- "You put on that badge because you know if you don't, someone who shouldn't will. But you have to understand, this mask is my badge, and I'm trying to be good too. I was trying so hard to wear this thing the way you would want, and I didn't... I didn't. I can do all these things, but I can't help the people I love the most, and they can only know half of who I am, so I-I'm completely on my own, and now I don't even know what the right thing is anymore! I don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I know... I can't lose one more friend."
- ―Gwen Stacy[src]
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Maxine Stacy is the teenage superheroine known as Spider-Woman. A student of Visions Academy, Gwen was bitten by a radioactive spider and gained various powers and abilities that she would use to become a vigilante.
Gwen lost her best friend, Peter Parker, after he took a serum to become the Lizard in an attempt to be extraordinary like her. Blaming herself for his death, Gwen cut herself off from other people in an attempt to avoid that hurt.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
In Gwen's universe Earth-65, she was bitten by a radioactive spider and spent two years operating as Spider-Gwen. At some point, she joined a band as a drummer, she then used her powers to save her father, who is a police officer, but she couldn't save her best friend, Peter Parker, who became the Lizard in her universe and died when Gwen stopped him from attacking Ned Leeds at their prom.
Gwen then stopped making friends to avoid any distractions and started saving everyone else.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse[]
Gwen was sucked into the portal that led to a different dimension and somehow traveled back to one week earlier, before the super collider exploded. She ended up in New York, but it was not the New York that she knew and saw a report of this world's Spider-Man's death.
Later on, her spider-sense had told her to go to Brooklyn Visions Academy, where she met Miles Morales. In physics class, Miles sat down next to Gwen. Later, in the hallway, Miles bumped into Gwen, though in reality she backed into Miles on purpose. She asked him why he was so sweaty, he awkwardly explained that it was puberty, but doesn't know why he said that. He introduced himself and Gwen told him her name was Gwanda. Miles did the shoulder touch as his uncle taught him to try to charm her. After letting go of her shoulder, Miles got his hand stuck on the side of Gwen's hair. Later, at the doctor's office, the side of Gwen's hair is shaved off. Outside, she is frustrated about her hair until she sees Miles walking on a wall, which confirmed her suspicions.
Later at Alchemax, Miles and Peter were stealing information to stop the collider while escaping from Olivia Octavius, who was Doctor Octopus in Miles' universe. Miles bumped into Gwen, who was disguised, but she decided to follow. Gwen saved Peter B. and Miles from falling and took on Doc Ock and stole the desktop computer. When she removed her mask, Miles recognized her from Brooklyn Visions and Gwen properly introduced herself. The trio escaped from Alchemax's grad students security. They got on a bus and Miles consoled Gwen on the loss of her best friend. He offered to be her friend if she was ready to start making friends again, something she kept in mind.
In Peter Parker's house in Queens, they met May Parker, who was shocked to see Peter, but knew that he was from a different dimension. Aunt May led the trio to the Spider-Lair where the original Peter had kept all of his Spidey suits as well as the photographs of the criminals that he had been pursuing as Spider-Man. After Miles brought up their small numbers, May introduced them to the other spider people from different dimensions; Peni Parker, Spider-Ham, and Spider-Man Noir. The group discussed which one of them should stay behind to stop the collider, Miles volunteered when the others start glitching. They tested him to see if he had what it takes to be a hero, but Miles was inexperienced. They discuss how they don't think Miles was ready, unaware that Miles, invisible, eavesdropped on the whole conversation and left to stop the collider regardless of what they thought. Gwen sadly noticed him leave.
After Peni completed the new override key, Gwen asked the others if they had heard from Miles, and Peter stuck up form before they were interrupted when a frantic Miles returned to inform them that his uncle, Aaron Davis, was the Prowler and working for Wilson Fisk while trying to kill Miles. Gwen was shocked to hear this and along with Peni was annoyed by Spider-Man Noir chalking it up to Mile's origin story. After Peter B. calms Miles, Gwen asked Miles if he was followed and he claimed he didn't think he had been. The heroes' spider-senses activated and they were confronted by the villains. Gwen fought the Scorpion.
Later, the heroes visited Miles in his dorm room at Brooklyn Visions, where Miles was devastated over the loss of his uncle. The heroes tried to comfort him, telling him that they had all lost loved ones, with Gwen bringing up her lost best friend but Miles blames himself for what happened to Aaron.
Later, Miles' roommate, Ganke Lee, entered the dorm and the heroes were all hanging on the ceiling trying to avoid him while he was reading comics, Ganke passed out when Spider-Ham asked the heroes about animals talking in Miles' dimension. The heroes made the decision to stop the collider without Miles, due to his inexperience with his abilities. They arrived at Fisk's mansion, where Fisk claimed that he and the original Spider-Man were 'very close', but Gwen doesn't believe it and called him a pig to which Spider-Ham took offense. Spider-Man Noir pointed out how the waiters were dressed. They then enter the mansion wearing bow ties and web up two security guards on the way. The heroes entered the collider and Peter volunteered to insert the override key, but they are forced to fight the villains, who anticipated their arrival. Despite being outnumbered and glitching out, Miles, in his new suit, arrived to help the heroes.
