Subject: Stacy, Gwen

Gwen Stacy was Peter Parker's first true love. Next to the death of his Uncle Ben, no death has weighed as heavily upon Spider-Man's shoulders as her passing. Gwen came to Empire State University from Standard High School, where she had been the resident "beauty queen". Arriving at ESU, she and fellow science major Harry Osborn befriended jock Flash Thompson. Flash attempted to introduce Harry and Gwen to Peter, his high school classmate, during their first chemistry lab. When a preoccupied Peter unintentionally ignored Flash and his new friends, popular Gwen and wealthy Harry did not take kindly to the perceived snub. Spitefully, Harry sabotaged Peter's lab experiment - setting the stage for a rocky start to their eventual friendship.

Peter hinted at marriage despite what the constant trouble leading a double-life meant - including secretly growing four extra arms for a time. Their love proved true and strong. Peter took Gwen with him on an expedition and photo shoot of the Savage Land in Antarctica, where Gwen acted as a model. The pair had an exciting adventure, encountering the colossal beast, Gog, which took Gwen back to its master, Kraven the Hunter, to be his queen. Kraven and Gog were defeated by Spider-Man and Kazar.

Once Norman Osborn again recovered his memory of Peter's secret identity, he burned with a desire for revenge against Spider-Man. Gwen, now aware of her pregnancy, fled to Europe where she secretly carried the twins to full term after only a seven month gestation, giving birth to Gabriel and Sarah. Osborn arranged to provide for the twins in Paris while Gwen returned home and reunited with Peter. Gwen argued with Norman that she should raise the children, assuming that Peter's love would enable him to overlook her infidelity and they would marry. Gwen confided only in Mary Jane, who had overheard the argument and promised to keep her secret. Osborn planned to raise the children to be heirs to the Goblin legacy. Hitting the wall-crawler where it would hurt most, and to rid himself of a young nuisance, the Goblin kidnapped Gwen and carried her to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. Spider-Man arrived and was horrified to find the woman he loved in the hands of his nemesis. Spider-Man blazed into battle, but his ferocity was not enough to prevent the Goblin from pushing Gwen off the bridge. In his last desperate act to save his beloved, Spider-Man fired a slender web-line that caught Gwen by her ankle, stopping her fall before she hit the water. Her neck snapped. Raising her up, Spider-Man discovered she was already dead. The Goblin taunted him, saying that Gwen had been killed by the shock of the fall before he caught her.