Reading guide · 1973
The Night Gwen Stacy Died: reading guide and where to read it
Everything you need to read The Night Gwen Stacy Died: the issues in order, what it is about without spoilers, why it matters, and the books in print today.
Read Amazing Spider-Man #121 and #122 (1973), by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane and John Romita Sr. Both are in Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: The Goblin's Last Stand, which collects #105–123, so the build-up is in the same book.
- Published
- 1973
- Length
- 2 issues
- By
- Gerry Conway, Gil Kane and John Romita Sr.
- Good for new readers?
- Yes. It is two issues, though it hits harder if you have read some earlier stories with Gwen and the Green Goblin.
- Start with
- Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: The Goblin's Last Stand
Reading order
In this order. The notes are spoiler-free.
| # | Read | Year | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazing Spider-Man #96–98 (optional) | 1971 | Green Goblin Reborn: Harry Osborn's drug crisis pushes Norman Osborn back into being the Goblin. The stories that set up Norman as a ticking bomb. |
| 2 | Amazing Spider-Man #121 | 1973 | Norman Osborn remembers that he is the Green Goblin and who Spider-Man really is. He kidnaps Gwen Stacy and takes her to the top of a bridge. |
| 3 | Amazing Spider-Man #122 | 1973 | Spider-Man goes after the Goblin, and their last fight of the era ends in a way neither of them planned. |
What it's about
Peter's life has never been better: he is in love with Gwen Stacy, and the Green Goblin's secret identity seems buried for good. Then Norman Osborn remembers everything. The story is short, fast and brutal, and it does the one thing superhero comics of the time never did: it lets the hero fail to save the person he loves most.
Why it matters
It is often called the moment comics lost their innocence. Before it, the girlfriend was always rescued; after it, readers knew anyone could die. The question of exactly what killed Gwen, the fall or the sudden stop of Spider-Man's web, has been argued about ever since. The ending also changed Mary Jane Watson from a party girl into the person who stays with Peter when it counts. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) built its ending on this story.
The big twist (spoilers)
Show the spoilers
Gwen Stacy dies when the Goblin throws her from the bridge. In #122, the Goblin is killed by his own glider during his fight with Spider-Man, and Norman Osborn stays dead for more than twenty years, until the Clone Saga brought him back in 1996.
Where to read it
The whole era
Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: The Goblin's Last Stand
Collects: Amazing Spider-Man #105–123 and material from FOOM #1 and #3
Paperback, 448 pages (June 2026 printing). Includes the build-up and the aftermath.
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Who would win?
The characters at the heart of this story, rated one-on-one under this site's fight rules.
What to read before and after
- The Master Planner SagaRead before · 1965–663 issues
- Spider-Man: BlueRead next · 2002–036 issues
- Kraven's Last HuntRead next · 19876 issues
Questions and answers
What issue does Gwen Stacy die in?
Amazing Spider-Man #121 (1973), by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane and John Romita Sr. The story concludes in #122.
Who killed Gwen Stacy?
The Green Goblin threw her from a bridge. The comic leaves room for debate about whether the fall or the sudden stop of Spider-Man's web killed her, and fans and later writers have argued about it ever since.
Where can I read The Night Gwen Stacy Died?
Both issues are in Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: The Goblin's Last Stand, which collects Amazing Spider-Man #105–123. They are also on Marvel Unlimited.
All Spider-Man reading guides · The essential Spider-Man comics, in order