Does Spider-Man Love Gwen Stacy More Than Mary Jane?

Gwen is his first love and because he never got closure because of her death he will always love her. On the other hand MJ is his soul mate so he loves Mary Jane more but part of him will always love Gwen as well.

Gwen was Peter's first love, MJ was his second. Doesn't mean he loves MJ any less, it simply means that Gwen was the first woman to steal his heart but wasn't the last.

Lol at everyone who says that Gwen was his first love when betty brant was. Read the first amazing spiderman issues. They eliminated his girlfriends because they werent interesting and MJ survived the longest, that is because she was a greater character.

Gwen Stacy is such an awesome character and is way better than mary jane. Her death is pretty damn sad but it had to be done. :(

Pete/Betty Brant never really went anywhere back in the day, Pete even admitted later during Stan Lee's run (in like 1966) that he only thought he loved her at the time and that in retrospect they had very little in common.

And the argument against Gwen's character is just a weak excuse in my opinion, she was uninteresting? so make her interesting, that's what the writer's job is. Just because she could be a goody two-shoes at times doesn't mean she can't be funny, or insightful or have any number of other character traits layered onto that foundation.

No. I agree with other Poster's that it's more of a what could have been thing. He feels guilty over her death so it's something that can eat away at him. He wishes he had saved her. There's no telling where their relationship could have gone if she lived.

Personally, if Gwen had lived, we wouldn't be talking about Mary Jane as Peter's soul mate. She might have married Harry Osborn and had his kid for all we know. I feel that if Marvel really wants to bring back Gwen Stacy, then they should bring the AoA version to Earth-616.

@darthfury78:

Wasn't that version a lesbian?

Yes his first true love MJ said she couldn't compete with that or something along those lines

how is she better? they killed her off in her prime and then after that revealed she had sex with Norman....

Alright I literally JUST made an account to clear up some things (I personally favor Gwen as a character)

1.) Gwen's death. The writer's didn't "kill off" Gwen because she was a boring character and wasn't going anywhere, it was actually the exact opposite. Her relationship with Peter was interesting and progressing nicely, but the only problem was they knew that soon they would be reaching the point where they would have Peter ask Gwen to marry him (I believe I read somewhere that Gwen was secretly hoping for Peter to propose before she left for England) but they thought he was too young and marriage would turn away some of the younger readers.

2.) The affair with Norman Osborn. I think I speak for all of us when I say this was just disgusting. But what's really so terrible about it is that the writer originally intended for PETER to be the biological father of Gwen's kids, but for some reason the rest of the staff came up with the "brilliant" notion of having it be with Norman instead, something that is completely out of character and frankly completely off-putting as a reader. (Can't remember many of the details as to why the staff chose this, possibly similar to the reasoning as to Gwen's death.)

3.) Personal opinion: I just think Gwen is a better character over all. Her relationship with Peter was complex (Her hating spiderman, but loving Peter, but at the same time needing to go to england after becoming orphaned, though later going back to New York once her hatred for the web-slinger was resolved) and generally interesting to read. As for Mary Jane, like many of you (I assume) I grew up with the almost in-born knowledge that Mary-Jane Watson was Spider-man's girlfriend. But now, I find her character far too generic for my own liking. Though I will say this: The thing with western comics is we have many, MANY writers for the same characters, which leaves their personalities vigorously open to interpretation. One cannot argue a character's personality based on a single comic line say, from another earth. However, given Gwen's consistent importance in Peter's life (I mean this romantically, context does not apply to the "Ultimate" universe) I think it's safe to say that Peter loved (Loves?) Gwen Stacy very, very much. Arguably much more than he does/did Mary-Jane.

All around, I think Gwen would've made a much better partner for Peter, had she not been killed off for (at the time) understandable reasons.

Spider-Man: Blue, it was an amazing 6 part read that really hits the Peter, MJ, Gwen dynamic.

@lateralus:

@lateralus: I'm probably a terrible person for saying this in reply to such a touching moment (I really liked it, too) but did anyone else think mary jane looked kinda like a female version of sid from ice age there...?

@guruoffunk: NO, Gwen is his first and true love. You never love anyone more than your first. that is a standard of life that not many admit but it's true.

@haydenclaireheroes: that's because the ultimate universe is full of $hit.

