All 10 Times Marvel Brought Back Gwen Stacy (& Why Only Spider-Gwen Stuck)

Spider-Man is Marvel’s most popular hero, and Gwen Stacy is a crucial part of his story. Similar to the impact of Uncle Ben’s death, Gwen’s passing is a defining moment in Peter Parker’s development. As Peter’s first love, her death sent him into a deep despair he’d never known. This tragedy also led to decades of conflict with Norman Osborn, drove Harry Osborn to become the second Green Goblin, and ultimately brought Peter and Mary Jane together as one of Marvel’s greatest couples. Gwen’s death is often seen as the end of the optimistic ‘Silver Age’ of comics, marking a shift towards more mature and complex storytelling.

It’s not surprising Marvel would try to bring Gwen Stacy back – her death was a huge moment, and she played a big role in Peter Parker’s life. In fact, over the years, Marvel has found ways to revisit or resurrect Gwen at least ten times. While many attempts haven’t lasted, one version, Spider-Gwen (also known as Ghost-Spider), really took off. In this article, we’ll look at all the different ways Marvel has tried to bring Gwen back, what worked and what didn’t, and why her original death remains so impactful. We’ll go through these attempts in order, saving Spider-Gwen for last. Let’s get started!

1) Joyce Delaney — The 1st Clone

Introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #142.

Shortly after Gwen Stacy died, a woman who looked exactly like her mysteriously reappeared. It turned out she was a clone created by the villain known as the Jackal, originally during a complex storyline called the “Original Clone Saga.” Once her origins were revealed, Gwen left the superhero world, marrying a clone of the Jackal named Warren Miles and finding happiness in a normal life. She occasionally reappeared when clone-related problems arose, but after a brief attempt to rewrite her history—claiming she wasn’t a clone at all—she didn’t play a significant role in Spider-Man’s adventures. Following her husband’s death, she changed her name to Joyce Delaney and moved to London, where she was eventually killed.

Joyce was a unique character as the first clone of Spider-Man, but ultimately felt like a way for Peter Parker to move past Gwen Stacy’s death. She provided a sense of closure, but that role made it difficult to build a compelling story around her. Her appearances often revisited old themes, and she faded into obscurity before her death. While interesting in theory, she’s overshadowed by other attempts to revisit Peter’s past, making her impact minimal.

2) Imperfect Clones

Introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #399.

The Jackal was notorious for constantly creating clones, both of the woman he was obsessed with and to torment Spider-Man. This happened during the ‘Clone Saga,’ where he tried to trick Peter Parker into believing he was the clone and that the original Gwen Stacy was actually a copy. That first clone quickly deteriorated, and the Jackal admitted he’d made many flawed copies, none as good as his initial creation, Joyce. Deeming them all failures, he immediately destroyed the entire group with a self-destruct mechanism.

These Gwen clones felt like a cheap trick – a way to shock readers and create a dramatic moment, which was common in the “Clone Saga” storyline. They appeared briefly, lasting only a few issues, and didn’t really affect Spider-Man much at all. This marked the start of a pattern where Marvel repeatedly brought Gwen Stacy back, seemingly just to exploit her story. It truly launched what you could call the “Gwen Era” at Marvel, and we’re still seeing the effects of it today.

3) House of M

Introduced in House of M #1.

Things took a dramatic turn when Scarlet Witch, struggling with her mental health, altered reality to give everyone their deepest desires. For Peter Parker, this meant Gwen Stacy was alive and they had a family. Later, Gwen and her father investigated why Peter was acting strangely after remembering his original life, discovering he wasn’t a mutant, but a normal human. Ultimately, Spider-Man pretended to die so his family could start a new life together in a peaceful, rural area. However, this happy reality with Gwen was never intended to last.

Gwen’s return from the dead marked a turning point, suggesting Peter preferred her to Mary Jane – something previous stories hadn’t supported. The story aimed to devastate Spider-Man like never before: he lost Gwen again, and also the potential future they could have had, including their son. This event established a pattern for future Gwen returns, which would happen much more often than the nearly decade-long gap between previous appearances.

