On the Death of Gwen Stacy

by fokker333

Or, the physical manifestations of the inner ruminations of an eighteen-year-old with a far greater emotional investment in a fictional character than is probably considered healthy.

SPOILERS FOR THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

Before I begin, I'd like to first extend an apology to all those readers who clicked on this story link expecting to find a, well, story. Alas, this is not a story. Rather, this piece of writing can be far more aptly described as the physical manifestations of the inner ruminations of an eighteen-year-old with a far deeper emotional investment in a fictional character than can be considered healthy. Therefore, if you were looking for a story about Gwen Stacy, perhaps one where she doesn't meet an untimely end, you've come to the wrong place. Feel free to click away; don't worry, I won't be offended or sad.

Now, if there are any of you whose attentions I've managed to capture with this unorthodox opening, thank you for sticking around. I'd like to finally get to the main point of this piece of writing – essay if you will. The main point, of course, being on the death of Gwen Stacy. I have never really been a comic book reader, so I cannot say that I can write about this occurrence from a "true" Spider-Man's perspective (if you're the type of douchebag – ahem, person – that defines "true fan-ship"). However, as an ardent movie-watcher, I can proudly say that, after giving the subject much thought, I believe I can write thoroughly on why Gwen Stacy's death was so emotionally traumatizing to myself in particular, as well I'm sure as many other viewers of The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

In this particular circumstance, I am going to ignore the original Spider-Man trilogy, since the original Sami Raimi films did not show Gwen Stacy's character in any major role until the third movie, which I try my hardest to pretend didn't happen, particularly that god-awful scene of Tobey Maguire dancing. Therefore, for all intents and purposes, "canon" is limited to Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 films, although I did do some amount of research into the original comic books in an attempt to analyze the event from the comic book perspective as well.

So, why was Gwen Stacy's death so emotionally traumatizing? There are a multitude of reasons, most of which I will attempt to address. They include, but are not limited to, the sheer on-screen chemistry between actors Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone (who are in fact one of the most adorable real-life celebrity couples ever); the relatable-ness (relatability?) of Peter Parker to a great deal of the teenage demographic; the incredibly fleshed-out, in-depth, human portrayal of a great character by a great actress, as well as the feeling of loss with the death of said great character. But I'd like to save the reveal what I believe is the most significant factor until the end, when I actually address it. So, without further ado, let's begin.

The first factor I'd like to address is as thus: in the original comic books, the original trilogy (which I will reference for this purpose only), as well as, it is rumored, the reboot, Spider-Man/Peter Parker has two main love interests. These two love interests are Gwen Stacy herself, and Mary Jane Watson. While in the original trilogy of films, MJ was the main focus, the reboot series stays true to the comic books, and Gwen Stacy is the first love of Spider-Man. Mary Jane Watson is, according to my understanding, a character replacement for Gwen Stacy. Now, recall that I have not read the comic books and therefore have no understanding of her original characterization, nor am I able to accurately compare Raimi's Spider-Man series' interpretation of MJ to that characterization. It is simply of my personal opinion that no actress could possibly be cast in the role of Mary Jane Watson for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 who could beat the chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Any replacement for Spider-Man's love interest couldn't hold a candle to Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy. In fact, when I read online that Shailene Woodley had been cast as MJ Watson for TASM 2 but whose character had been removed for plot purposes, I was immensely glad. Don't get me wrong; I think Shailene Woodley is a fantastic actress. I simply thought that she would be unable to reproduce Stone's chemistry with Garfield, and any subsequent on-screen relationship between Andrew Garfield and another actress would feel forced and unrealistic. (Side-note: per my understanding, in the original comics Gwen Stacy's death "draws Peter and Mary Jane into a closer relationship, and eventually to romance" [Wikipedia:'Gwen Stacy']. That concept doesn't quite sit comfortably for me, so it's just another small reason for Gwen's death to upset me).

In what seems like a complete non sequitur, I'd like to ask the rhetorical question: why is the story of Spider-Man so attractive to the teenage demographic? The answer is simple, and fairly obvious, having been pointed out by many a comic book fan. Spider-Man is a relatable character, plain and simple, especially his origin story. Of all the superhero origin stories, Spider-Man's seems the most likely to happen to any random teenager, any random reader of comic books or watcher of movies. Unlike other notable comic book superheroes, Peter Parker's transformation into the web-slinging, building-hopping vigilante was an occurrence of pure coincidence. Unlike Tony Stark/Iron Man, the self-proclaimed "genius billionaire playboy philanthropist", or Superman, an extraterrestrial being of immense power, or Batman, a genius with access to great resources, Peter Parker was an unassuming, unremarkable (albeit smart) teenager who, due to his curiosity, found himself in a situation that was totally out of his control, leading to his transformation. What teenager hasn't fantasized about having superpowers? Unlike the origin stories of other superheroes, Peter Parker could in theory be anybody. The sheer relatability of Peter Parker causes the loss of a character close to him to strike closer to home for readers and viewers alike. Which leads nicely to the next point.

