 | * ArrestedForHeroism: Gwenpool foils a bank robbery by killing the robbers with her guns and a grenade, which damages the building. She expects to be rewarded and showered with praise, but the citizens are understandably terrified of her and she gets arrested. Fortunately for her, the police officer driving the car decides to quit and releases her in exchange for all her money. |
| 71 | * ArtShift: Some issues have other artists alongside or in place of Gurihiru, such as Danilo Beyruth, Alti Firmansyah, or Irene Strychalski. There's also an ImagineSpot in issue #8 that's even more cartoonish than usual. In the case of issue #13, the art shift from Alti Firmansyah to Gurihiru happens in the middle of the story, and it's noticed by Gwen herself. |
| 72 | * AscendedFangirl: She was a huge Marvel comic-book nerd in real life, and now she is living in the Marvel Universe. |
| 73 | * AttentionDeficitOohShiny: |
| 74 | ** Batroc accuses Gwen of "Attention Deficit... Ooh, Superheroes!" |
| 75 | --->'''Gwen:''' Tell him I--\ |
| 76 | '''Batroc:''' Got excited to run off with Spider-Man and abandoned us? |
| 77 | ** In issue #16 Gwen is called out by her dad on her short attention span and never finishing what she started. |
| 78 | * BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Cecil gets resurrected]] by some mystic intervention from Doctor Strange in issue 4. [[spoiler:He's a ghost for a couple of issues, before Gwen uses a magical gem to let his spirit inhabit the body of a mindless Asgardian beast.]] |
| 79 | -->[[spoiler:'''Cecil:''']] I'm dead. I'm a ghost.\ |
| 80 | '''Gwen:''' Yes, but we won! Victory hug! |
| 81 | * BadassNormal: Batroc the Leaper is the only actual combat specialist of M.O.D.O.K.'s crew, teaching Gwen how to fight and being capable of faring slightly better against Thor than others. |
| 82 | * BadFuture: [[spoiler:Gwen at some point becomes a villain (complete with an EvilCostumeSwitch that includes pants) and more or less Marvel's greatest troll, leaking everyone's identities and secrets and maneuvering them against each other for her amusement while she avoids retribution by popping in and out of the void between panels. This world's versions of Miles Morales, Vinnie Doonan, and the Terrible Eye travel back in time to try and SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong]]. |
| 83 | * BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: In order to keep her book going, Gwen decides to go take down one of the biggest, baddest villains in Marvel history, ComicBook/DoctorDoom. [[spoiler:On top of her frustration upon finding out that he's trying to redeem himself by becoming Iron Man, she slices a gash in him that causes pages of his past and a fully-villainous classic version of Doom to come out.]] |
| 84 | * BigWhat: [[spoiler:Cecil's death]] causes this reaction from Gwen. |
| 85 | * BittersweetEnding: |
| 86 | ** The ending of Issue 10. [[spoiler:Gwen convinces Vincent to destroy the Teuthidans but now M.O.D.O.K base is destroyed, the M.O.D.O.K mooks are jailed, Gwen's friends decide to go their separate ways and Gwen tearfully declares she'll be going on the most insane and self-destructive mission she can get.]] |
| 87 | ** How the fourth arc ends; [[spoiler:Gwen has successfully defeated her future self and resisted turning evil, in order to ensure that she'll never have to hurt the people she loves to stay relevant in the comics. But she acknowledges that this likely comes with the cost of hurting her comic and eventually fading into obscurity, likely dooming her to CannonFodder.]] |
| 88 | * BlandNameProduct: ''[[Videogame/GrandTheftAuto Car Crimes VII]]''. Especially interesting that this isn't an Earth-616 example, but instead from [[spoiler:(a pocket universe imitation of) Gwen's home reality]]. |
| 89 | * BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: [[spoiler:Future Terrible Eye's]] other idea how to keep [[spoiler:Gwen]] from becoming a villain. Which horrifies both her and [[spoiler:Teddy]], and prompts Vincent questioning how permanent this solution would be (as it turns out, not very). |
| 90 | * BreakingTheFellowship: [[spoiler:After thwarting the Tuethidans and saving her friends, Batroc has to remind Gwen and the others that their base is destroyed, their henchmen are all arrested, they're completely broke, and their one steady customer will never work with them again. As they are all wanted criminals with no resources now, their best option is to part ways and lay low for a while.]] |
| 91 | * BreakingTheFourthWall: Somewhat '''''literally''''' in the second part of the fourth arc. Gwen punches a hole in the panel boundary with a pen, with her seeing a form of DrosteImage of her selves through the gap, due to the nature of the hole, before she literally falls right out of the page due to the irrecoverable damage her little experiment did. |
| 92 | * BrickJoke: Big Ronnie gives her a magic egg that will summon ComicBook/DoctorStrange for a consultation. Strange tells Gwen that he hopes Ronnie didn't charge her much for it, as it was a Christmas present. Next issue, Gwen has a charge on her account from Ronnie for half a million dollars. |
| 93 | * TheBusCameBack: After being absent for a while, Big Ronnie returns in issue 10. |
| 94 | * CallBack: |
| 95 | ** During her first meeting with Batroc, Gwen proves her logic by pointing out that he can remember nothing prior to his debut appearance. In Issue 20, [[spoiler:BadFuture Gwen pulls the same trick on her.]] |
| 96 | ** In Issue 21, Gwen decides that she'll become an Avenger, and it will work, "not like my stint with the ComicBook/{{Champions|2016}}". |
| 97 | * CaptainObvious: Sadly necessary for other characters to be this to Gwen sometimes, especially in early issues. |
| 98 | -->'''Gwen:''' *charges into situation*\ |
| 99 | '''Howard:''' You have guns! They work from afar! |
| 100 | * CelebrityParadox: If Gwen is in fact from a Marvel universe, she is from one where Marvel exists and publishes the same comics it publishes in our world. |
| 101 | * CharacterDevelopment: |
| 102 | ** Lampshaded in Issue 13. |
| 103 | --->'''Mega Tony:''' I really thought you were just some... force to ruin my life.\ |
| 104 | '''Gwen:''' You probably weren't wrong! But you know... character arcs and stuff. |