4) Abby-L — The Original Clone

Introduced in Spider-Island: Deadly Foes #1.

Although Joyce was the first Gwen Stacy clone the Jackal successfully created, it took many attempts. Abby-L was the first clone to actually live, but she was flawed, infected with the Carion Virus, and deeply unhappy with her existence. She believed clones were monstrous and without souls, and vowed to kill the Jackal if he created any more. Discovering his obsession with cloning Gwen, she murdered Joyce and attempted to kill the Jackal herself, but Kaine intervened. Abby-L ultimately died when the Jackal’s lab was destroyed in an explosion.

Abby-L’s impact was minimal, largely because she died in the same comic issue she debuted. She felt like a forced attempt at shocking the reader and, with her disturbing appearance and unstable mental state, didn’t quite serve the purpose she was intended for. Her only significant act was killing Joyce, which eliminated a Gwen clone who’d already lost her importance. While Abby-L offered a fresh take on the Gwen clone concept and provided some insight into Jackal’s cloning process, she didn’t leave a lasting impression.

5) Spider-Girl, Gwen Warren

Introduced in Avenging Spider-Man #16.

As a huge comic fan, I always found this clone storyline fascinating! It started when Jackal found one of those creepy, old Mister Sinister labs. He basically mashed together DNA from Gwen Stacy, Spider-Queen, and Cyclops, creating this really wild character who could turn into a giant spider and blast energy beams from all eight eyes! It took the combined forces of the Superior Spider-Man and the X-Men to stop her. The really strange part? They discovered she was practically a baby, mentally speaking – like, born yesterday. They sent her to the Jean School hoping to help, but she apparently didn’t quite make the grade. Tom Brevoort mentioned she disappeared for years, and then she just… showed up again during the Krakoan age. It’s a crazy story, but it really highlights some of the wilder corners of the Spider-Verse and X-Men lore.

This version of Gwen is remarkably odd. Even without any of Gwen Stacy’s genetic material, the character retains the same abilities – transforming into a spider and firing energy blasts. Considering Peter Parker has no history with this version, she essentially functions as a character more similar to Cyclops, defined only by the shared DNA. While a story exploring a drastically different upbringing for this new Gwen could be interesting, it risks feeling familiar and unnecessarily complicated. There’s some promise here, but this character might be stronger if she moved away from the Gwen Stacy connection entirely.

6) Gwen Stacy 2 — The Other Perfect Clone

Introduced in Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #2.

This was the second Gwen Stacy clone created by Jackal, around the same time as Kaine. Unlike Joyce, who developed her own personality, this Gwen was completely devoted to Jackal. She assisted him in trying to recapture both Kaine and Spider-Man, hoping to get new DNA from them. However, Doc Ock had taken over Peter Parker’s body and wasn’t involved, and didn’t care about Gwen. Like her clone-sister, she perished when Jackal’s hideout was destroyed, with no remains left behind.

This version of Gwen is odd, but the strangeness comes from her role in the story, not who she is as a person. She’s essentially a perfect copy of Gwen, with all the same memories and emotions, but she lacks the will to defy Jackal. Her appearance felt pointless – she quickly appeared, kidnapped Spider-Man and his brother, apologized to Kaine, and then died. This felt like Marvel was just going through the motions, and she didn’t really add anything to the story beyond her name and how she looks.

7) New U Ressurection

Introduced in Clone Conspiracy #1.

The ‘Clone Conspiracy’ storyline brought back the original Spider-Man clone, Ben Reilly, along with many previously deceased Marvel characters, all recreated in perfect clone bodies – essentially offering a true resurrection. This was a significant moment for Gwen Stacy, as it allowed her to act as a fully realized character with her own motivations for the first time in years. She managed to forgive Peter Parker for the events surrounding her father’s death, and even cleared him of any responsibility for her own. She then attempted to persuade Peter to support Ben’s plan to bring everyone back as clones, but when Ben went too far and decided to replace the entire world with clones, Gwen sacrificed herself to give Spider-Man the time he needed to stop him.

