Gwen Stacy has been one of Peter Parker’s most iconic love interests in the comics. Their romance is greatly appreciated as two peers who share the same interests, in contrast to Peter Parker’s relationship with Mary Jane.
Of all the Spider-Man movies so far, only Sony’s Amazing Spider-Man showed us the dynamic between these two, and boy did sparks fly.
Considered to be Peter Parker’s first love, Gwen Stacy is adored by fans everywhere, and Emma Stone’s convincing portrayal of the character further cemented that fondness. However, to stay true to the comic book material, Gwen in Amazing Spider-Man died, the same as her comic counterpart.
Death in both the movie and the comics is one of the most tragic instances in Spider-Man’s life and one that he still struggles to move away from. Even with MJ in the picture, we see Peter Parker wondering what things would be like if Gwen were still alive.
How Did Gwen Stacy Die In The Amazing Spider-Man 2?
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 pays homage to one of the most iconic and tragic moments in comic book history, the death of Gwen Stacy. Played by the wonderful Emma Stone, Gwen Stacy quickly became a favorite.
Her Boldness and weirdness further gravitated the audience towards her, and it was refreshing to take on the distressed damsel role that MJ usually plays.
Our love for Emma’s Gwen made watching her death scene all the more heartbreaking. The chemistry between Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy was to the roof, and we badly wanted to see them together again.
The death of Gwen in the movie has many similarities to the comic version of the story. Green Goblin kidnaps Gwen Stacy, but the film sees Harry Osborn don the cowl instead of the villain Norman Osborn.
Gwen is trying to help Spider-Man in his fight against the two villains. The fight jumps from one rooftop to another, and somewhere along the way, they reach a clock tower. Here, a blow from the Goblin causes Gwen to go into a free fall from the top of the tower.
This is a very heart-wrenching scene where Spider-Man jumps after her hoping to catch her. Even though his web reaches her, it is too late. The whiplash of the web broke her neck, and at the same time, she hit her head on the floor. The combination of the two kills Gwen Stacy.
How Did Gwen Stacy Die In The Comics?
Gwen Stacy meets her demise in The Amazing Spider-Man #121–122 comics from 1973. In this plot line, Norman Osborn, who had previously forgotten about Spider-Man’s identity, regresses back into his supervillain persona and once again attacks Spider-Man’s loved ones. Yes, Green Goblin has a knack for that.
One such victim was Gwen Stacy. The Green Goblin kidnaps Peter’s love interest to lure the masked superhero to an ambush. The plan works just as expected, with Spider-Man rushing to save the love of his life.
Once Spider-Man reaches the Brooklyn Bridge, where everything happens, a battle ensues between the arch enemies, with both landing blows that would kill a normal human being.
The Green Goblin eventually hurls Gwen off the bridge, and Spider-Man leaps to save her. He shoots his web at her feet and tries to catch her. All seems well as he pulls Gwen up to him, but when she finally reaches, he realizes she has died. There was no clear implication that the whiplash killed her until The Amazing Spider-Man #125.
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Is Gwen Stacy’s Death In The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Accurate?
For the most part, it is accurate. In the comics, we see Gwen being hurled off a building by Spider-Man, and the hero leaps after her to try and catch her. However, he isn’t on time, and the whiplash breaks her neck.
In the movie, Gwen’s death is very similar. Instead of being kidnapped by Goblin, Gwen tries to help Spider-Man in his fight. In the comics, Gwen has hurled off a bridge and is killed when Spider-Man tries to save her.
A very similar thing happens here. During the fight with the Goblin at the top of the clock tower, a single blow causes Gwen to lose her grip and go into a free fall. Spider-Man jumps after her and tries his level best to save her, but the very web Spidey uses causes whiplash for Gwen, breaking her neck.
The death of Gwen in both the comics and movie is fairly similar, and we can conclude that it is accurate.
How the Death of Gwen Stacy Changed Everything
#3 Peter Parker’s Love Life
After the Death of Gwen, we see spidey take a new and exciting turn in his love life. Peter meets Mary Jane at the funeral of Gwen Stacy, where they are both mourning the loss of their loved one. Since they are both grieving, they attempt to console each other and end up falling in love.
MJ and Spidey become the most iconic romantic duos in the Marvel Universe. If we were given a third installment of Amazing Spider-Man, then we would have seen that happen.
#2 Spidey’s Superhero Career
For the most part, Spidey is known as a friendly neighborhood hero. A kind-hearted young man, full of ideologies and the courage to stand for what’s right. According to Captain America, the best of all of them.
However, after the death of Spider-Man, things changed. Peter goes on to become more bitter and ruthless with criminals. In “No Way Home,” Andrew’s Spider-Man talks of this stage in life, the kind where he does not pull his punches. In the comics, Spider-Man eventually comes to his senses and returns to being the best hero of all time.
#1 Introducing New Characters
Using the exit of a favorite, Marvel was able to introduce a few pivotal and now iconic heroes to the Marvel Universe. Luke Cage and Punisher, to name a few.
The controversial death of Gwen Stacy had a massive impact as it brought many new readers to the table. The end of Gwen left a distaste in the fan’s mouths, but it was a chapter that needed closing to introduce a whole new world of characters that we now know and love.
Gwen Stacy’s death, both in the comics and the movie, has been heartbreaking, to say the least. The mind-blowing performance of the character by Emma Stone made the ordeal harder to cope with, with most of us still hoping that she is still alive in some other universe out there.
How did you take the death of this beloved character? Please let us know, and visit Averagebeing for comic book content, articles, news, and more!
Later, nerds.