| 105 | ** During Issue 20, Gwen finally hits the point where she no longer considers all the "fictional" characters expendable after a HeelRealization. |
| 106 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: The Terrible Eye due to her mask. Without it she's a bubbly PerkyGoth, with it she gains some form of cosmic knowledge but the breadth of information all at once makes her... quite strange. |
| 107 | * CombatPragmatist: Gwen doesn't really care how she destroys her opponent as long it works (when in doubt [[StuffBlowingUp EXPLOSIVES]]!), this is the other way she balances for her utter lack of training and abilities. And when Batroc assessed her abilities (apparently she has good affinity to guns and went from "cannot hit the side of the barn" to "almost perfect as long nothing moves erratically" in ''one day'') he also included some advice about ''fighting dirty''. |
| 108 | * ContinuityNod: |
| 109 | ** In issue 2 of Gwenpool, she brings up MODOK'S retirement at the end of ''Secret Avengers'' volume 3. |
| 110 | ** In issue 5, when she meets Miles Morales and needs to explain how she knew he was Spider-Man, instead of telling the truth, thinking he wouldn't believe her, she concocts a story about being bequeathed a lot of knowledge by a [[spoiler:[[ComicBook/OriginalSin dying Watcher]].]] |
| 111 | ** Issue 10 has Ronnie commenting that thanks to having used so much pink fabric to [[spoiler:create the Poole Boys' uniforms]], there won't be enough to make Gwen a pair of pants for her suit, something she had already complained about before. |
| 112 | * ConversationalTroping: After Batroc takes Gwen under his wing and gets to entertain her worldview we get this bit of FridgeHorror laden bit (shortened) on the nature of superhero comics: |
| 113 | -->'''Batroc:''' So you believe you're in a fictional world... some sort of FairyTale?\ |
| 114 | '''Gwen:''' Sure.\ |
| 115 | '''Batroc:''' Ah. But fairy tales mean [[HappilyEverAfter happy endings]]. They do not exist here. I will tell you. I have known my share of defeat and disappointment.\ |
| 116 | '''Gwen:''' Oh Batroc... that's because you're the [[TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin bad guy in the stories]].\ |
| 117 | '''Batroc:''' Indeed? So, you would say I am just a villain in Comicbook/CaptainAmerica's ongoing tale? (...) He has fought for decades, with only [[StatusQuoIsGod ze illusion of meaningful victory]]. Ze world is [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed no safer place]] [[CrapsackWorld because of him]]. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption He struggles for]] ''[[FailureIsTheOnlyOption nothing]]''. (...) |
| 118 | ** In Issue 21, Gwen says the snake charmer Master could do his monologues much faster if he didn't indulge in SssssnakeTalk. |
| 119 | * CrazyPrepared: Subverted. M.O.D.O.K. gets the upper hand with his fight against Gwenpool because he has countless defense measures [[BagOfHolding stored in him]], but he's unprepared for her [[spoiler:emergency summoning of Cecil's ghost.]] |
| 120 | -->'''Security system:''' Warning! Cyber attack! Unknown origin!\ |
| 121 | '''M.O.D.O.K.:''' It's a ghost! Activate ghost defense!\ |
| 122 | '''Security system:''' That does not exist. Rocket compromised. |
| 123 | * CurbstompBattle: In issue 6, Gwen tries to fight Miles Morales. He takes her out with one punch while explicitly ''holding back''. |
| 124 | * DarkIsNotEvil: At one point, Gwen is hired by a town of peaceful undead monsters to protect them from Blade, who assumes they're evil. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope They have been stealing life force from their own children for decades, though.]]]] |
| 125 | * DeathAmnesia: [[spoiler:Cecil]] doesn't remember anything about an afterlife. This doesn't stop other characters from asking him about it and building their own theories around it. |
| 126 | * DeconstructiveParody: Seems to be one towards the ever popular SelfInsertFic by showing what could happen when a regular comic reader gets stuck in the Marvel Universe. Gwen believes that since she's the main character and the world isn't real, she can do whatever she wants without consequence. [[WrongGenreSavvy The Marvel Universe intends to prove her wrong]]. Examples include: |
| 127 | ** While Deadpool's BreakingTheFourthWall moments are quick, fleeting and leave everyone around him confused, Gwenpool goes into complete rants, leading to people asking if she's insane. |
| 128 | ** Being a girl from the real world, Gwen's essentially a SecretSecretKeeper to the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe. This proves to be a bad thing when she yells out [[ComicBook/Thor2014 the female Thor's]] identity and her response is to threaten to smash her head into the wall for saying so, forcing her to VerbalBackspace. |
| 129 | ** Issue #19 has a Future Miles Morales [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness who actually wants to kill her]] over a terrible disaster she causes in the future. Said disaster is [[spoiler:Gwenpool [[DrunkWithPower going mad]] with her RealityWarping powers and deciding to out the identities of all the superheroes, eventually creating a CrisisCrossover that results in many lives lost (including Miles' wife, child, parents) all because [[ItAmusedMe she thought it would be fun]].]] |
| 130 | ** [[WrongGenreSavvy This ties to the fact]] that she is an absolute CosmicPlaything never catching a break: |
| 131 | *** Wants to be a Deadpool lolsorandumb character? Fails at it and gets tortured by her own conscience. |
| 132 | *** Obtains reality breaking superpowers? She turns into a supervillain in the future that is hated by all the people she idolizes. |
| 133 | *** Defeats said supervillain? [[spoiler: Only to trigger the countdown of her own demise]]. |
| 134 | * DelayedNarratorIntroduction: In the first issue, she outright points out that she isn't in the truck that's shown in the panel, then points herself out in the background a few pages later (as a customer in the bank the occupants of the truck are about to rob). |
| 135 | * DestinationDefenestration: When his accountant fails to find any records on Gwen, M.O.D.O.K. [[YouHaveFailedMe throws him out the window to his death]]. |