Gwen hadn’t felt this purposeful in years. Between making peace with Spider-Man and bravely sacrificing herself to defeat the Goblins who had previously killed her, she truly acted like a hero. She was essentially reborn knowing she was meant to die, and that sacrifice made her story so impactful – it wouldn’t have resonated the same way if she’d lived. Accepting her fate was partly inspired by Spider-Woman, her heroic counterpart from another universe. This felt like a perfect, definitive ending for Gwen, and a natural conclusion to her relationship with Peter, as well as her overall story arc. Unfortunately, things are rarely that straightforward.

8) Progenitor’s Judgement

Introduced in Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #10.

During the AXE: Judgment Day event, a powerful being called the Progenitor evaluated all of humanity. For Peter Parker (Spider-Man), the Progenitor appeared as Gwen Stacy, observing his life after her death. Through Gwen’s eyes, the Progenitor assessed the person Peter had become. Haunted by her ghostly presence, Peter continued his life, but finally said all the things he’d kept bottled up. He forgave his former boss, Jonah Jameson, told Miles Morales how proud he was to share the Spider-Man mantle, and explained his decision to give Norman Osborn another chance. Ultimately, Peter was the one being judged, and his reward was a brief, emotional reunion with Gwen. They shared how much they missed each other before she disappeared once more.

Marvel brought Gwen back to life again to give Peter a touching moment, but it didn’t feel as impactful as previous resurrections. After being repeatedly revived, it felt like a repetitive plot device – simply bringing her back to remind Peter of his grief, despite him having moved on years ago. This felt like a forced reminder that Gwen was his one true love and that he still harbors romantic feelings for her, which contradicts his established character development. While Peter never forgot Gwen, he did learn to cope with her loss and move forward, and this moment undermined that progress just to elicit sadness.

9) Gwenpool — Weapon X-31

Introduced in Gwenpool (2025) #1.

Though Gwenpool shares a similar name and appearance to Gwen Stacy, they aren’t related. This led to a complicated storyline where the remains of another Gwen (New U Gwen) were used to create a new, tougher clone by a villain called the Great Architect. This clone was designed as a deadly assassin – with incredible healing and huge adamantine claws – basically embodying everything people think of when they hear ‘Gwenpool.’ She initially killed the original Gwenpool, but after meeting Spider-Man and Hawkeye, she was persuaded to abandon her life of assassination, with Gwenpool convincing her to spare the Great Architect. Ultimately, she chose to forge her own path and decide her own destiny.

The idea was that this would bring back the original Gwen Stacy, but it turned out to be false and fans strongly disliked it. Honestly, many people are simply tired of the character. She often appears just to create problems for Peter Parker, and with so many appearances in recent years, it feels like Marvel is forcing her into everything. It’s hard to avoid her, and when the same tragic story is repeated constantly, it loses its emotional impact. Gwen has become frustrating rather than sympathetic, and that’s the opposite of what she should be.

10) Spider-Gwen

Introduced in Edge of Spider-Verse #2.

Gwen Stacy has gone through several identities – first as Spider-Woman, then Spider-Gwen, and now Ghost-Spider. She first appeared in the Marvel Multiverse during the original Spider-Verse storyline. Unlike previous versions of the character who existed mainly to impact Peter Parker’s story, this version of Gwen is a fully realized individual. It’s a fresh take on her, exploring what would happen if she lost Peter instead of the other way around. This approach allows her to stand on her own while still appealing to fans who love her character, offering the best of both worlds.

Gwen Stacy has truly become a unique and well-developed character, something not many others on this list have achieved. Unlike some attempts that felt forced or relied too heavily on her tragic past, Ghost-Spider has resonated with fans and become a lasting part of the main Spider-Man universe. Other revivals of the character haven’t worked because they either weren’t meant to be long-term or simply kept revisiting her death, a storyline that loses its impact if repeated too often.

Marvel frequently brings Gwen Stacy back into stories, and it’s often problematic. This list didn’t even cover all the strange instances, like her connections to other characters or bizarre storylines involving clones and false accusations. While Marvel constantly reminds readers of Gwen’s death, especially Peter Parker, it seems to hinder her character more than honor it. Gwen could truly be a well-loved character if Marvel allowed her story to find peace.

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2026-03-19 00:17