@blackdog2009: Actually he had a girlfriend before Gwen, though most (including myself) consider Gwen his first love as he actually deeply cared for her, while the previous one had no real romantic connection and Peter himself admitted that looking back they had very little in common and the relationship was so bland and uneventful that it could not really be considered a relationship at all.

@kiwitowel: Actually, he dates Betty Brant and MJ before Gwen.

@lateralus: Betty is who I meant lol couldn't remember the name for sure

Of course, that's obvious. Gwen was his first love and the reason of his personality. I'm not saying he doesn't love MJ, but his relationship with Gwen had something more. And yes, I miss her too.

When I was watching ASM2 I was like "shit... I don't want her to die... but she has to... no wait, please no... But if she doesn't die, the film will be shit... Oh my..."

@porthunt said:

I know that feel bro

Haha I feel like a lot of the people commenting haven't actually read the original comics with Gwen.

For the people who haven't read the original 121 issues here is a recap:

Gwen was introduced when Pete went to college. Their relationship started off icy, as she mistook Pete being caught up in his own head over an ailing aunt may as him ignoring her. Originally, Gwen was shown to be deeply intelligent (scholarship student like Pete) and extremely attractive, as much so as MJ. Their relationship slowly developed, and Pete began to reciprocate feelings for Gwen as well. They dated for a while, and Gwen opened up to Peter emotionally. She was used as a counterpoint to MJs bravado. Unfortunately, this is when her appearances began to get grating (IMO). She would be constantly moping or crying over something. After her fathers death, she blames Spidey and moves to London. Pete goes to find her, they reconnect, etc... The relationship gets more and more serious. Peter begins to seriously think about proposing to her. Goblin kills her.

My big problem with Gwen was that she sort of became more and more generic as time went on. She eventually could have been almost interchangeable with Betty Brant from the first 20 issues (crying, complaining, etc...). Still, I found her endearing and she clearly left a mark on Pete.

But since than, I think he has found true love in MJ. The question is not "who does he love more?", but rather "who has he had more time to connect with and love". And the answer is clearly MJ.

Can anyobody help me, from what series/book these pic were taken ?

Gallery

Thanks !

@gilangkr: The first image is from What If Spider-Man House of M #1.....not sure about the second image

His grief and guilt has covered his love for Gwen.
Gwen was the girl.
Mary Jane is the woman that made him a man,and the woman that he loves and conciders her his soulmate.They're made for each other.

I think if Peter/Spiderman could undo events in his life the top two would be the Death's of both Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy. In the end both of these events made Spiderman who he was. Every superhero has had to have a Major loss. In the fan world every fan was dazed and shocked by the death of Gwen Stacy, It was the first time we saw someone the Character loved die while being rescued. Jonathan Kent was natural causes, Jason Todd was wanted gone, but Gwen Stacy was killed while being saved by the/her hero... Does he still care for Gwen show me a man who doesn't think about his first real love

She did get in bed with norman so....

Honestly I don't think if Gwen lived their relationship would've lasted.

Spider-Man loves Mary Jane more. He had (and still has) strong feelings for Gwen, he just wishes that she wouldn´t have died because of him, he didn´t have a closure with Gwen, that´s why he will always feel something for her, but the love Peter has for Mary Jane is much bigger.

He loves gwen more

Ha. No. Like someone said, it's obvious half the people replying don't really value Spider-Man's history to come to absurd conclusions like that. Whenever someone says it's 'arguable' he cared more for Gwen, I laugh. I'm sorry, but given he's had kids with MJ in one universe it is absolutely ridiculous to suggest he somehow cares more for a ghost than he does someone he's given his full unconditonal love to, I have a very low opinion of Gwen Stacy fans mainly because of their shallow hopeless romantic viewpoints on people, and I don't think any of them have had, or ever will have, a meaningful relationship in their lives.

Peter's admitted he loves MJ more in the comics several times. Even in Slott's dire run so far he's called her his soul mate. This is'nt even a question.

