In the Ultimate Universe, Gwen Stacey’s fate is even darker than fans may expect.
Before the fan-favorite Spider-Gwen first appeared, there was another long-lasting version of Gwen Stacy in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man. Marvel’s Ultimate Universe was known for its shocking twists on the traditional Earth-616 canon, and few twists were as shocking as the ones involving this alternate iteration of Gwen.
First appearing in Ultimate Spider-Man #14 by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, and Art Thibert, the Gwen from Earth-1610 was very different from the version readers first met decades before. And while the impact her death had on Peter feels the same across the multiverse, her death in the Ultimate continuity was far, far darker.
The Gwen Stacy of Earth-1610 was a bit more aggressive than her 616 counterpart. An assertive teenager with a rebellious streak, Gwen definitely pushed Peter outside of his comfort zone. She first met Peter and his friends when she transferred to their high school, quickly making a name for herself after getting suspended for pulling a knife on a kid who was bullying Peter.
When her parents split up after her mother left her father for another man, she became too much for George Stacy to handle on his own. She grew close with Aunt May and Peter and quickly became a part of Peter’s friend group. The Parkers even took her in after her father was killed in the line of duty by a man impersonating Spider-Man. Her friendship with Peter and their new living situation complicated his relationship with MJ. Meanwhile, Peter and Gwen’s own friendship was complicated by her hatred for Spider-Man—whom she blamed for her father’s death.
Eventually, Gwen learns the truth about Peter and his double identity. Luckily, he manages to convince her of the truth before she shoots him with her father’s old service pistol. She even makes peace with MJ, convincing Mary Jane of her platonic relationship with Peter after accidentally causing a breakup between the couple. But the goodwill doesn’t last when she is confronted by the symbiote Carnage in Ultimate Spider-Man #62 by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, Scott Hana and John Dell.
A creation resulting from Dr. Curt Connors’ experiments on what was left of the Venom symbiote and Peter’s blood, the Carnage symbiote was a life-sucking monstrosity. Needing Peter’s DNA to be complete, it came to the Parker home in search of Spider-Man but fed on Gwen instead. Draining her life, Carnage left behind nothing but an empty husk that had once belonged to one of Pete’s closest friends. As fans know, Gwen Stacy was killed when Green Goblin threw her off a bridge to torment Spider-Man in the main continuity. Peter tried to save her with a webline, but the sudden whiplash of her abrupt stop snapped her neck, and the guilt has haunted Earth-616’s Peter ever since.
Despite her gruesome demise, that wasn’t the last time readers would see Gwen Stacy in the Ultimate Universe. Reappearing in Ultimate Spider-Man #98 during the “Clone Saga” story arc, it was revealed that a sample of the Carnage symbiote had survived its confrontation with Spider-Man and had been infused with Gwen’s DNA, creating a duplicate with all of Gwen’s memories and personalities but with the abilities of Carnage. Eventually, Gwen is purged of the symbiote during an encounter with Eddie Brock and she picks things up where she left off prior to her death.
While the Ultimate Universe wasn’t without its own Gwen Stacy forever, her death had a lasting impact on Peter and all those around him. In any continuity, Gwen Stacy’s death will always be considered one of Spider-Man’s greatest failures.
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