| 136 | * DeterioratesIntoGibberish: Gwen frequently when meeting her favourite supers (non sequitur babbling being the best case). Which made some people question if this is her [[TheKnightsWhoSaySquee fangirlism]], or is she [[GibberishOfLove crushing]] on ''[[ExtremeOmnisexual everybody]]''? Given this is a Deadpool derivative book both are reasonable alternatives. |
| 137 | * DeusExMachina: Part of the reason Gwenpool even has a shot of surviving is because events keep conspiring to constantly save her. Lampshaded in issue 4. |
| 138 | -->'''Gwen:''' Well, you see, I'm pretty sure this is a fictional world, and I might be the hero, so I kind of have a deus ex machina happening. Sometimes. |
| 139 | * DidntThinkThisThrough: Gwen's very first appearance had her stealing a horrible virus from Black Cat, and then [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter selling it to Hydra because she needed money]] and was sure The Avengers would solve it. Howard The Duck then convinces her this will not be the case, forcing a team-up to take the virus back (the [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute not Madam Hydra]] in charge even recognizes Gwen as the one who sold them the thing...). |
| 140 | * TheDragon: Gwen is forced to become [[spoiler:M.O.D.O.K]]'s top lieutenant after she kills his previous one. |
| 141 | * EndOfSeriesAwareness: The defeat of [[spoiler:Evil!Gwenpool]] effectively foreshadowed the conclusion of this series, with Gwen guessing she's only got two more issues of her comic left when talking to Victor von Doom in issue #23. This was confirmed to be the case via press release shortly after. |
| 142 | * TheEndOrIsIt: Issue 16 ends with Gwen [[https://i.redd.it/t6h1i5qbtu0z.png literally finding The End]], bordering on PostModernism. |
| 143 | * {{Expy}}: Ronnie is pretty clearly inspired by [[Franchise/TheIncredibles Edna Mode]], what with her chosen profession and strong aversion of an article of clothing. |
| 144 | * ExactTimeToFailure: A non-lethal version, but in the final issue Gwen is given an amulet [[spoiler:that signifies the remaining page count until the issue, and by extension her series, ends.]] |
| 145 | * FighterMageThief: The agents of [[spoiler:M.O.D.O.K.]] are meant to be the classic D&D fighter, thief, mage, and ''healer'' group. Which is even pointed out and lampshaded several times. So the thief is Batroc, the mage is Sarah, the healer is Tony, the fighter... was the [[NoNameGiven nameless guy]] Gwen killed at the beginning of the series[[spoiler:, which made her his replacement, [[SubvertedTrope unfortunately]] she is useless as the team [[MightyGlacier tank]]]]. |
| 146 | * {{Flanderisation}}: When Gwen tries her hand at villainy to stay relevant, [[spoiler:her future self becomes so evil it travels back in time and tries to kill her]]. |
| 147 | * FourthWallMailSlot: After the first in issue #16, Gwen took over the letters page. |
| 148 | * FreudianExcuse: Vincent's backstory in issue #9. [[spoiler:He is an experimental Doombot with advanced AI, who was activated exactly when [[Comicbook/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl old woman Squirrel Girl]] attacked Doom's base so his very first memory is Doom being Doom and superpeople fighting. He runs away and gets taken in by a kindly man named Phineas, who fixed his glitches and helped him to blend in better. Unfortunately Phineas shared many [[FantasticRacism prejudices]] and grievances that plague the Marvel civilians which ultimately pushed him to the path of super villainy and he became the Tinkerer, while Vincent could do nothing to help his only friend. [[BoomerangBigot So he left and swore to rid the world of superpeople]].]] |
| 149 | * FunnyBackgroundEvent: The baby pig Gwen dresses up like her to trick the Teuthidans after her is shown to have been kept captive by them still for some reason after they've realized it's not her in issues 9 and 10. It pretty much exists in these issues to take up a little bit of space of the page to look cute and funny. |
| 150 | * GrandfatherParadox: Future!Sarah argues that they can't have [[YouAlreadyChangedThePast already changed the past]], seeing as they're still there. |
| 151 | * GrandFinale: Issue 25 is a compressed version of tying up a whole lot of plot threads [[spoiler:from resurrecting Cecil for real this time to saving Teddy from hell.]] Interspersed are conversations about the series ending [[spoiler:from Future Gwenpool]]. |
| 152 | * HowDoIShotWeb: A significant chunk of issue #17 is spent with Gwen trying learn how to [[spoiler:be a NinjaProp.]] Her success was... questionable. People will look at you funny if you claim you got in their faces because you were [[spoiler:trying to touch the panel border]], or will jump to all sorts of conclusions when you fall out of a window because [[spoiler:you overnarrated]]. |
| 153 | * IKnowMortalKombat: |
| 154 | ** Gwen is able to defeat a Sentinel after she realizes that they use the same attack patterns as the ones in the [[VideoGame/XMen arcade game]]. |
| 155 | ** How Gwen's party almost defeats [[spoiler:Deadpool]]. She basically goes into gamer think ([[TheChessmaster mental chessboard/Tactical RPG movement grid]] included). Unfortunately, she then has to gloat [[spoiler:which gives Deadpool the idea to make this a meta-off (literally flipping the mental chess board)]]. |
| 156 | * IResembleThatRemark: |
| 157 | -->'''Gwen:''' Also, you were kind of created to be a big goofy French stereotype.\ |
| 158 | '''Batroc:''' [[PoirotSpeak Quoi]]? |
| 159 | * IgnoredEpiphany: After [[spoiler: Dr. Strange resurrects Cecil as an Astral Spirit]], Gwen goes back to disregarding her previous realization to not treat her surroundings like a comic book story. |
| 160 | * ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Gwen is never even scratched by enemy fire in the many shootouts she takes part in -- the only time she's actually hit, the world runs on tabletop RPG rules and she's quickly healed. This is eventually explained as [[spoiler:her RealityWarping powers making everyone trying to shoot her suddenly have an awful aim, regardless of actual skills]]. |
| 161 | * {{Intangibility}}: The bane of [[spoiler:Cecil]]'s ghostly existence. From Gwen falling through him to the inability to open a book. |