Gwen was nearly bested by Doc Ock and fell into the portal, but was saved by Miles. She complimented him on his new suit. Gwen, Miles, and Peter teamed up to fight Doc Ock, but when Doc Ock recovered and advanced on them, she was hit by an interdimensional semi-truck. Miles volunteered to insert the override key, and Gwen and Peter watched him swinging perfectly. Miles opened the portal and the heroes bid farewell before returning to their own universes.
Before leaving, Miles asked Gwen if he got to like her hair-cut now, but she teases him by saying that she's fifteen months older than him, like in physics class, Miles quotes what Albert Einstein said about time being relative. He asked her if she wanted to be friends with him and she graciously told him that they are now friends. Gwen said goodbye to Miles and jumped through the portal to return to her universe.
Two days later, with Miles Morales being the Spider-Man of Earth's 1610 New York, Gwen later appears at the portal in front of Miles and asked him if he got a minute.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse[]
To be added
Character traits[]
Gwen Stacy is an intelligent, witty and extremely awkward teenage girl. Although initially putting up a front to appear more confident when first meeting Miles and the other spider-people, Gwen was actually a much less confident and vulnerable person who suffered from the loss of her best friend Peter. In her teenage years, Gwen joined a band which was explained in her backstory. She is also a trained dancer as shown in the film which she wore ballet shoes with her fighting style being graceful like a ballet dancer. She also studied gymnastics at her school as evidenced by her father's t-shirt.
Gwen tried for a while after her best friend died to avoid making any new friendships. She thought that if she coulda void making friends, she would not have to suffer through the pain of losing them again and the guilt that her alter-ego could have been responsible. After meeting Miles however she decides to give friendship a chance and becomes friends with him, bonding over the bus ride back from Alchemax. Upon returning to her own universe she develops an intense crush on Miles as she longs to see him again. While she is told at the Spider Society to not interact with him, she still does when she is tasked to stop the Spot in his universe. Gwen ultimately hides the truth about how the spider society think Miles is an anomaly from him out of her fear of hurting him, a decision she comes to regret after realizing how wrong she was to listen to Miguel.
After venting to her father and making up with him, Gwen has successfully managed to find the strength to attempt to save Miles from Earth-42 and hopefully help him save his father and rebuild the trust she had broken.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Spider Physiology: After being bitten by a radioactive spider, Gwen gained the proportionate powers of a spider including superhuman strength, speed, agility, etc. She can also cling to solid surfaces and has a "spider-sense", which alerts her to danger.
- Superhuman Strength:Possessing the proportionate strength of a spider, Spider-Woman possesses far more strength than normal humans.
- Superhuman Speed: Gwen is much faster than normal humans. She is able to transverse at high amounts of speed while running, as well as traveling while web-swinging.
- Superhuman Agility: Gwen is far more agile than the average human. She is able to perform acrobatic and gymnastic moves, such as high jumps, somersaults, flips, etc.
- Spider-Sense: Gwen possesses precognitive danger senses and is able to quickly dodge any form of attacks just after sensing them.
- Wall-Crawling: Gwen is able to stick or grip onto any surface, much like any spider would, by using her fingertips and feet.
- Gliding: Gwen has the ability to glide from one surface to another. She has a pair of web-wings to assist her.
Relationships[]
- George Stacy - Father.
- Helen Stacy - Mother; deceased.
- Peter Parker/Lizard of Earth-65 - Best friend turned enemy; deceased.
- Miles Morales - Best friend/love interest.
- Peter B. Parker/Spider-Man of Earth-616B - Friend.
- May Parker - Hostess and ally.
- Peni Parker - Teammate.
- Peter Parker (Noir) - Teammate.
- Peter Porker - Teammate
- Wilson Fisk/Kingpin - Enemy.
- Prowler - Enemy.
- Olivia Octavius/Liv/Dr. Octopus - Enemy.
- Tombstone - Enemy.
- Scorpion - Enemy.
Appearances/Voice Actors[]
- Canon (2 films)
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (First appearance) - Hailee Steinfeld
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Hailee Steinfeld
Behind the scenes[]
In the sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, set three years after the first film, Gwen is redesigned slightly from her appearance in the first film, with boots replacing her ballet shoes, and having Gwen Poole's partially dyed pink highlights added to her blonde undercut hair, a design previously adapted to versions of the character in the Marvel Rising media franchise and the Disney Junior children's television series Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends. This was cited by a character designer for Marvel Rising having mistaken an image of Gwen Poole by Gurihiru for Gwen Stacy while using Google Images to reference the former character's physical appearance during the series' development.
Trivia[]
- Before Gwen got sucked through the portal, it appeared she was facing Doc Ock.
- Besides Peni, she is the only other heroine in the first film.
- Like Miles, her father is a cop as well.