| SPOILER |
| I guess the original timeline for these events was 30 years ago in publishing terms, and something like 6 years ago in the lives of the characters in ASM. At that time, Gwen Stacy was Peter/Spidey's girlfriend, while Mary Jane (as I understand it) was with Harry Osborne, the son of Norman Osborne, the original Green Goblin. Recently, two superpowered young (?) adults have been giving Peter grief, and clearly the idea was that they were Peter and Gwen's kids, mysteriously superpowered and mysteriously grown up in a very short time. What was revealed in the latest issue, and what has caused a huge furor among many of the fans online, is that Peter found out (DNA test) they weren't his kids. Mary Jane said yes, she knew whose they were, and revealed a conversation she overheard about the then newborn twins between... Gwen and Norman. They had had sex once, and the kids were the result. They've been brought up by Norman to think that Peter was their father and Gwen's death was his fault (when really they're Norman's kids and Gwen's death was *his* fault), and now they want revenge against Peter. JMS even found a trip to Europe in the comic book canon that can be the interval where she went off to be visibly pregnant and have the babies. How very... comic book soap opera. But the furor is because the Green Goblin killing Gwen is one of those psychically pivotal things. Stan Lee always thought Gwen and Peter were meant to get married, and they were written really well together, and she seemed attracted to the mystery behind Peter, and she died many years ago and it's been a facet of Peter's character ever since. And now JMS took hold of that big tangle and gave it a giant TWIST. But it might be out of character, and it might not. Gwen (via MJ) said it was a one time thing and a mistake--she was consoling Norman for... something or other, I forget. She was drawn to the mysterious presence behind *Norman*, which of course gives Peter heaps to chew on. But Gwen and Peter were very much in love, and people are calling her nasty words like "slut" right now. So I was just wondering if anyone is familiar with the Gwen Stacy storyline of old and can add some perspective. Because most of the online folks I'm reading are too busy foaming at the mouth. |