In my research into the realm of superhero comic books in preparation for this pseudo-essay, Gwen Stacy's death makes almost every top ten death list out there, whether it be the top ten most influential deaths, top ten most shocking, even a top ten most grisly deaths list. Regardless of what specific top ten deaths list she made, Gwen Stacy remains one of the most influential characters in all of comic book history, both on the characters of the franchise as well as the comic book industry as a whole. "The death of Gwen Stacy shocked the American comic book community. Previously, it had been unthinkable to kill off such an important character - the girlfriend of a title character with a large fanbase. Generally, a superhero did not fail this disastrously unless it was part of his or her origin story. This story arc is considered one of the markers of the end of the Silver Age of Comic Books, and the beginning of the darker, grittier Bronze Age" (Wikipedia, The Night Gwen Stacy Died). It was a wake-up call to all comic book readers that not even the most innocent of characters was safe from the sinister machinations of the bad guy. Within the Spider-Man universe itself, it is undeniable that Gwen's death was immensely important to the character development of Peter Parker himself. As a superhero character whose motives were initially driven by loss with the death of his uncle Ben, the death of his beloved girlfriend was a suitable (reluctant as I am to admit) contribution to his identity as a loss-driven character.

All these above reasons have been listed and analyzed in a logical fashion, one based upon reason and rationality. However, now is the time for me to reveal what I believe is the single contributing factor that causes Gwen Stacy's death to be so poignant and gripping for me personally, which may or may not be applicable for others who feel the same. It is a reason based far less upon reason and far more on emotion. Gwen Stacy represents, in her status as Peter Parker's confidant, the true epitome of companionship. In the film reboots, she is the deuteragonist, the only character (other than the antagonists) that is aware of Spider-Man's true identity. She is the only character to whom Peter can approach for help as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. She is Peter's best friend, girlfriend, and keeper of his greatest secret. Her death brings, therefore, an immense feeling of loss to Peter's life, but loss is not the only thing, nor is it, in my opinion, the most important aspect.

Now for a somewhat related segue. The greatest thing about being a human being is, I believe, the ability to form emotional attachments with other people. Human beings are societal creatures, just as many animals are. And yet our societies and emotional attachments are so much more than those of, say, a murder of crows or pack of dolphins. Thus, when I asked myself the question, "what is the worst feeling imaginable", my own answer was loneliness. Of course, you get weird ones in every species (I think that's a Harry Potter movie quote, but I'm not certain), but by and large members of the human race thrive upon relationships. It's the reason we refer to humanity as a society as a whole, rather than individuals. When someone dies, every person with whom they have a connection with feels that death emotionally.

Without a doubt, the Stacy family would have been hugely affected by Gwen's death. Having lost both Captain Stacy and Gwen in a short two films, the feeling of loss would undeniably have been overwhelming. But Gwen's death doesn't just bring loss for Peter, it also brings loneliness, and that loneliness is what makes her death so emotionally difficult to deal with. Peter has always been a character with few close people. His parents died when he was young, his uncle was killed, spurring his becoming Spider-Man, and he was left at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man with only two people whom he could call friends or family, Aunt May and Gwen. Although it is implied at certain points in the two movies that Aunt May is aware, or at least suspects Peter's involvement with the masked protector, Gwen was the only person that we know knew Spider-Man's identity. With her death, Peter lost his emotional support as Spider-Man. He lost the one person who had stuck by him in thick and thin, both as a normal student going through high school and as the masked protector of New York. How lonely Peter must feel without her! It is something that I cannot even begin to imagine. That aspect of loneliness that Gwen's death brings to Peter's life is what, I think, makes her death so tragic and emotionally traumatizing.

So. If you've made it this far without me boring you to tears, congratulations, and thank you for sticking around for almost two thousand words. It is a testament to my emotional investment of Gwen Stacy's character that I am awake right now, at 2:13 AM EST, finishing up this "essay", having watched The Amazing Spider-Man 2 two days ago. Thank you for reading what I had to get off my chest. In the meantime, I will go back to immersing myself in fix-it Amazing Spider-Man fanfiction in an attempt to mentally deny Gwen's death and to convince myself that all is well and good in Spidey-verse NYC. Goodnight!