The Spider-Man movies are heading into new territory. Following Sam Raimi’s franchise stalling after three movies and Marc Webb’s coming to a close after two, Destin Daniel Cretton’s Spider-Man 4 is something of a big deal for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While it’s true that Tobey Maguire has starred in four Spider-Man movies, Tom Holland will be the first wall-crawling actor to lead a whole quadrilogy.
The MCU likes to plan ahead, and with it, fans know Spider-Man 4 will fit into a post-Avengers: Doomsday world and presumably set things up for Avengers: Secret War. There are rumors flying around about what the story will revolve around and whether it will be another Multiverse adventure, with everyone asking if one iconic Spider-Man story will be retold again on the silver screen.
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The Night Gwen Stacy Died is one of the Most Iconic Spider-Man Stories
Up there with “Kraven’s Last Hunt”, “Maximum Carnage”, and “Spider-Man No More”, “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” is one of THE definitive Spider-Man arcs. Playing out over 1973’s The Amazing Spider-Man #121-122, “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” was written by Gerry Conway, penciled by Gil Kane, and inked by John Romita St. and Tony Mortellaro. It featured the almost unheard-of death of a main character, and killing off Peter Parker’s true love, it changed the world of Spider-Man for years to come.
“The Night Gwen Stacy Died” had Norman Osborn remembering Peter’s identity as Spider-Man. The Green Goblin lured Spider-Man to the George Washington Bridge and threw Gwen off it during a fight. Although Peter saved her with his web, letters in The Amazing Spider-Man #125 confirmed his fears that the whiplash was responsible for Gwen’s death. Later issues confirmed the fall itself killed her. The Green Goblin died one issue later after being impaled by his own glider, so fans might notice similarities between this and Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man – swapping Gwen for Mary Jane Watson and the latter not dying.
“The Night Gwen Stacy Died” is attributed to ending the Silver Age of comic books, putting more emphasis on Mary Jane Watson, helping establish the Punisher, and solidifying the Green Goblin as Spider-Man’s archnemesis. While Gwen Stacy’s death has been somewhat undone over the years with complicated clone sagas and multiverse meddling, the original arc is far more than just an iconic Spider-Man comic. It’s held as one of the greatest comic stories of all time, so it’s no surprise there’s a buzz about it potentially playing out in Spider-Man 4.
With Spider-Man 4 potentially rounding off Tom Holland’s time as Web-Head, fans are hoping for some similarly high stakes in what could be his last full MCU outing. Even though many expect him to return for Secret Wars, there needs to be a hook to bring them to Spider-Man 4 between Avengers movies. This has led to the bizarre rumor that Ghost Rider and Sacha Baron Cohen’s Mephisto will appear in the movie, although there are calls for Spider-Man 4 to be a more grounded street-level adventure.
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Already Told Gwen Stacy’s Story
Even if 2002’s Spider-Man hadn’t told its own version the MJ, a more faithful “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” played out in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. After Kirsten Dunst played Mary Jane Watson as Peter’s main love interest in Raimi’s trilogy, it made sense that Webb’s rebooted series with someone else. Emma Stone portrayed Gwen Stacy in these movies, with the ‘whiplash’ version killing her off toward the end of the 2014 movie. As that was only 11 years ago, it’s a little early to deliver the MCU’s take on “The Night Gwen Stacy Died”.
Notably, several of the major players are currently MIA from the MCU. The franchise is known for revamping the source material in the likes of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, but with no sign of Gwen Stacy, it would be a lot to introduce her and kill her off in Spider-Man 4. There’s also the fact that Willem Dafoe reprised his role as Raimi’s Green Goblin and Spider-Man: No Way Home already put something of its own spin on the arc after Osborn was responsible for the death of Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).
Elsewhere, Zendaya is presumably returning as MJ in Spider-Man 4. The end of No Way Home featured Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casting a spell that caused everyone to forget Peter Parker was Spider-Man, and with it, MJ forgot who he was altogether. There are other swirling rumors that Sydney Sweeney could be playing Felicia Hardy/Black Cat in Spider-Man 4 to suit up as a potential love interest to replace MJ. Either way, there’s no sign of Gwen Stacy.
Shoehorning Gwen Stacy into Spider-Man 4 would feel out of place, especially as Hailee Steinfeld voiced Spider-Woman in Sony’s two animated Spider-Verse movies and is confirmed for the delayed Beyond the Spider-Verse. Even if Warner Bros. is happy to have Robert Pattinson’s Elseworlds Batman alongside the DCU’s Caped Crusader, hopes that Steinfeld could play Spider-Gwen in live-action suggests a different Gwen Stacy won’t appear in Spider-Man 4.
It’s possible that Spider-Man 4 could introduce Gwen Stacy in a minor capacity (possibly even played by Sweeney) and cue her up for future adventures with Holland or even the long-awaited live-action arrival of Miles Morales in the MCU. After Bryce Dallas Howard played Gwen in Spider-Man 3 , this wouldn’t be the first time Spider-Man movies have struggled to find room for. Although things never got that far, there were plans for Gwen to have an expanded role in Raimi’s Spider-Man 4.
After 23 years of flipping between Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson as Peter Parker’s love interests, it would be interesting to branch out further with someone like Felicia Hardy. Still, the ongoing popularity of Zendaya and her real-life relationship with Holland suggests that MJ will be back with Peter before long in Spider-Man 4. That won’t stop wild speculation about working titles hiding Gwen Stacy in plain sight, while others claim Bryce Dallas Howard will be starring alongside Tobey Maguire for another dip into the Multiverse. It seems inevitable that Gwen Stacy will eventually make her mark on the MCU, but just don’t count on it being in Spider-Man 4.
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