| 162 | * {{Irony}}: Despite her behavior as a SociopathicHero, her status as a huge comic nerd, and her decision to stick with the costume theme that was chosen for her, Gwen knows almost nothing about Deadpool. She notes that she never read his books since she considered the character too obnoxious and "lol memes" for her back when she read comics. |
| 163 | * ItAmusedMe: [[spoiler:That BadFuture that the Terrible Eye, Miles and Vincent Doonan are trying to prevent happens because Gwen uses her meta knowledge to reveal all kinds of terrible secrets leading to a cataclysmic superhero war and for what reason? Because she thought it'd be fun to watch.]] |
| 164 | * ItsAllAboutMe: As a result of her genre savviness, Gwen is incredibly self-absorbed, seeing herself as an infallible protagonist with PlotArmor and other characters as simply plot devices varying in importance. |
| 165 | * JerkassHasAPoint: |
| 166 | ** Batroc isn't a nice person to put it mildly, but he isn't wrong when he called Gwen a "fraud" and points out all her lacking fighting skills. |
| 167 | ** He is also right to point out that just because the "heroes" win, that doesn't mean they are necessarily better off than the villains. If Batroc is destined to always lose, then so is ComicBook/CaptainAmerica because no matter how many fights he wins, he still never gets his HappilyEverAfter. |
| 168 | * KarmaHoudini: Gwen assumes this is her power at first. And… she's not wrong. |
| 169 | * LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Issue 16 debuts the letters page... only for Gwen, who thought she was back in her original world, to get weirded out by the dialogue, and notice both "THE END" and "TO BE CONTINUED". The next issue goes one step beyond, with Gwen [[NinjaProp managing to touch the panel edges and the thought balloon]]. |
| 170 | * LeotardOfPower: Albeit one with long sleeves. In the words of Ronnie, "Big boots! No pants!" |
| 171 | * LetsYouAndHimFight: |
| 172 | ** Averted. When Gwen and Miles Morales meet they don't fight until later when Gwen tries to [[spoiler:murder one of his classmates]] at which point she says they should've fought in the beginning over a silly misunderstanding before eventually teaming up. |
| 173 | * TheMentor: Baltroc the Leaper becomes this for Gwen, teaching her how to fight and properly shoot. |
| 174 | * MistakenForRacist: |
| 175 | ** Exploited by Gwen in issue 11 who, while travelling by train, wears multiple religious symbols along with a bunch of wooden stakes and hammer on her person to draw away from the fact that she also brought a backpack full of guns. The guy in charge is too afraid of being seen as a bigot to tell her to get off the train. |
| 176 | ** After having dealt with a group of talking frogs, Gwen is freaked out when she hears Batroc utter her name and assumes he's another frog. Half-jokingly, Batroc tells her to stop throwing slurs at him. |
| 177 | * MistakenIdentity: |
| 178 | ** Her tailor mistook her for one of Deadpool's associates due to her last name. Her costume was made as a feminine match to his because of the confusion. |
| 179 | ** Deadpool acknowledges the fact that this exists for Gwen on the meta level. |
| 180 | --->'''Deadpool:''' You said your name is Gwen? I guarantee anyone who doesn't follow this series will think you're Gwen ''Stacy''. |
| 181 | * MoodWhiplash: |
| 182 | ** Gwen learning that she has PlotArmor due to being the title character. [[spoiler: That PlotArmor didn't extend to her sidekick Cecil.]] |
| 183 | ** The second part of her team up with ComicBook/MilesMorales. Everything about the team up initially points towards HilarityEnsues until Gwen tries to kill one of Miles' classmates, rationalizing it as him just being a villainous bit player in the comic book story. Miles is most definitely not ok with that and he ties her up and leaves her to get arrested. |
| 184 | * MythologyGag: |
| 185 | ** When Gwen tries to recall Comicbook/{{Thor|2014}}'s name she first remembers that [[spoiler:[[Film/{{Thor}} Natalie Portman played her]].]] |
| 186 | ** Doctor Strange gets to see a [[Film/DoctorStrange2016 fictional version of himself]] in Gwen's home universe. He seems to approve the decision of casting Creator/BenedictCumberbatch in the title role. |
| 187 | ** In her crossover with Miles Morales, after having dealt with a bombing in Miles' school, Gwen references the first thing Mary Jane told Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, "Face it, tiger... You just hit the jackpot!" |
| 188 | --->'''Gwen:''' Face it, tiger! You just got a study buddy! |
| 189 | ** In issue #1, Gwen briefly wonders if her suit was supposed to be a bathing suit likely a reference to the [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/Gwen_Stacy_Deadpool_Amalgam.jpeg variant cover]] she originated from. |
| 190 | * NinjaProp: Gwen learns how to move out of the borders of the panels onto a featureless void (which she calls "The Gutter", after the technical name of the space between columnspages), and even uses it drop Paste-Pot Pete. |
| 191 | * NominalImportance: Invoked by Gwen when she asks a random cop for her name, and states that by doing so she's granting her more importance in the story and making her more likely to be a recurring character. |
| 192 | * NotSoInvincibleAfterAll: When Batroc kicks the female Thor in the gut, it makes her cry out in pain and stagger back. He concludes that in spite of her godly powers, she is not unbeatable. Gwen would have likely killed or at least hurt her if her bullets hadn't missed. |
| 193 | * OurZombiesAreDifferent: [[spoiler:Issue 10 has Gwen take up a vampire-killing job in a town that turns out to be nearly all walking skeletons and zombies brought back by a necromancer. Aside from how they look, they're entirely nice and sentient fellows that just want to be left alone because they're, well, walking skeletons and zombies which most people wouldn't stomach... unfortunately though, said necromancer keeps them raised by [[PoweredByAForsakenChild draining off from their offspring that he keeps shackled]].]] |
| 194 | * PaintingTheMedium: Would she be a ~pool without oddly colored speech balloons and narration boxes? Of course not, so hers are ''pink''. She did do normal white ones once for disguise reasons but that's apparently hard on her throat. According to Doctor Strange, it's "a sort of cosmic accent" product of her coming from another universe. This got confirmed when some issues were set in that world and ''everybody'' had pink speech balloons there. |
