Summary
- Spider-Gwen’s costume is iconic, with her footwear being a key design element beloved by fans and artists alike.
- Gwen Stacy’s Earth-65 origin and unique role as Spider-Woman has led to her popularity and distinct style within the Marvel universe.
- Despite the move from Earth-65 to Earth-616, Spider-Gwen’s upcoming series will maintain her iconic costume with only minor changes.
With her rise in popularity, Marvel’s Spider-Gwen has developed her own design staples in her costume. From her hood to her color scheme, she’s become an easily recognizable Spider-Verse hero. She readily stands apart from her fellow arachnid-themed heroes, as well as other heroes within the broader universe. However, one iconic costume element had the opportunity to be removed.
Gwen Stacy’s death in 1973 was given a surprising twist in 2014 with the creation of Earth-65. Returning as a heroine in Edge of Spider-Verse #2, she came from a world where Peter Parker was the one who died instead. This caused her to take up the mantle of Spider-Woman, eventually becoming Ghost-Spider, though she’s frequently referred to as Spider-Gwen.
Now, Gwen is poised to change up her living situation from Earth-65 to Earth-616 for good in the upcoming series, Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider. Despite the change, her costume will seemingly undergo only minor alterations as artists are generally happy with her overall design.
Marvel Just Made the Biggest Change to Spider-Gwen Since Her Debut
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider is Gwen Stacy’s latest solo series and it will come with a big universal move to shift the heroine’s life for good.
Artists Understand Spider-Gwen’s Best Design Elements
In an interview with Looper, comic creator Stephanie Phillips – the writer of Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider – has revealed the element that Marvel initially thought of changing. When asked about Mark Brook’s cover art and new details being added to Gwen’s shoes, Phillips shared that this aspect could have been eliminated altogether. When it comes to her appearances in previous comics, as well as her film debut in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Gwen is seen wearing assorted footwear over her spider-suit. It’s an important aspect of cosplays centered on the Marvel heroine and was kept as a design element during the time she bonded to a symbiote as Gwenom. According to Phillips, regarding Mark Brooks’ covers:
He started that and then they made their way into the interior pages. Initially editorial was like, ‘You don’t have to keep drawing the sneakers.’ But every artist was like, ‘No, we love the sneakers. We want to keep the sneakers.’ And I was like, ‘So we’re all getting custom sneakers when? Because I love these.’
Phillips then elaborated on why Gwen’s footwear is not only so important but so loved:
It’s the color scheme. The color scheme is fantastic. But what Mark did is also, I think, a hallmark of Gwen’s design, which is how cool and fun it is to play with, whether it’s ballet shoes or sneakers. It’s like these accessories and elements that you get to bring kind of this flair to Gwen. And it’s so a part of her personality, too, to have cool flair. Of course, she has cool sneakers. Of course, she has custom Gwen sneakers. That’s great. And that’s something that I think Federica has done a really cool job of in those really elastic fight scenes and movement and swinging through a city. I think that same animated vibrancy is there in the design as well.
Spider-Gwen’s Best Design Requires Shoes
Initially editorial was like, ‘You don’t have to keep drawing the sneakers.’ But every artist was like, ‘No, we love the sneakers. We want to keep the sneakers.’
Spider-Gwen’s sense of fashion has been not only recognizable, but beloved by fans since her debut. She – and her costume – have only risen in popularity since her cinematic debut alongside Miles Morales. Ballet flats and sneakers have become as much a part of her look as her hood. Had Marvel’s editorial team succeeded in eliminating these shoes from her new look, a core design element would have been missing – and fans likely would have noticed. While Miles’ footwear has varied, with sneakers becoming more popular in recent years, Gwen’s shoes – especially this new custom pair – are a must. Spider-Gwen’s costume is one of the best in the Spider-Verse, and it should always include matching footwear.
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1 will be available May 22 from Marvel Comics.
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Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1 (2024) |
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Source: Looper
