Ultimate Spider-Man May Have Finally Delivered A Classic Marvel Comic Death

Spoilers for "Ultimate Spider-Man" #21 follow.

"Ultimate Spider-Man" has been happy to reimagine classic characters. Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man in his middle age when he's already married to MJ with two kids. Writer Jonathan Hickman has also paired J. Jonah Jameson and a still-alive Uncle Ben up as a Woodward and Bernstein-esque journalism power team, investigating the corrupt businessman Wilson Fisk/Kingpin.

One of the most radically altered characters has been Gwen Stacy. The original Gwen, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, was Peter's first serious girlfriend, a tsundere turned ingénue. She's most remembered for dying in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #121 at the hands of the Green Goblin, paving the way for MJ to supplant her. "Ultimate" Gwen is married to Harry Osborn. Gwen runs Oscorp while her husband fights crime as the Green Goblin; Spider-Man's partner, not his archnemesis like usual. That's only half of it; this Gwen is Mysterio (one of five), the illusion-casting fishbowl helmeted member of Kingpin's Sinister Six. In truth, though, Gwen is working to undermine Fisk just like Harry and Peter; she's the most ruthless one of all.

Despite the efforts of some Spider-Man adaptations, Gwen's most famous scene remains her death ... and "Ultimate Spider-Man" may have delivered its take on it.

One of the five Mysterios is James Wesley, Fisk's seemingly loyal right hand. In "Ultimate Spider-Man" #21 (drawn by David Messina), Martin Li/Mister Negative, leader of the Demon gang and a Sinister Sixer, kidnaps Wesley to interrogate him. He spills not just on Fisk, but on Mysterio. The comic ends with the Demons attacking Li's rivals, "Godfather" baptism montage style, as a brainwashed Wesley suicide bombs the Mysterio council. Gwen gets to scream before fire engulfs her:

Marvel Comics

The preview for "Ultimate Spider-Man" #22 reads: "The last will and testament of [redacted]." Based on this ending, I think the redacted name is "Gwen Stacy." Part of reading "Ultimate Spider-Man" has been the dread that Peter and Harry will break their friendship and become enemies like the originals did. If Gwen did die, then losing his wife could change Harry for the worse. Last issue, though, MJ told Harry he could be a good man, implying Gwen's ruthlessness keeps him from becoming one. 

But can we even believe what we saw? Gwen has already faked Harry's death (even to the audience) with a Mysterio illusion. Could that have happened again? Or did she somehow survive the explosion? These sorts of cliffhangers, of a character in mortal peril where you don't see them die, are usually resolved with a surprise survival.

Hickman, Messina, and fellow artist Marco Checchetto are wrapping up their "Ultimate Spider-Man" run with issue #24, so we'll definitely know Gwen's fate soon. Yet as "Ultimate Spider-Man" reaches an ending, the bill of its story structure (each issue skips ahead a month, mirroring the monthly publication schedule) might be coming due.

The time gaps mean a lot of the story in "Ultimate Spider-Man" happens off-panel. In this latest arc, I've been questioning the time management; it sometimes feels like characters discuss the story moreso than the story happens. Issue #20 was focused entirely on a debriefing conversation between Peter & MJ and Gwen & Harry, and now Peter and MJ barely appear in this one. Knowing we likely aren't going to see the immediate aftermath of this cliffhanger also makes it less explosive.

"Ultimate Spider-Man" issues #1-21 are available, issue #22 releases on October 22.