Gwen at the end of the day was just another listless silver-age interest for Peter, she was'nt interesting or as compelling as people pretend she was, they're creating all this revisionist history about her now only because she's been in the movies and a few alternate universes are demonstrating her so-called 'untapped potential', but let's not fool ourselves though, the Gwens that have popped up in all the years since her death have bore very little resemblence to her true character for the simplest reason that the original is just whiny and boring. Even with the twist of "Sins Past" I was'nt engaged with her or felt any sympathy for her. She was an idiot to shack up with Norman unprotected and showed how much she did not value her relationship with Peter. I know Gwen fans will call it out-of-character, but her attachment to older men is backed up a lot by canon by her father and Miles Warren, after all, Miles Warren had a crush on Gwen and Gwen's clone ended up marrying a clone of Warren

(christ do I hate comics sometimes)

"He and Gwen had something more, MJ was generic"....what crap, MJ and Peter have had far more engaging, spirited conversations and insights into each other than any love interest combined. Gwen has never boasted any of that.

I loved that the Gwen of the Ultimate comics admitted she loved Peter only as a little brother, and even when she (or rather her clone) had a relationship with Peter, she realized it could not work because he loved MJ far more.

Spider-Man: Blue is amazing, I disagree with Peter's conclusion though, I think MJ could have had a serious relationship with Peter, after all, look at how their relationship blossoms in the 90s animated series where MJ did not have knowledge of Peter's identity, or even the Mary Jane Loves Spider-Man series, where MJ comes to the conclusion she'd rather be with Peter than her super-hero crush.

I'm with Masters-Of-Surprise ..honestly, she would have suffered the same fate as MJ currently is enduring in the books, eventually, she and Peter would be split by editorial because Peter has to be single to provide an outlet for fresh stories, they would play the tiresome routine games of will they/won't they, and they would not evolve Gwen past that one inch. It's best she stay dead, even if it ends up producing idiots who can't get over the fact people do move on and find better people that encourage their activities, who love them unconditionally, and who who offer up advice and support whenever neeeded . Peter found that in MJ, she became his best friend, and outside of the parody fanfic that is the regular comics where noone acts in character, she remains his wife in the newspaper comics, and they have been happily married for over twenty-seven years, they will outlast every relationship Peter and MJ have in the regular books, even if they brought Gwen back, she would never match the longevity of Peter and MJ. That's something you Gwen fans have to stomach and get over.

At the end of the day, debating over "who he loves more" is rather childish and is suited more for childish minds who can't work out how human beings behave and adapt to further their own happiness. Peter and MJ grew up, Peter and MJ have bonded the most, Peter and MJ married, depending on what canon you follow, they had kids, you don't go that far with someone if you're still hung up on who you crushed on when you were in college. Peter and MJ moved forward. To hell with what the regular comics tell you because that reality was created by a deal with Satan so you can't really trust anything going on in it. Any universe which showcases just how much Peter and MJ evolved together has more right to be called the natural timeline, and for my money, that's exactly what MC2 or the dailys are.

And Blackdoor2009, that whole thing about "your first love in your true love" is absolute baloney created by hopeless man-child romantics who were probably dumped by their first loves in Kindergarden. My soul mate is not my first love and I love her far more. I hope you realize how silly you sound when you do eventually find love past your first crush, because then you'll realize how unfair and shallow you're being to the person who loves you unconditionally.

@zarius: yo, i dnt have time to read all that, ijust have 1 arguement , house of m, reality where everyone lived happy, how they wanted he had married gwen, had a son with gwen. Gwen was his first love, most people will never love someone more than there first love, and i think peter is one of them, issue 700 of asm, "gwendy said they can finally be together" since he "died".

I would say definitely there's really no contest that Spidey loved Gwen more than MJ. In the alternate, there are many versions of him with Gwen. I know he ends up with MJ after Gwen's death..but hence that he loved her. He would have ended up with her in the 616 universe if it hadn't hapenned. Even look at Spider-Man: Blue.

@guardiansofthegalaxymarvelfan:

I disagree. peter loved Mj way more than gwen, their love sotry is what defined the marve; romacne in their 60 years history. in many of those alternate realities he is also with MJ. Ultimate been the most popular marvel alternate reality. gwen was his first love but MJ is the love of his life. people always outgrow their first love with time.

peter did tell Mj that he loved her more than he ever loved gwen.

I think Peter loves Gwen more but only because Gwen was his first actual real love and instead of them breaking up naturally, she was taken from him. Mary Jane is not a consolation prize or anything and Peter does love her but she may not be his soul mate but I don't know if Gwen was still alive they'd be together. I say he probably still loves the feeling he had of Gwen rather than her.

