Gwen Stacy is one of the most interesting and unique comic book characters in history. Throughout history, she was one of the few characters to always remain dead in stories. It was pretty much her and Uncle Ben, while everyone else was fair game to bring back to life. That all changed a few years ago with the introduction of Spider-Gwen.
This alternate universe take on Gwen Stacy saw her be the one to get the radioactive spider bite and become a superhero. Now, Spider-Gwen is one of the most popular characters you'll find anywhere. Due to that success, a series of variant comic book covers featuring Ms. Stacy were published, including one of Gwenpool. This was a Deadpool version of Gwen and has also quickly become a fan favorite. But who do we like more, Spider-Gwen or Gwenpool? We have five reasons supporting each side of the argument.
10 Gwenpool: Her Mentor Relationship
One thing that we love is when seemingly unimportant characters are given new roles in a series. For example, take Batroc the Leaper. He's a mercenary with a strong background in the French kickboxing form known as savate. Mostly a minor villain, his biggest claim to fame was a short appearance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
With his character not being used in other media, Batroc was brought in for the Gwenpool stories. The two met through less than ideal circumstances. Batroc had a chance to turn her in for killing an assassin but instead opted to train her. The two formed a mentor/mentee bond that is a highlight.
9 Spider-Gwen: She's In A Band
Who doesn't love a drummer? As soon as you begin reading a Spider-Gwen comic, you'll notice that Gwen Stacy is in a band. She plays the drums for a band known as "The Mary Janes." Of course, with a name like that, it means the lead singer is Mary Jane Watson. The other members include Betty and Glory Grant.
The thing that makes this so cool is that it isn't something you often see in comic books. There aren't too many superheroes who are musicians in their everyday lives. Also, a Spider-Man staple is the struggle to balance being a hero and being there for school or work. Missing shows for her band gives Gwen a unique twist on this trope.
8 Gwenpool: Fans Made Her Possible
We've mentioned how popular these Gwen Stacy characters are, but there's something extra special about Gwenpool. When the twenty Gwen Stacy variant comic covers were released, most were met with praise. But Gwenpool swept the world by storm and fans gravitated towards her.
The demand for more Gwenpool got so high that Marvel had to start introducing real stories for her. It started with a one-shot before an ongoing series titled The Unbelievable Gwenpool was put into production. None of this would be possible without her legions of fans and we think that's really cool.
7 Spider-Gwen: She Owned Venom
The story of Spider-Man and Venom is one that we all know by now. The Symbiote attaches to Spider-Man and turns him into a more aggressive version of himself. When Spider-Gwen adapted the tale, it's understandable to expect them to follow suit. For a while, it looked that way with Gwen getting angry and reckless against Kingpin.
However, it was later revealed that the Symbiote wasn't causing this change in Gwen Stacy. Instead, she was fully in control. She put her own negative emotions into the Symbiote. They were so strong that they scared the organism, which in turn reflected them at an amplified level. The bond between Gwen and Venom proved to be a strong one.
6 Gwenpool: She Breaks The Fourth Wall
There are many things that Deadpool is both known and loved for. A major one is how he often breaks the fourth wall. Deadpool will constantly look to the read and address them, commenting on whatever is happening in the story. He's the rare character who is fully aware that he's in a comic book.
Gwenpool retains this characteristic and it's one that we love. She doesn't quite go to that well as often as the original Deadpool, but Gwen has been known to bust it out from time to time. To make it even cooler, the creative team added some wrinkles to the concept that will be mentioned later.
5 Spider-Gwen: She's Not Traditionally Trained
When someone decides to fight crime as a superhero, they often go through a rigorous training storyline. In movies and television, it is usually done in montage form. In comics, you get a similar form and it can take up a big chunk of the story. We're not saying that's a bad thing, just one that we've seen often.
Spider-Gwen takes things in a different direction. This Gwen isn't traditionally trained in fighting. When she battles her opponents, you'll usually see that Gwen is outmatched. She is powerful and smart, but her lack of fighting acumen levels the playing field and makes for some interesting battles.
4 Gwenpool: Her Twitter Takeover
As noted earlier, the creative team had some big ideas when it came to Gwenpool and breaking the fourth wall. Editor Heather Antos was proud of the character and a fan of what they had accomplished. So, she had the brilliant idea to answer questions from fans as Gwenpool.
This took place on Twitter, where Antos went as far as to have Gwenpool sort of take over her account. As Gwen, she'd change the profile picture, header, bio, location, and every other aspect of the account. It made sense to Antos for Gwen to have knowledge of the platform and added something even more unique for a character who already excelled in that department.
3 Spider-Gwen: The Twists In Her Origin Story
The origin story in Spider-Man is one we've heard a million times. Peter Parker gets bit by a spider, gets powers, Uncle Ben dies, etc. For Spider-Gwen to truly feel like its own entity, changes had to be made. One of those changes saw Peter Parker as the character who died.
Peter attempts to give himself powers and it backfires, resulting in him turning into the Lizard. Gwen must fight him to protect everyone and it results in his death. That's a great way to twist the tired tale. There's also the different routes taken on characters like Frank Castle that help make this so much fun.
2 Gwenpool: She's A Marvel Fan
Continuing the thread of Gwenpool and her fourth-wall-breaking, there's this awesome nugget. She comes from a dimension where Marvel Comics actually exist. That meant that when she interacted with many of the characters in her world, she was also a fan of them from their comic adventures.
This allowed Gwenpool to once again go down a route not often taken in the world of comics. Moreso, it gave the character a stronger bond with her audience. She was a fan of Marvel Comics just like those reading her. She could break that fourth wall and relate to the readers.
1 Spider-Gwen: She's A Stellar Detective
We previously mentioned that Spider-Gwen isn't known for her skills in hand to hand combat. Though we like what it adds to her fights, there's another reason why it's okay that she isn't great in that area. That's because she's quite the sleuth. Gwen takes after her father, NYPD Captain George Stacy.
The combination of things she learned from her father and her own brilliant mind makes Gwen an excellent detective. One of her first stories focused on her being wanted by the cops and having to figure out how to prove her innocence. It was an exciting tale to read. This also gave her stories a different feel from Spider-Man.