Spider-Woman (Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy; colloquial: "Spider-Gwen" or "Ghost-Spider") is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvl Comics. She was created by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez. The character debuted in Edge of Spider-Verse issue #2 as part of the 2014–15 "Spider-Verse" comic book storyline, leading to the ongoing series Spider-Gwen that began in 2015.
Spider-Woman is a variant of Spider-Man and an alternate-universe version of Gwen Stacy. She lives on Earth-65, where Gwen Stacy is bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes a superheroine instead of Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man. The character's various enemies include Earth-65 versions of Matt Murdock and Frank Castle. Gwen Stacy's Spider-Woman harbors much of Peter's personality and conflicts along with his powers and abilities.
Spider-Woman was met with positive reviews from
critics, with them applauding her design—cited as a popular choice for
cosplay—and a feminist perspective. For promotion, several other
versions of the character were developed, accompanied by merchandise.
She was also featured on animated television series and in multiple
video games as a playable character. Doce Cameron, Laura Bailey, Ashley
Johnson, Emily Tennant, Catherine Luciani, Allegra Clark and Hailee
Steinfeld have provided the character's voice.
In the alternate
reality designated Earth-65, Gwen Stacy from Midtown High School is a
drummer in a band called the Mary Janes, consisting of her and her
friends Mary Jane Watson, Betty Brant and Glory Grant. Bitten by a
radioactive spider, Gwen becomes the hero Spider-Woman. Shortly
afterward, her friend and classmates Peter Parker attempts to exact
revenge on those who bully him, becoming Earth-65's version of the
Lizard. Gwen subdues him and Peter dies due to the chemicals he used for
his transformation. Spider-Woman is greatly affected by Peter's death
and inspired to use her power to protect others. She is blamed for
Parker's death publicly by J. Jonah Jameson. Her father, NYPD Chief
George Stacy, hunts for Spider-Woman, aided by his world's Captain Frank
Castle and Detective Jean DeWolff. During a later confrontation with
her father, Gwen reveals her true identity to him. Shocked, he tells her
to run.
In the "Spider-Verse" storyline, Gwen of Earth-65 is one of many other Spider-Totems across the multiverse recruited to fight the vampiric Morlun and the Inheritors. Although she is one of several people called Spider-Women who appear, she seems to be the only Spider who is also Gwen Stacy, leading to the nickname "Spider-Gwen." Gwen realizes most of her counterparts in other universes are dead, including the Earth-616 Gwen Stacy who was the first love of Peter Parker, leader of the group fighting the Inheritors. Telling Peter she likewise failed to save her version of him, they both agree to look out for each other. Though Gwen deals with both criminals and enemies in the police department, she also makes allies such as her Earth's versions of Captain America (Samantha Wilson, Reed Richards, and Peggy Carter, the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Gwen meets Spider heroes of other worlds again on Battleworld in the Secret Wars storyline. During the crossover storyline Sitting in a Tree, she has a brief romance with Miles Morales. Along with battling menaces on her own world, Gwen joins the Web Warriors, a group of Spiders with dimensional-travel devices who combat threats to other universes, particularly worlds that no longer have a Spider of its own to defend it. During the Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy storyline, she poses as a clone of Earth-616 Gwen Stacy to help Peter and Kaine Parker stop a threat involving the Jackal's Carrion Virus.
After losing her powers, Gwen's seeks aid from the corrupt Matt Murdock and scientist Elsa Brock. It's discovered that combining the mutagenic Lizard serum with isotopes can form a version of the Venom symbiote. Gwen bonds with Elsa Brock's symbiote, restoring her abilities. When Murdock has her father George attacked, Gwen succumbs to the symbiote's baser influence and almost kills the man in revenge. After she spares his life, Murdock reveals he was testing to see if Gwen, like him, would be corrupted by power. After defeating Murdock, Gwen takes full control over the symbiote, reveals her identity to the public, and turns herself over to the authorities for her crimes. After turning down an offer from Captain America to perform black ops services in exchanged for reduced sentencing, she is convicted for one year in a maximum security S.H.I.E.L.D. prison.
After serving her prison time, Gwen is informed the Inheritors have returned and joins the "Spider-Geddon" storyline. At one point, she is believed by the others to be killed in an explosion. In truth, she survives the explosion but is stranded on Earth-3109, her dimensional transportation device now damaged. The Gwen of that world, who operates as the heroic Green Goblin, creates a new dimensional teleportation device and Earth-65 Gwen returns to the fight against the Inheritors. During the final battle, Miles Morales wonders if Gwen is a ghost after seeing her lost in an explosion, inspiring the new nickname "Ghost-Spider."
Back on Earth-65, Gwen tries to return to her normal life of superhero activities, drumming with the Mary Janes, and attempting to rekindle her relationships with friend Harry Osborn and her father George. Without her secret identity, things prove challenging, leading to judgments from the public and regular attacks by criminals like the Man-Wolf. Additionally, her symbiote starts causing massive headaches while dropping parts of itself as "gummy spiders." Since Elsa Brock has disappeared from public life, Gwen travels to Earth-616 to find her counterpart Eddie Brock. Peter Parker of Earth-616, now a teacher at Empire State University, volunteers to analyze the symbiote since his world's Eddie Brock is not a scientist. The two heroes then save people from the villain Swarm and Gwen is asked who she is. Since this universe already has a Spider-Woman, Gwen decides she needs a new name. Considering how so many of her multiverse counterparts are dead, as if "Death loves Gwen Stacy," she decides to adopt her "Ghost-Spider" nickname as a new official alias.
Realizing her secret identity is intact in this dimension, Gwen decides to attend college peacefully on Earth-616 without worrying about villains attacking. With Peter's help, she enrolls in Empire State University, explaining to school admissions that she comes from another dimension. This, along with her test records and Parker vouching for her, earns Gwen enrollment and a scholarship that applies to visitors from other worlds and dimensions. Gwen begins regularly attending classes while "commuting" back and forth from her own Earth, regularly encountering Peter. In costume, she fights menaces on both worlds, including Miles Warren, whose unhealthy obsession with the Earth-616 Gwen Stacy led to him becoming the villainous Jackal.
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