While Spider-Man is one of the most popular of the Marvel superheroes, not every aspect of the character is well known by fans. The history behind one of the wall-crawler’s most famous powers – his ability to shoot webs – is filled with interesting bits of trivia and facts that aren’t common knowledge.
One of the most iconic scenes in comic books is the death of Gwen Stacey, killed during a fight between Spider-Man and his nemesis, the Green Goblin, when Gwen is hurled off the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. While the Goblin may have thrown Gwen off the bridge, it’s a web from Spider-Man that’s been given as her cause of death in subsequent analysis of the event.
In the original comic, Spidey shoots a web down after Gwen to try to stop her fall, but the sudden stop from the web causes a ‘Swik’ sound in the comic, which has been interpreted as Gwen’s neck snapping – it’s been portrayed as such in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as well, and in subsequent retellings of the story where Peter has revealed his guilt at the event and how he wishes he could redo that moment to avoid using a web and save Gwen’s life by catching her instead.
Even after her death, Gwen leaves an impact on Spider-Man. Peter rightfully retires after losing the woman he loved but that doesn’t stop crime or villains from rising. It also doesn’t stop Gwen from being a ray of light in Peter’s life as he watches her graduation speech.
The speech gives Peter the spirit to put the mask back on and continue defending his city. He not only accepts that she’s gone but that he can live without her, even if it hurts to do so. Peter will always remember her, using that memory to never lose sight of his responsibility as Spider-Man.