WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Ghost-Spider #8, by Seanan McGuire, Ig Guara, Ian Herring and VC's Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
The events of Outlawed #1 continue to ripple across the teenage superhero community, including the young superheroes from Earth-65 in the latest issue of Ghost-Spider. The one-shot Outlawed special had a seemingly routine mission led by the Champions go horribly wrong, with fan-favorite superhero Ms. Marvel grievously injured. In response, the American government has put a ban on all unsupervised superhero activity conducted by those under the age of 21. Teenage superheroes can continue to operate but only under the supervision of an authorized superhero sponsor. When she learns of this news, the Gwen Stacy from Earth-65 flips out and gives in to her dark side: Gwenom.
Over the course of her adventures on her alternate Earth, Gwen had begun to lose control of her superpowers. Desperate, Gwen turned to her world's villainous incarnation of Matt Murdock for temporary boosts to retain her abilities in exchange for tacitly working with the New York City Kingpin of Crime. Eventually, Gwen bonded with her world's symbiote to become a savage version known as Gwenom, more brutal than the teenage superhero's usual approach to crimefighting.
Interestingly, Gwen and the Venom symbiote never fully separated and have remained bonded, in a direct contrast to Peter Parker who separated from the Venom symbiote after learning of its true nature. Gwen manages to control the symbiote's darker, more violent impulses (for the most part) and the symbiote eliminates the need for Gwen to rely on chemical enhancements to retain her superpowers. Co-creator Jason Latour noted that this true symbiosis is a way to further differentiate Ghost-Spider from Spider-Man while keeping the comic book series' themes of people learning to live with their own inner demons.
This dark side comes out as Gwen learns the news of the superhero legislation C.R.A.D.L.E. from Earth-616's Peter in Ghost-Spider #8. Gwen enters the main Marvel Universe none the wiser about C.R.A.D.L.E. and the recent events that led to the laws' passage. When Peters tells her Kamala Khan is injured and what the new laws mean, Gwen learns that when she's on Earth-616, she is also expected to follow these laws. Peter offers to become her sponsor, which prompts an angry Gwen's symbiote to start manifesting in a visible way.
The personality shift into Gwenom isn't limited to Gwen's argument with Peter. Gwen's darker mindset is present as she returns back to Earth-65, her temper and violent impulses taking precedence over her usual compassion and brighter outlook. With the Maker -- the villainous Reed Richards from the Ultimate Marvel Universe -- having a newfound interest in both Gwen and symbiotes, Ghost-Spider's shift back into Gwenom could make her an even bigger target for the evil mastermind.
Gwen has learned to live and work together with the Venom symbiote for some time now, but frustrated by what has become of the teenage superhero community in the Marvel Universe, her dark side is unleashed. This return to her more violent side may turn the Earth-65 general public and law enforcement officials against her once again. When she returns to the Marvel Universe for classes, her behavior may also make certain people feel justified in supporting C.R.A.D.L.E. With the heightened scrutiny on underage superheroes, Gwenom's return has come at the worst possible time.