| 195 | * ParryingBullets: The female Thor does this with Mjolnir when Gwen tries to shoot her. |
| 196 | * PassingTheTorch: Gwen is horrified by the thought that a NY policeman... or in her words, a ''random extra'' could do this to her. Referencing the trope by name and yelling about how she rejects said torch. |
| 197 | * PerkyGoth: The Terrible Eye, or Sarah, when she isn't wearing her mask, looks and dresses like a Victorian vampire, but is very friendly. |
| 198 | * PetTheDog: After the team briefly reunites, Gwen says that she's come to really think of them as her friends, so she tries to make things right with them by getting Tony a job [[spoiler:working for Peter Parker, who is absolutely thrilled by his medical tech]] and finds Cecil [[spoiler:with the intention of bringing him back to life]]. |
| 199 | * PlaceWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Deadpool]] thinks the Arcade's dungeon is preferable to Staten Island. |
| 200 | * PlotArmor: Gwen may not have superpowers, but because of her awareness that she's in a comic she knows the plot will usually always end up in her favor. |
| 201 | * PocketDimension: What [[spoiler:the "real world" Gwen and Teddy supposedly return to]] actually is. |
| 202 | * PoliceAreUseless: Mercilessly lampshaded by Gwen in issue 8 when Batroc points out her plan of distracting the entire police force would be irresponsible. |
| 203 | -->'''Gwen:''' Ha Ha, okay. Here's the thing with the cops here. They are just another plot device to further the existence of Super Heroes. I'm from a world without super heroes. I know how cops are supposed to be, okay? If you had a halfway competent CIA, you wouldn't need S.H.I.E.L.D. If your military could fight the Skrulls, you wouldn't need the Avengers. And if your joke cops could stop a single bank robbery, then you wouldn't need Spider-Man. Your world never needed the police. And it will survive for a few minutes while I shoot some aliens without those police. |
| 204 | * PopularityPower: |
| 205 | ** Invoked by [[spoiler:Deadpool]]. When he learns that Gwen is another fourth-wall breaker character, he hands her and her team a CurbStompBattle. He then explains that she can't kill him because he is one of the most popular Marvel characters, while she is just a minor character that causal readers confuse for another version of Gwen Stacy. |
| 206 | ** Invoked by [[spoiler:Future Gwenpool]]. She kills a future version of ComicBook/MilesMorales explaining to a shocked Gwen that it's not a problem because she knows she's not allowed to do it. Indeed Miles wakes up in his bed thinking his death was just a dream. |
| 207 | * PostModernMagick: In Issue 2, after killing the druid that Thor needs to deal with a magical weed, Mega Tony synthesizes a solution from his essence that functionally serves as a magical weed killer, even putting it in a spray bottle. |
| 208 | * ProtagonistCenteredMorality: {{Discussed|Trope}}, {{invoked|Trope}}, and {{subverted|Trope}}, a significant amount of the story revolves around Gwen growing out of her "You're either somebody or you're an extra" mentality and treating people as, well, people, instead of according to their relative narrative importance. |
| 209 | * PunnyName: Gwen's dad is Ted Poole. |
| 210 | * RealityBreakingParadox: [[spoiler:Future Gwenpool killing Future Miles Morales]] is so fundamentally wrong that reality itself--or most likely, the writers of the comic--tries to correct it by retconing it to be a dream. Apparently, "nobody important actually gets killed" is an actual rule of the universe. |
| 211 | * RememberTheNewGuy: The fake memories variety. Since Gwen is from our universe (or, at least, one similar enough to our own) there are no records of her in the Marvel Universe. Doctor Strange uses his magic to make it seem like she was born in Earth-616 but this sadly involves messing around with her parents' memories back in her/our world. [[spoiler:But then the Pooles from Earth-616 appear...]] |
| 212 | * ResurrectionSickness: Subverted with [[spoiler:Cecil, who as soon as he gets back to a physical (monster) body, starts enjoying food and water like there's no tomorrow.]] |
| 213 | * RoboticReveal: [[spoiler:It turns out M.O.D.O.K.'s employer Vinnie was a doombot all along]]. |
| 214 | * SavedByTheAwesome: After Gwen shoots down a [[SnakePeople Snake Master]] in the subway, Officer Grey tries to arrest her, but her superior decides to release her given she solved the situation without property damage or injuries. Gwen even lampshades how "police don't work like this. In real life". |
| 215 | * ShoutOut: |
| 216 | ** Since Gwen's "power" is her [[PopCulturedBadass vast knowledge of pop culture]], it's no surprise that she ends up making a ton. |
| 217 | ** Gwen's plan for getting [[spoiler:the Poole Boys]] out of jail is [[Series/PrisonBreak tattooing the prison's map on someone and get them inside the facility]]. |
| 218 | ** In issue 11, the mayor of the city Gwen is helping says that, according to television, [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer teenage girls are the best possible vampire slayers]]. |
| 219 | ** When trapped in Arcade's sword and sorcery Murderworld, Gwen refers to the item shop as [[Podcast/TheAdventureZone Fantasy Costco]] and name drops ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''. |
| 220 | * SoProudOfYou: Post HeelFaceTurn Dr. Doom says this to Vinnie when they get reunited for the first time since Vinnie's activation. |
| 221 | * TheSociopath: PlayedWith. |
| 222 | ** Despite now living in the world, Gwen doesn't see the Marvel people any different than the average comic-book reader would, so anyone with no name isn't worth caring about and their deaths are unimportant. She does take [[spoiler:Cecil's]] death pretty hard, however. By Issue 2, however, not only does Gwen realize the world around her is all too real, she also realizes she is a ''complete, utter nobody'' because of it. |
| 223 | ** In issue 20 after witnessing how casually [[spoiler:her evil future self killed off Spider-Man and her friend Sarah, simply because fans or editors wouldn't allow it to stick allowing her to do as she pleases with no real lasting consequences]] Gwen finally realizes just how much of a sociopath she used to be and swears off senseless killing of RedShirts as well as her mercenary work forever. |
