(The Tragic Death of the Original) Gwenpool # 2 (2025)

 By Mark Rodriguez

The Weapon-X organization created a new killing machine, X-31, who looks like an evil Gwenpool. Once X-31 encounters the original Gwenpool, Spider-Man and Kate Bishop, Spidey removes her mask. It turns out that this isn't some alternate evil Gwendolyn Poole... but the original Gwen Stacy!! Let's see what happens next, though based on the cover it seems things aren't going to bode well for Miss Poole.

 

The issue opens with the unmasked Gwen Stacy standing in front of a shocked and confused Spider-Man who was recently shot. Kate asks Gwenpool who that woman is, and she responds with 'Gwen Stacy'. When Kate doesn't know who that is, Gwenpool says 'Emma Stone'. Kate is, naturally, still confused and Gwenpool says it's a long story.

Gwen asks herself what she would have felt upon seeing Spider-Man again and says now she knows. Peter asks who she is. Gwen says she's the woman he killed. We see a flashback of when Spider-Man tried to save Gwen Stacy (after the Green Goblin dropped her from several stories up) and her neck snapped once his webs tried to stop her fall.

Peter says that she's not the real Gwen Stacy and starts firing web shots at her. He asks if she's another clone or robot. Gwen catches his webs and says it's really her, but she's not rotting on the ground the way Peter once left her. She yanks the webbing forward which sends Spider-Man into a wall.

Kate decides to not ask any questions regarding their personal matters and fires an arrow at the enemy. Gwen catches the arrow, which turned out to be an electric arrow, and uses it to shock Spider-Man. Kate asks Gwenpool to do something. Gwenpool holds onto Jeff the Land Shark and says she needs popcorn, or maybe churros as the watches the lovers' tiff of the century. Gwen hears that remark and turns her attention to Gwendolyn. Gwen starts to open fire on her saying she's more asinine than the Architect told her about. Gwendolyn remarks that Gwen seems cattier than she was in the trades she's read, but being dead might do that to someone.

Gwen starts to fire back and Gwendolyn uses her adamantium claw to block and deflect the shots. She says the Architect told her that Gwenpool uses humor as a deflection. As she says this, Gwen bounces one of the shots over to knock Kate's bow out of her hand. Gwendolyn tells Kate that this other Gwen is as good as her. Gwen says she's better and tosses sonic grenades at her.

 

Spider-Man tells Kate they have to stop the Gwens before they tear themselves apart. Kate says Spider-Man has been shot and is losing a lot of blood. Spider-Man says his spider-sense is still going off. Just then there is an explosion in the distance. Gwendolyn says she might not have kicked Fin Fang Foom far enough. This confuses Gwen.

Kate gets the message from the Avengers Emergency Channel via her ear buds. Gwendolyn is confused as to why she doesn't have one. Gwen Stacy gets away during the confusion. Spider-Man says he'll go after her while the others answer the call. Kate asks if he's up for it and he says he'll have to be.

Gwenpool runs off and joins the fight with the others as she monologues about how continuity in comics is sometimes the least important due to retcons happening all the time. She mentions that she herself was retconned several times from being a Deadpool wannabe, an Avenger and a mutant, but what matters is that the book is fun. Gwenpool says the city was burning and people are rioting. She says they've been through a lot lately, from vampires, to zombiotes and now Doctor Doom taking over the world. Gwen says comics need their big world-ending events.

Gwenpool says so far the day has had everything, a rampaging monster and the return of an icon. She suddenly stops monologuing as she notices something. Kate asks if she OK. Gwenpool says she feels as if someone just walked on her grave. Gwenpool sees a hooded figure on a rooftop looking ominous down at her. Kate doesn't see anything and when Gwen turns to check again the figure is gone.

Spider-Man swings by and Kate asks Gwen if she's sure she just didn't see him. Gwenpool says Spider-Man gets it and one has to keep swinging no matter what.

Spider-Man sees what appears to be Gwen Stacy attacking a couple. Spidey holds Gwen back, telling her to leave them alone. Gwen calls Peter an idiot as she tosses a blade at the guy. The man falls and the woman makes a run for it. Gwen says the woman can run while the guy can stay down. Gwen was actually saving the woman from the man. Peter apologizes for his assumptions and collapses due to the blood loss.

Gwen grabs Peter saying she should leave him to die but she offers to take him to a hospital. Just then Gwenpool shows up and tells Gwen to back off. Gwen tells her that she doesn't understand what's going on. Gwenpool says she understand that she's a psycho as she grabs her shoulder. Gwen yells out 'NOT NOW' as she suddenly turns and runs Gwenpool through with her blade. Gwenpool chokes and commends her on the nice visual reference. Gwen says that she didn't mean to do this.  

 

Kate fires off an arrow, telling Gwen to drop Gwendolyn. Kate asks for help and tells whoever is listening that an Avenger is down. Spider-Man tells Gwen that they find her, no matter where she goes as she runs away. Kate holds Gwendolyn and she monologues that backstories and retcons aren't the worst things in comics. The worst thing is when a favorite character dies, out of the blue. Those are the deaths that no one comes back from, those are the ones that hurt. Gwenpool dies in Kate Bishop's arms.

 

My thoughts- 

So things got pretty intense, though it seems X-31 isn't as cold-blooded as we thought. Rather than the version we see on the cover as Gwen smiles with the satisfaction of another kill, in the actual issue we see that this was an accident she actually regrets. She also helped save a woman from an attacker and offered to take Peter to the hospital. It seems there is still some of the 'real' Gwen Stacy in there, if she ever had kick-ass fighting skills back in the day.

I liked the line where Gwendolyn referred to Gwen Stacy as Emma Stone. I do wonder how her 4th wall abilities work. Deadpool knows he's a fictional character, but Gwendolyn Poole was Marvel fangirl from the real world that ended up in the comics. Her 4th wall abilities comes from the fact that she read the stories and know the tropes. So if we take this literally, this means Gwendolyn was still in the real world when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 hit theaters. So I guess my question is, does she only as far when she entered the Marvel Universe?

 

I mean, does she know about the recent Thunderbolts movie, or the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, or the fact that up until now there isn't a live-action version of herself in the MCU? Is she forever stuck in the Marvel Universe or does she jump in and out to keep herself updated with what's going on in the real world? Those pop culture references have to come from somewhere.

It was a fun issue as we see the Gwens square up. I feel bad for Spider-Man as he can barely stand at this point. We still have the mystery of who or what this Gwen Stacy is. I find it funny that despite Gwen being just an average person in the grander scope of things, she's been cloned and replicated so many times. Just because she dated Peter Parker? I mean should Carlie Cooper worry about getting cloned and whatnot if she ever gets into a tragedy? We also have the mystery being this shrouded figure that was watching the fight go down.

I guess we'll find out next issue. Gwenpool might be dead but it seems like her ghost is still around?