Last week, Marvel promised that "nothing is sacred" as it teased the resurrection of the original Gwen Stacy, who died tragically in Peter Parker's arms all the way back in 1973, shaping his life as a hero and as a man ever since. Now, the publisher is making good on the teaser by announcing the return of the original Gwen Stacy as… Dark Gwenpool?
Here's what we know: the original Gwen Stacy is gonna get dug up, infused with "Weapon-X style abilities" as a "darker, deadlier, and even more unhinged Gwenpool," in a title from writer Cavan Scott and artist Stefano Nesi that teams her up with the original Gwenpool.
If you're scratching your head, don't worry – it's as confusing as it seems, at least for now.
For those not familiar, Gwenpool is the superhero name of Gwen Poole, a mutant with reality-altering powers, whose costume kinda looks like a very feminine version of Deadpool's.
How does Gwen Stacy factor in? Well, Gwenpool was originally a mash-up of Gwen Stacy and Deadpool designed by artist Chris Bachalo for a variant cover. The popularity of the Gwenpool costume led to the character being brought into the actual Marvel Universe as a fleshed-out character with her own, separate identity.
Weirder still, the original Gwen Stacy isn't the original Dark Gwenpool – that's actually an evil, battle-hardened future version of Gwen Poole. In other words, bringing the original Gwen Stacy back into the picture and turning her into a new Gwenpool could either be seen as taking the concept full circle, or perhaps as the serpent eating its own tail.
Here's a gallery of covers for Gwenpool #1, including the main cover by Chad Hardin, as well as variant covers by Greg Land and Jeehyung Lee, and Paco Medina's original teaser art for Gwen's resurrection:
"What an absolute honor! To tear both Gwenpool AND Spider-Man's worlds apart? Yes please! Gwen Stacy is back from the grave and deadlier than ever. Weapon-X style abilities? Check. A line in killer put-downs? You've got it. This is NOT the Gwen you remember," says writer Cavan Scott in a statement. "But just who is behind her miraculous resurrection? And what has happened to the original Gwenpool's usually careful existence? Add Kate Bishop and Jeff the Land Shark to the mix and you have the Marvel series of my dreams!"
Gwenpool #1 goes on sale May 14.
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