| 224 | * SpeakOfTheDevil: Can be dangerous if you talk about someone with comic awareness and having flashbacks about said someone is just inviting trouble. [[spoiler:How evil future Gwenpool gets in the comic. We can all blame Miles now.]] |
| 225 | * SpiritualAntithesis: A very direct antithesis to ''ComicBook/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl''. Both are comedic Marvel titles about a young female superhero, with a writer who rose to success with humorous webcomics and "cartoony" artwork. However, ''Gwenpool'' is a very dark comedy with an (initially) incompetent, overconfident, and self-serving protagonist who kills people at the drop of the hat, while ''Squirrel Girl'' is an optimistic neo-Silver Age work with a [[TheCape totally moral]] protagonist who always wins and never kills her enemies. They're even physical opposites, with Doreen being a chubby and proudly curvy girl whose costumes cover her from head to foot, while Gwen is ([[DependingOnTheArtist usually]]) drawn as a skinny, undeveloped teen who wears a costume that, with a different art style, could be very revealing and sexual. |
| 226 | * StableTimeLoop: The final issue ends [[spoiler:with Goodfuture!Gwenpool heading back to the final page of the previous issue to speak with Present!Gwenpool in order to kickstart the events of the final issue.]] |
| 227 | * StatusQuoIsGod: [[spoiler:The reason why Future Gwen started doing what she did. She discovered that the writers and editors of Marvel would never let her do anything permanent to the Marvel Universe, like killing off a character or causing world-altering damage to something, so she decided to exploit that fact to do whatever she wanted, as there would never be any consequences for her, since whatever she would do could easily get retconned into never happening. In other words, she took Gwen's existing sociopathy regarding the fact that she is real and everyone else is fictional to its logical extreme by turning the Marvel Universe into her own personal playground, as the damage she might do would be treated as an alternate continuity or not happening for one reason or another.]] |
| 228 | * StevenUlyssesPerhero: Gwen Poole is the character's actual name, which makes Ronnie assume she's a Deadpool associate. |
| 229 | * TheStinger: Occurs in issue #16. [[spoiler:She's back in her home universe thanks to her brother Teddy, and it seems like they've retconned out the event that dropped her in the Marvel universe to begin with, bringing her story to a conclusion. But go past the letters page and all of a sudden she notices the "The End" tag in the corner of the page and ''picks it up''. Then drops it when she sees another one reading "To Be Continued..."]] |
| 230 | * SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: |
| 231 | ** Gwen is pretty sure she is safe no matter what, it's her book after all, but laughing at M.O.D.O.K.'s face was not the best idea. His name ''is'' an acronym for [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Mental Organism Designed Only For Killing]]. [[spoiler:Really, she's lucky that all he decides to do is vaporize her sidekick Cecil; he is ''quite'' capable of doing far worse.]] |
| 232 | ** Issue 2 also gives several moments of ensuing reality, as M.O.D.O.K. calls Gwen out on her wanton destruction, we see that it's actually pretty dangerous for Gwen to be a SecretSecretKeeper, reliance on plot armor doesn't work so well on people with equal or greater amounts of it, and most of all, Gwen doesn't even have the basic combat skills that allow BadassNormal people to be heroes. |
| 233 | ** Issue 4 has Gwen strapped for cash after buying a large amount of weapons. |
| 234 | --->'''Gwen:''' I see banks work the same here as they do in the real world. |
| 235 | ** In Issue 6, Gwen tries to kill one of Miles' classmates, who was responsible for setting off an explosive at his school. She tries to justify this by saying she's [[NinetiesAntiHero an Anti-Hero.]] Miles response is to apprehend her and she gets arrested. |
| 236 | ** Issue 17 has Gwen making a speech bubble so big that it pushes her out a window, the resulting fall leaving her in the hospital. Since the true explanation of her fall is completely ludicrous and there is no evidence of an accident, everyone believes Gwen tried to commit suicide and they don't leave her alone in a room just in case she tries to do so again. |
| 237 | ** [[spoiler:''EVERYTHING'' about Teddy. He goes into the comic book world with nothing but the clothes on his back? He's effectively an illegal citizen, with no home, records, or job. His comic book parents? Don't recognize him at all, since he's not actually from there.]] |
| 238 | * TalkativeLoon: Enough to give Deadpool a run for his money. Miss Marvel even invites her to a holiday karaoke just so she can stop talking weird stuff by singing. |
| 239 | * ThankingTheViewer: Gwen does this in the final issue [[spoiler: after doing all she could do and preparing to start the loop of the final issue again.]] |
| 240 | * ThirdPersonPerson: Big Ronnie, custom spandex tailor and freelance violence job broker, has the habit of referring to herself like this. Oddly not always but nine times out of ten. |
| 241 | * TomatoInTheMirror: Gwen makes Batroc realize he has no memory of his life from before he first met Captain America. Gwen claims this is because he didn't exist before he was introduced in the comics. She is right for the wrong reason though, as Batroc reasonably should have been able to recall his backstory no matter when it was established compared to his first appearance, ''if any writer ever bothered to set up one''. Which probably makes this sadder. |
| 242 | * TooQualifiedToApply: In the holiday special, a Deadpool imitation contest is done for charity. Deadpool enters, but Squirrel Girl says he can't win, as he is Deadpool |
| 243 | * TrappedInTVLand: What Gwen claims happened to her. Only with comic books. Other characters think she's crazy (With the exception of Dr. Strange), until she starts showing knowledge that she logically shouldn't know. |