@kiwitowel: This. just *applause*

I don't think anyone could say this better.

One of the biggest things I wish had actually happened in the comics that she found out his identity. In What-If comic (What-If Spider-Man saved Gwen Stacy it happened) but I feel like toward the end of the comic it didn't really do the storyline justice. And Sins Past is ridiculous.

Well said, friend.

@sjean: I see where you're coming from. But yeah different writers, different stories like that I get all that jazz. I'm very familiar about MJ and Peter's history. I'm just talking about the writers who originally wrote you know the Earlier ASM comics.

Now in regards to history I also remember Mary Jane turning down Peter's proposal at the start. I just personally love the way they wrote Gwen and Peter in the older comics. There was chemistry, you can tell they cared about each other. As did Gwen, you can see she cared about Peter. I get your opinion, I respect that.

@lateralus said:

Spider-Man: Blue, it was an amazing 6 part read that really hits the Peter, MJ, Gwen dynamic.

It really does. I always get something in my eye when I read that story.

@porthunt: I agree with this as well. I'm

not saying that he doesn't love Mary Jane, but Gwen definitely meant more than enough to him. In the movie, I was pretty torn like that. I know I was psyched about the arc coming to life, but then I felt awful because (I only liked the fact they did because all spider-man media never even acknowledged her story, or even who she was until much later) the clocktower scene I was kinda on the edge of my seat. But yeah..I kinda wished they hadn't killed her in ASM 2.

It would have been great if they had her go off to London toward the end. But I don't hate what they did, it's torn and complicated.

I think Spider-Man is actually in love with Batman and doesn't like either of the ladies.

He loves them both

the whole spiderman blue comic kinda proved that pete and mj know that gwen was his true love. Mj just wanted to be with a cool superhero cuz she has daddy issues

although if the whole thing about her having kids with the green goblin is still canon he might just not love anyone but aunt may at this point since mephisto broke him and MJ up.

This proves you know nothing about Spider-Man.

@thor_parker82:

This proves you know nothing about Spider-Man.

how so? im not sure if gwen and osbournes secret son lives cuz of all the retcons and the way that it was mj who insisted on the mephisto deal makes me think that she didnt love pete as much as he loved her. petes romance wasnt ever that important to me its always about beating the bad guy in the end. amd the daddy issue thing was meant to be funny

I wasn´t talking about your whole post, I am just talking about an specific part.

She "insisted" on the mephisto deal because she knew Peter would never accept that deal, but the pain that will come later would be unbeareable for Peter, knowing he was also responsible for her aunt´s dead would eventually make Peter impossible to live, so Mary Jane "insisted" on the deal because of love, because she didn´t want to see the one she loves being devastated.

ya i know thats what they said but i still feel like MJ also saw that as an oppurtunity for a way out (personal opinion after her talk with his police ex who got turned goblin). i just never saw them lasting even tho theyve been together for years its just meant for pete to have to go thru heartbreak alot so hes gotta stay single. besides he was aged to much when he was married now hes young and free again.

You do realize you just quoted me without answering anything, right ?

Mary Jane's the one who taught him true love.He adores her.

The affection he feels towards Gwen's mostly guilt.

No, she didn´t saw that as an opportunity, she saw that as the only way to avoid Peter suffering.

I think for Peter Gwen is an idolized relationship. They were very much in love and might have led to them getting married even or not because she was killed by Peter's greatest enemy before they could figure that out. So it was left perfect in his mind, and even now through rose colored glasses. MJ is still alive and they have been through so much and ups and downs. But there is always something between them. I think she is his true love. She is alive and real. While Gwen is gone MJ is here and he and MJ can fight, disagree, feel pain, sadness, and all the lows and highs in relationships. All he can do about Gwen is imagine what might have been, and almost assuredly imagine happy times if he did.

MJ, in stories, found out Peter was Spider-Man before she even met him. (You could even say that Peter and MJ were keeping secret who they really were. With Peter pretending to be wimpy Parker/heroic Spider-Man and MJ pretending to be a party girl while secretly more than that.) But she loves him for him, not for being Peter and not for being Spider-Man. In another issue she watches Gwen and Peter at a party while she is out with Harry and she feels blue because she likes Peter. She even helps him be Spider-Man and keep his secret. Now they are the best of friends even though they aren't dating.