WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Gwen Stacy #2, by Christos Gage, Todd Nauck, Rachelle Rosenberg and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
"The Death of Gwen Stacy," first published in Amazing Spider-Man #121-122 by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane, Tony Mortellaro and John Romita Sr., is one of the most important moments in Spider-Man's history. Kidnapped by Green Goblin, she was thrown off the George Washington Bridge and Spider-Man was unable to save her. His webbing even inadvertently caused the whiplash that killed her.
In the current Gwen Stacy miniseries, more focus is placed on her high school years and in issue #2, she meets Norman Osborn for the first time. Not only does Gwen Stacy #2 foreshadow her eventual fate, but it also teases one of the most infamous interactions between Gwen and Norman.
Norman's son Harry tells his friends -- including Gwen -- about his dad's OsCorp computer, which comes with a digital modeling program that lets the user create specific scenarios. It hasn't even been released to the public yet, meaning Harry has to sneak them into his office to access the technology. Gwen uses the program to analyze how her father was injured and try to prove how he didn't kill Pappas. Norman returns home, finding the three in his office and utilizing his private computer. Gwen explains herself to Norman and introduces herself with a sense of confidence that surprises him.
Seemingly taken aback and impressed when she explains herself, Norman agrees to let them continue to utilize his tech while he goes out for drinks. He even gives them advice on how to look for people who would benefit from Captain Stacy's attack.
Meanwhile, Norman -- as Green Goblin -- has been making power plays across New York in an attempt to centralize his power base in the criminal element of the city. Gwen, Watanabe, and De Wolfe all come to the conclusion that it's the Green Goblin targeting Captain Stacy. George Stacy contemplates just taking retirement instead of pursuing the matter, even specifically mentioning a fear of what would happen if the Green Goblin ever targeted Gwen.
Continuing her investigation, Gwen approaches Norman once more. Her research leads her to a connection between the Green Goblin's glider and a scrapped OsCorp design of the same device. Gwen is lucky that she doesn't actually accuse him of being involved, otherwise her eventual fate at Norman's hands might have come far sooner. They are, after all, on a balcony and Norman noticeably shakes when she mentions that Norman was very involved in the Glider Project. He could easily push her over the edge.
However, Gwen believes that Norman is far too old to be as strong and athletic as the Green Goblin. Embarrassed, Gwen shares a laugh with Norman over the idea. He puts on the charm and gives her the idea to approach Frederick Foswell, aka the former villain Big Man, as a possible lead. Gwen runs off to follow up on this new information, calling Norman "the best" as she leaves. Considering their eventual role in each other's lives, it's a particularly hard blow for readers.
All these interactions tease not just Gwen's eventual tragic fate at the hands of Norman Osborn, but another infamous moment between them. In "Sins Past" by J. Michael Straczynski and Mike Deodato, from Amazing Spider-Man #509-514, it's revealed Gwen had an affair with Norman. This resulted in the birth of twins, Gabriel and Sarah. Gwen intended to raise their children with Peter Parker but kept their birth a secret at first. Gwen's death is thus a violent conclusion to an ill-fated romance with a much older man. Norman's attempt to charm her in Gwen Stacy #2 hints at their eventual affair, which makes this first interaction all the more tragic.