| 244 | * TriggerHappy: In just her first appearance, she makes a DynamicEntry (breaking a roof door with a motorcycle!), [[https://cdn.bleedingcool.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/IMG_0042-600x413.jpg steals a machine gun using a pen]], and starts firing it at will - although she only kills someone the next day... shooting the cop who is Black Cat's contact in the NYPD ''in broad daylight''. |
| 245 | * UnderestimatingBadassery: Gwen didn't think much of M.O.D.O.K. and laughed at his threats. That is [[spoiler:until he kills her sidekick Cecil]]. |
| 246 | * UnspokenPlanGuarantee: When Gwen explains her big plan to take down the Teuthidans to the team, they wonder what she will do if it fails. She answers that she has several back up plans in mind but she can only reveal them during a dramatic moment or else they won't work. |
| 247 | * VisualPun: Issue 19 ends with [[spoiler:Future Gwenpool]] smacking [[spoiler:Future Spider-Man]] off a cliff. In the next issue, Gwen is surprised to learn that the latter was never in real danger because it was just a cliffhanger, making [[spoiler:her future version]] laugh because it literally was. |
| 248 | * WallOfText: In the "Beyond the Fourth Wall" arc one of these is '''literally''' materialized and nearly kills Gwen by throwing her out of the window of her room. |
| 249 | * WalletMoths: Referenced by Gwen when explaining why she needs the next job. |
| 250 | -->'''Gwen:''' I tried to check my bank balance online, and instead it ran moth-escape.gif. |
| 251 | * WhamShot: The Issue 16 letters page, as Gwen literally gains MediumAwareness in the last couple of pages of the issue, and promptly reveals it's '''Not''' the end... |
| 252 | * WingdingEyes: Played with - once Ronnie shows how much the pay for the extraterrestrial arm dealers job is, Gwen draws dollar signs on her eye lenses ("Now Ronnie has to clean up mask again!"). |
| 253 | * WorldOfWeirdness: A few characters are explicitly tired of how New York is always under threat by the MonsterOfTheWeek. Many other extras, however, are simply exasperated by their appearances. |
| 254 | * YouCantFightFate: In issue 20, [[spoiler:Gwen's future self points out, not only that she grows up to be a villain, but that the universe itself seemed to be actively pushing her down that path since she entered it. Gwen does manage to break free from this fate in the end, but at the cost of severely limiting the lifespan of her own series, forcing her to step up her own hero game to draw in more fans.]] |
| 255 | * YouCantGoHomeAgain: Apparently travel between Gwen's homeworld and the Marvel Universe is one way only. [[spoiler:Attempted reversal resulted in the creation of a pocket universe based on the Poole siblings' memories.]] |
| 256 | * YouKillItYouBoughtIt: [[spoiler:Turns out the guy that she killed and took the job of is actually M.O.D.O.K's [[TheDragon Dragon]]. M.O.D.O.K himself soon after shows up and makes Gwen his replacement.]] Also after she defeats [[spoiler:M.O.D.O.K.]] the others promptly volunteer her into his position. |
| 257 | [[/folder]] |
| 258 | |
| 259 | [[folder:''Gwenpool Strikes Back'' (2019)]] |
| 260 | * AllianceOfAlternates: Gwen recruits a bunch of different versions of herself in "Gwenpool Strikes Back #4". However, unlike most examples of this trope those aren't AlternateUniverse counterparts, but past Gwens from her other comic appearances by different [[DependingOnTheWriter writers]] and [[DependingOnTheArtist artists]], which might as well be different characters. |
| 261 | * AmbiguouslyBi: Gwen's only objection to seducing Sue Storm is that she's married to Reed. Later at the swimsuit contest, she chokes on her drink after seeing Valkyrie (Jane Foster) walk by. |
| 262 | * [[ActorAllusion Author Allusion]]: Atlas is in Issue 3 as a nod to Leah Williams' previous Marvel book, ''Giant-Man''. |
| 263 | * BeachEpisode: Issue 3 has her create a "Gwenpool Island" where superheroes in swimsuits are gathered to fight each other. While the remainder of the miniseries largely takes place here, Issue 3 is the only one that leans on this element. |
| 264 | * BigBad: Marvel's editorial staff themselves technically counts as this. The entire point of the miniseries is to prove that the character still has an audience, and Gwen is more than aware of this, with her actively trying to impress both the editors and the reader in order to not end up forgotten. |
| 265 | * BigGood: [[spoiler:Marvel edit, who would rather make her a mutant than let her go, or let her go on living with all the existential dread.]] |
| 266 | * BreakHisHeartToSaveHim: Downplayed. Gwen dumps Quentin by text to spare him from having a girlfriend who makes out with a cardboard Mr. Fantastic, which results in a flurry of texts that she ignores. He also doesn't look too choked up about it when seen later livestreaming Gwen's antics, and the final issue has him explain away her odd behavior as her just having a rough year, as well as Gwen still listing him as a love interest on her character reference sheet. |
| 267 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: One of Gwen's endearing qualities, as {{discussed}} in Issue #5. |
| 268 | * CosmicRetcon: PlayedWith. [[spoiler:Kamala may or may not have inadvertently rewritten Gwen's backstory to be than of a reality-warping mutant whose mind started interpreting the world as a comic book when her powers developed as a young teen due to being unable to control or accept her newly-awakened mutant abilities.]] Regardless, Gwen's "power" remains being aware that she lives in a comic book universe and being able to interact with it in that manner, and she continues to insist to the reader that her original backstory is still in play. |
| 269 | * CoversAlwaysLie: Averted with the first four issues, [[spoiler:clearly to set up the fifth issue playing it the straightest it's ever been played]]. |
| 270 | * CreatorCameo: From previous writer Christopher Hastings in the fourth issue. |
| 271 | * DenserAndWackier: The original ''Unbelievable'' run was already loopy to begin with, but ''Strikes Again'' has unbelievable meta happenings (Gwen shoving Thor's severed arm into her own so she can wield Mjolnir! A trick - and an arm - she stole from a vintage issue of ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'') and Gwen spewing ItMakesSenseInContext-nonsense left and right. |
