Gwen Stacy/What If

Gwen Stacy is a fictional college student and a supporting character featured in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is associated with the Spider-Man line of comic titles and first appeared in the "If This Be My Destiny...!" story from Amazing Spider-Man #31 in December, 1965. Variations of the Gwen Stacy character have appeared in issues of What If?, the most notable of which being the subtitle of issue #24, "What If Spider-Man Had Rescued Gwen Stacy?"

What If Gwen Stacy Lived?
Most of Gwen Stacy's upbringing and college exploits are the same in this timeline as that of her Earth-616 counterpart. However, in the core reality, Gwen Stacy had been captured and rendered unconscious by the Green Goblin and hurled to her doom from the top of the Brooklyn Bridge (or the George Washington Bridge depending upon who you ask). Spider-Man swung in to save her and snared her with his web-line, but the whiplash of suddenly stopping in free-fall snapped Gwen's neck, and she died.

In a divergent reality, Spider-Man power-dived from the top of the bridge until he could match Gwen's deceleration, at which point, he caught her and then used web-lines to slow their descent. They landed in the Hudson River, but Spider-Man rolled so his back would take the impact, thus sparing Gwen's life.

When Gwen revived, she learned that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. At first, she was furious at him, because she believed that Spider-Man had caused the death of her father, George Stacy. Peter explained the truth behind what happened, and Gwen forgave him. In the midst of this conversation, Peter proposed to Gwen, and she accepted. Peter and Gwen broke the joyous news to Aunt May, and set about making preparations for a wedding.

Since Gwen didn't die in this reality as she did in the main timeline, Norman Osborn survived as well. Armed with the knowledge of Spider-Man's true identity, he recorded the information and sent it to J. Jonah Jameson as the Daily Bugle.

Gwen and Peter were married and the ceremony was attended by their closest friends, including Flash Thompson, Joseph Robertson, Betty Brant, and Ned Leeds. No sooner did the ceremony conclude however, than J. Jonah Jameson came bursting into the church, and publicly revealed Peter Parker as Spider-Man. The shock was so great that May Parker suffered from an intense seizure. Jameson called for Spider-Man's arrest, and Peter Parker now found himself to be a fugitive from the law. Whatever ramifications this may have caused for Peter and Gwen's marriage following this event is unknown.

Notes & Trivia

 * Gwen Stacy originally died in Amazing Spider-Man #121 in June, 1973 in a story now famously known as "The Night Gwen Stacy Died!".

Appearances

 * What If? 24