Marvel "confirms" beloved character will return from the dead

We all know comic book characters rarely bite the dust permanently. Sure, some might die for a little while, but they're almost always brought back to life through time travel, magic, symbiotes, or thanks to the Life Force itself. There's no better example than the web-slinger himself, who's currently perishing over and over again in the ongoing Eight Deaths of Spider-Man run. Peter Parker has returned to the world of the living every single time, and even when he inevitably dies for good, he'll be back later this April as part of a soft reboot. There's just no end in sight.

But while we're on the note of Spider-Man, it's worth mentioning that there are two characters who debuted in his comic book series who have (mostly) remained dead throughout the years. The first is Uncle Ben — a man whose death prompted the creation of one of the greatest superheroes ever. The second one is Gwen Stacy, Peter's first true love who lived her last moments on top of the Brooklyn Bridge. To this date, they are some of the only two characters across all superhero media whose death seemed like it was never going to be changed. But you know what they say: Never say never.

In a shocking turn of events, it seems Marvel is planning to undo one of Spider-Man's most impactful deaths. Surely, the news won't spark any controversy... right?

Marvel teases Gwen Stacy's death will be no more

A new official artwork by Paco Media and Morry Hollowell teases a storyline involving the undoing of Gwen Stacy's death. Furthermore, the official tagline for the illustration is "NOTHING IS SACRED…", implying that the long-unspoken rule amongst comic book writers of letting the character rest will be broken. While no more information is known at the time, Marvel Comics will reveal more details next week.

Throughout the entirety of The Amazing Spider-Man saga, there has been only one time Gwen came back to life (And no. I'm not counting the events of The Clone Conspiracy because she was *technically* a clone during that time, and we'd all be better off forgetting that storyline). On the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #10, a Celestial called The Progenitor is at war with the X-Men and, as a result, decides to doom the entire human race as a whole. The cosmic deity then asks all of humankind to justify their existence for a chance to be spared. Then, he proceeds to manifest itself in front of every single person and follows them throughout the day, judging their every action.

When Peter proved he was a true hero at heart, The Progenitor was so moved that it gave the wall-crawler a gift. For a few seconds, Gwen Stacy — the true version of Gwen Stacy who died due to the Green Goblin's actions — came back to life. She barely has a moment to tell Peter she misses him, and then disappears once again into nothingness. It was a beautiful moment in what has been a very disappointing saga, but a great part of why it works is because it didn't overstay its welcome.

Back then, Marvel didn't intend to change Gwen Stacy's status as a deceased character. They merely brought her back for a few seconds to share some words with Peter, and then she was gone. However, what we have here doesn't seem to be the same scenario. Otherwise, why all the secrecy surrounding the whole situation? Besides, stating "nothing is sacred" basically confirms her death will be undone, and I don't think that's the best idea.

For starters: We already have a living, breathing version of Gwen Stacy in Earth-616. She comes from a different dimension and acts as a superheroine called the Ghost Spider. With that in mind, it's clear Marvel wants to bring the original version of Gwen back just because of her past with Peter Parker. And even then I still think that shouldn't be the way to go.

The whole point of Spider-Man: Blue is acknowledging Gwen's death had a meaning and served a purpose. So why change that? Granted, it's worth pointing out that the series concludes with Peter admitting that such a tragic event allowed him and Mary Jane to grow as people, and eventually get married. But given that Marvel undid their marriage as well, it may seem like there's no reason for Gwen not to come back. However, Peter just started dating Shay Marken. Besides, he's also seeing the Black Cat. So why would Marvel feel the need to just cram another character into the mix? Especially one whose story already ended many years ago on a bittersweet, yet perfect note.

Personally, I think this whole situation is a huge red flag. But let's not panic until Marvel truly reveals what they plan to do with Gwen as a character moving forward. And if anything else fails, then we can always turn our attention to Ultimate Spider-Man.