| 272 | * DependingOnTheWriter: Gwen weaponizes it in the fourth issue, recruiting [[AllianceOfAlternates versions of herself]] from various past guest appearances, which are wildly different in both [[DependingOnTheArtist appearance]] and personality, some to the point of embarrassment. |
| 273 | * DidntThinkThisThrough: Despite all of the planning that went into her supervillain-esque scheme in the third issue, Gwen failed to realize that [[spoiler:by shooting Bruce, she's made herself a player in the game, stuck in a 1v1 with the Hulk.]] |
| 274 | * DumpedViaTextMessage: After a chat history of cutesey messages to each other, Gwen suddenly decides to break up with Quentin over text. |
| 275 | * FanserviceCover: Issue 3, with literal SelfFanservice as when the CoverDrop happens, Gwen tells the cover artist: "Gimme a D-cup, Terry!" |
| 276 | * GroinAttack: An elaborate one to defeat the Immortal Hulk. She transports into Malekith's bedroom, where he's sleeping with Thor's severed arm. She steals it and wears the arm like a glove, so she's able to summon the Mjolnir and hurls it hard into a horrified Hulk's bulge. |
| 277 | * HiddenDepths: Gwen knows morse code. Even the punctuation. |
| 278 | -->'''untranscribed message:''' s-o-r-r-y t-o t-h-i-s m-a-n |
| 279 | * IHatePastMe: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]]. When it comes to Gwen Prime, Gwen is in awe, though she's less impressed with some of the other versions. |
| 280 | * LampshadeHanging: In ''Strikes Back'', for Hastings' guest appearance, he hangs a lampshade on EasterEggs from his run that he is unsure if anybody noticed. |
| 281 | * LetsYouAndHimFight: In issue 3, Gwen sets up a bunch of superheroes to fight each other, so she can prove herself by fighting the winner. |
| 282 | * MadeOfIron: Gwen. The Immortal Hulk grabs her and power slams her so hard, she crashes out of the comic panel. She survives mostly intact, though she does get a concussion that screws with her thinking. |
| 283 | * MetaphoricallyTrue: Gwen concinced the Make A Wish Foundation to let her make a wish by telling them she was a kid whose life was about to end. While on the face of it fraudulent, she ''is'' a kid (teenager) who can't "live on" if she doesn't get more books. |
| 284 | * MindScrew: How could Hastings mention in his second panel that he only thought to ask Baldeon to draw him as a cloud ''after'' he finished writing his dialogue? |
| 285 | ** [[spoiler:The end of #5. Gwen is able to rewrite reality to make her backstory of being a mutant true, complete with all the memories to go with it... meaning ''both'' living in the real world and Earth-616 are true.]] |
| 286 | * NoMoreForMe: When Gwen scares David Baldeon, making him spill coffee on her pursuers, the Spanish artist says "Vale, cerramos el [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiringuito chiringuito]] por hoy." ("Well, no more drinking today.", though Gwen guesses "They don't pay me enough for this.") |
| 287 | * OddFriendship: Despite their first meeting in her original series and Gwen's then-disdain for Deadpool and his series, by the end of #5 she has him listed as being a friend. |
| 288 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Kamala Khan immediately realizes this is the case with Gwen, being to to tell from past interactions that Gwen is being far more maniac than usual. She confronts her about this in the final issue, forcing her to have an honest conversation about what's troubling her. |
| 289 | * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gwen gives a rather threatening monologue in Issue #3 to the crowd of heroes, to drive home the point that's done playing around and wants to be taken seriously. |
| 290 | -->'''Gwen:''' You don't believe me yet, that's fine. You all think I'm crazy. I know that too. I know it because you keep telling me I'm insane. It's okay. I forgive you. I know you just don't "get" me yet. Because if you had actually been paying attention to me instead of gaslighting me about being crazy -- you would know better now. So... here we are. Don't be scared. This is all just a friendly demonstration. And this is the starting gun. |
| 291 | * SexSells: Gwen tries this in issue two of ''Gwenpool Strikes Back''. Unusually for this particular trope, it backfires massively. So she tries it again in issue three. It also doesn't go well, but for reasons beyond her getting everyone in swimsuits. |
| 292 | * ShipSinking: Gwen and Deadpool make it clear on no uncertain terms that in spite of the fact that some people ship them, they are ''not'' a couple and that any writer who makes them a couple in the future is "nasty". |
| 293 | * ShoutOut: To non-Marvel, non-Disney properties, as if to show them they can't control her. |
| 294 | ** DC property: |
| 295 | --->'''Gwen:''' I'd let [[Comicbook/BlackCanary Dinah Lance]] kick me in the face and then I'd thank her for it. |
| 296 | ** IDW property: |
| 297 | --->'''Gwen:''' "Have you met my newly adopted [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles teenage mutant ninja daughter]]?" |
| 298 | ** Then at the end of issue #5 [[spoiler:she walks out through a WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes tunnel.]] |
| 299 | * StandardFemaleGrabArea: A Speedo-wearing Captain America tries this to stop Gwen from enacting her Battle Royale plan. It only works temporarily, as Gwen actually found it a turn-on and she couldn't help noticing how pretty Steve is up close. Then she goes and starts the fight. |
| 300 | * TakeThat: ''Gwenpool Strikes Back'' gives this to some previous writers' takes on Gwenpool, particularly Nick Kocher of ''Rocket Raccoon and Groot'' (whose Gwen is characterized as a "woke idiot" and [[ComicBook/HarleyQuinn "Harley Gwen"]]), and to a lesser extent Creator/MarkWaid of ''ComicBook/Champions2016'' (whose Gwen is portrayed as annoying and speaking in TotallyRadical slang). |
| 301 | * TwistEnding: [[spoiler:At the end of issue #5 of ''Strikes Back'', Gwen seems ready to ready to face her ultimate fate of being forgotten and killed off when a Krakoan gate appears. Gwen decides to take the plunge and ends up on Krakoa, where she's accepted by everyone and welcomed in by Wolverine and Quentin. This effectively puts Gwenpool into the X-Men family and makes this title the stealth first entry of the ''ComicBook/DawnOfX'' initiative.]] |
| 302 | [[/folder]] |
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