Is Spider-Verse’s Version Of Gwen Stacy The Trans Representative We All Needed?

Comics Movie Transgender

2023-06-08
15:49

Gwen Stacy as a character has had a long history as a character, beginning as the girlfriend of Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, before her death at the hands of Norman Osborn.

The character has also made live-action appearances, played by Bryce Dallas Howard in ‘Spider-Man 3’ and Emma Stone in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’. She eventually became a superhero herself with the introduction of a Gwen Stacy from an alternate universe who got bitten by the radioactive spider instead of Peter, turning her into Spider-Woman, also known as Ghost-Spider and Spider-Gwen.

The popularity of Gwen Stacy’s Spider-Woman has since skyrocketed with the 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, where Gwen takes on a supporting role to the main character of Miles Morales. The character returned in the sequel, ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’, and was given a more central role in the film. This came along with fans noticing clues that this version of Gwen might actually be a trans woman. Minor spoilers for the movie will be discussed, so read at your own discretion.

The hints were first noticed by fans when they noticed a poster in Gwen’s room from the movie’s trailer with the words “PROTECT TRANS KIDS” on it. On top of this, the universe she came from in the movie had a color scheme of pinks and blues, similar to the colors of the transgender pride flag.

gm to gwen stacy and her protect trans kids poster only pic.twitter.com/asKDLqi0YD

— a (@tshoevelyn) June 4, 2023

While the film has not outright confirmed Gwen’s identity as a trans woman, some fans have also pointed out that her story of wanting to be accepted for who she is as Spider-Woman could be interpreted as an allegory for coming out. Replacing the word “Spider-Woman” in her conversations with her dad in the movie with the word “woman” turns her story into that of a trans woman struggling with the fear of not being accepted.

Regardless of whether the Spider-Verse franchise ever confirms whether their interpretation of Gwen is trans or not, many fans, especially those who are transgender themselves, have taken even more of a liking to this version of Gwen Stacy and have seen themselves even more in this character, which at the end of the day is a positive impact from the film, especially considering the timing of its release in June, widely celebrated as LGBT Pride Month worldwide.

It doesn’t matter if Gwen is “actually” trans. If some trans people see themselves in her, or find trans allegory in the story, it doesn’t matter whether that was intended by the filmmakers or not. It’s still a totally valid thing to take away from the work either way.

— Jay Exci ✊🏳️‍⚧️ (@JayExci) June 6, 2023