The Main Character-ication of Gwen Stacy
Courtesy of Sony Pictures© 2022 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Slight spoilers ahead for Across The Spider-Verse.
It is no secret to those who know how much I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, I can catch those of you that don’t up with the following sentence: I once took part in a three-day franchise marathon hosted by the El Capitan Theatre so that I could watch Avenger’s Endgame a few hours before everyone else. It’s that intense of a relationship. Yet, my appreciation for all superheroes is rooted in an undying love for one in particular.
Peter Parker, AKA: Spider-Man, in case you aren’t familiar with the lore, has been a part of my life since I was seven. My childhood was benchmarked by a younger brother who was obsessed with the comic book character and his foes. The infatuation reached its panicle in my late teens when Andrew Garfield’s take on the charming and lovable nerd highlighted his pursuit of Gwen Stacy. I swooned over the first film a total of twelve times in theaters but decided to suffer immense heartbreak at the hands of the second only twice. When it was announced that the proposed trilogy would remain unfinished due to rights and acquisitions between Disney and Sony, my immature heart vowed never to accept whoever was chosen to next take on the great power and responsibility of the web-slinger’s mask. A promise I vehemently upheld . . .until approximately three minutes into Spider-Man: Homecoming. But that is a story for another time.
Since that fateful day in 2017, there have been four additional Spider-Man films: Two MCU sequels starring Tom Holland and two Sony Pictures Animation productions. I have seen and adored them all. But, if my obsession, knowledge, and expertise can convince you to watch one of the four Spider-Man stories, let it be Sony’s animated Spider-Verse.
Sony Pictures Animation© 2022 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
When the original film debuted in 2018, Into the Spider-Verse immediately set itself apart from its predecessors not just by its medium but by sidelining Peter Parker as well. In this story, Miles Morales finally gets to be center stage. When the young teen becomes the Spider-Man of his universe, he finds himself up against a threat significant enough to summon other spider-powered individuals from their realities to help defeat the foe. One such friend is a new version of Gwen Stacy. Already more than a love interest in Morales’ world, Gwen has powers of her own. In her universe, she is Spider-Man, or rather Spider-Gwen, as her comic book series names her. The first movie leaves it at that. But the recently released sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, subverts expectations again, utilizing the female lead as a vessel to navigate the commonalities between all the spider-stories. While she is not the titular character, it is as much her film as it is Miles’, making Across the Spider-Verse the first female-led Spider-Man film since the franchise was born in 2007.
I will be completely honest. When I first put this post on my calendar, I had prepared to rank Spider-Man’s various on-screen love interests, a feat that would be extremely easy and unbelievably difficult all at once. Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane excluded; I am very fond of all the women Peter and Miles have fallen in love with, but my favorite will always be Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy. How could it not be? She was basically a Rom-Com heroine whose leading man happened to be a superhero. My adoration for her transferred onto the character in general. Since the MCU has not yet brought her back to life in any way, shape or form,—Sarah Halley Finn, if you are reading this, I, along with my absolute lack of acting experience, volunteer as tribute—I was ecstatic to see the Gwen back on the big screen with her superpowers intact. Walking out of the new movie, I was blown away by how much Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham, the film’s writers, have added to who she has been on-screen. I’m avoiding spoilers, but know this, Across The Spider-Verse could carry the subtitle: The Main Character-ication of Gwen Stacy, which is exactly what she deserves.
Across The Spider-Verse is now in Theaters.
