In Spider-Gwen: Gwen-Verse #1, one of the most tragic figures in Spider-Man’s life is remade into another reality’s latest Spider-Slayer.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Spider-Gwen: Gwen-Verse #1, available now from Marvel Comics.
Spider-Gwen’s latest adventure has reshaped the history of her reality, sending her on a race through time to set things right. Unfortunately, it seems as though it is already too late to change her present, which has become almost completely unrecognizable. It isn’t just the landscape that has been transformed, however, as the hero discovers in the case of her father, Captain George Stacy, who has been remade into a new version of one of Spider-Man’s deadliest enemies.
Being a teenage superhero has never been easy for Gwen Stacy, and recently her actions have put an even greater strain on her personal relationships. As seen in Spider-Gwen: Gwen-Verse #1 (by Tim Seeley, Jodi Nishijima, Federico Blee, and VC’s Ariana Maher), the titular hero’s chosen career has kept her from keeping the promises she made to the people she cares about most, particularly her father. Though he isn’t against her taking on their home reality’s relatively harmless villains, the fact that Gwen has been traversing the Multiverse to face off against the threats of the primary Marvel Universe is concerning to Captain Stacy. When Gwen’s next trip through the Multiverse results in her personality being fractured and scattered throughout history, the resulting changes to the timeline ramp up the tension between her and her father even more. Upon returning to her present alongside Spider-Zero, Gwen is confronted by her father in a high tech suit of armor, and he is determined to bring her in before she puts anyone else in harm’s way.
First introduced in 1967’s Amazing Spider-Man #56 (by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr.), the George Stacy of the primary Marvel Universe had been both a prominent member of the NYPD and supporter of Spider-Man, even after his retirement. Once Captain Stacy realized that Peter Parker and Spider-Man were one and the same, he protected the wall-crawler’s alter-ego, only revealing that he knew moments before his death in the hero’s arms. The demise of the primary Gwen Stacy might be the most memorable tragedy Peter Parker has faced, but the death of Captain Stacy in 1970’s Amazing Spider-Man #90 (by Lee and Gil Kane) was no less impactful for the hero.
The Captain Stacy of Spider-Gwen: Gwen-Verse has had a different experience with heroes than his primary counterpart. Initially, this Captain Stacy was openly hostile towards his daughter’s secret heroic identity after one of her early outings led to the death of her world’s Peter Parker, aka The Lizard. While he would eventually come around to supporting Gwen’s endeavors after learning of her true identity and intentions, his view on them has been tinted with grief from almost the very beginning. Now that the timeline has been altered, George has been driven into a violently paranoid state, one that is the culmination of every tragedy that has become endemic in his world. Worse still, the fact that George is now operating under the scope of law enforcement in his crusade against superheroes proves that he is not alone in believing that Gwen and her ilk are at the heart of everything wrong with the world around him, or at least pose the greatest threat to it.
Coming face-to-face with the worst parts of alternate versions of herself was already a daunting task for Gwen, but seeing all of her father’s agony and frustration distilled into a whole new kind of Spider-Slayer is one of the most devastating thing that the hero could have possibly confronted.
With any luck, Gwen and her allies will be able to repair the timeline and undo whatever damage they have inadvertently caused. However, that may not be enough to repair the rifts that have formed between Gwen and her father, who has now become one of the most tragic villains she has ever faced.
About The Author
For all the latest Comics News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
