Character Breakdown: Spider-Gwen (aka Gwen Stacy)

After the man himself, Spider-Gwen is my favorite spider person. I don't remember if I stumbled across the comics or her character in Into the Spider-verse first, but I've been obsessed with her since that time. I've even cosplayed as her, which I would love to do again.

So far, she's only been in one movie (although I'm looking super forward to the next Spider-verse movie), so we'll be looking more at the comic book version of her. If you haven't read any of her comics, see if you can find them. They're very fun, and she and Miles are super cute together.

For those of you who might not know, Gwen Stacy is from Earth-65 in the Marvel comics. She's her world's version of Spider-Man, going by Spider-Woman. Her father is a police officer and she's part of a band called the Mary Janes. Check out the Marvel Fandom wiki page for more info.

Personality

•Determined. Gwen Stacy is a very driven young woman. She tries so hard at every part of her life, superhero or personal. Of course, her determination to see things through have gotten her in trouble too, such as turning to her Earth's Matt Murdock for help (he's a crime lord).

•Free-spirited. Her dad is very straight and strict, but Gwen is the opposite of that. She can be artistic, angsty, and moody. She doesn't like being told what to do, but will do what she thinks is best most of the time.

Virtues

•Strong moral compass. While she might be at odds a lot with her father, she shares his sense of right and wrong. She does her best to bring justice to those who deserve it, sometimes even including herself.

•Protective. Gwen is also highly protective of those that she loves (although sometimes it can go too far). After losing her Earth's Peter, she does her best to protect her father and friends. Even if that means going to extremes.

Flaws

•Temperamental. The girl can go from happy to angry to angsty very quickly. Her emotions sometimes get the better of her and lead her into trouble.

•Vengeful. You don't cross Gwen Stacy. She takes revenge. She even went after Matt Murdock and his ninja's after he double crossed her. Beat him, too.

Skills

•Spider skills. Like all Spider-Mans, she can web shoot, swing, and climb walls. She has extra strength and endurance. Later in the comics, she lost those powers, thus why she turned to Matt Murdock. He gave her a symbiote which mimics her pervious abilities.

•Drumming. Gwen also plays drums in her band- the Mary Janes. I love this little addition to her character. She's pretty good at it too.

What Makes Her Interesting

•She's a mess. Gwen spends most of her time rushing from band gigs to work to superhero problems and being late for most of them. Half the time she looks like trash. It makes her feel relatable, one of the big themes in Spider-Man. It's also nice that she doesn't look flawless all the time.

•Her origin story. Like most Spider-Men, she gets her powers from a mutant spider. But it's what comes later I find interesting. Gwen uses her powers at first for her own gain, only changing later. And rather than losing her Uncle Ben, she loses Peter Parker, her best friend and romantic interest. It changes her and haunts her for the rest of her comics.

Who is your favorite comic book Spider-Man? What do you like about Spider-Gwen? Tell me in the comments.

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