Over the years, Spider-Man comics have dealt with many controversial storylines. Whether it’s Peter meeting his clones, Doctor Octopus swapping bodies with Peter and taking his life, or Peter making a deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May (sacrifice his marriage to Mary Jane along the way), the web-headed hero has been through a lot. . some hard times. But there is one particular storyline that might be the most ridiculous of all. IN Sins of the pastwritten J. Michael Straczynski, Peter battles a pair of villainous twins, who are later revealed to be Gwen Stacy’s children. Who is the father? Norman Osborn himself.

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What is the series “Sins of the Past” about?

Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man Sins Past comics
Image via Marvel Comics

Sins of the past was published in 2004 in six editions, starting with The Amazing Spiderman #509. In it, Peter receives a cryptic letter from Gwen, written before her death while she was in Paris. Since Gwen has always been a ghost of regret hanging over Peter’s head, he is shocked by this and later visits her grave. At the graveyard, Peter is attacked by two mysterious figures, a man and a woman, but he eventually manages to escape.

With clues in Gwen’s letter and some DNA testing later (which included digging up Gwen’s grave), he discovers that the twins, Sarah and Gabrielle, are actually hers. Sarah meets up with Peter again and, after he exposes her, sees an uncanny resemblance to Gwen. Sarah warns him that Gabriel is out for revenge and will not stop until he sees Spider-Man’s suffering. Later, when Peter tells Mary Jane, she finally comes clean about knowing the secret all along.

How did Gwen Stacy get pregnant with Norman Osborn’s twins?

Norman Osborn's twins in Sins Past Spider-Man Marvel Comics
Image via Marvel Comics

Mary Jane’s role in this story was to fill in the blanks as she overheard a fight between Gwen and Norman which revealed their situation. Shortly before the death of Captain George Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man #90, Gwen met with Norman and, sympathetic to his mental state, bonded with him, leading to their romance. After some time, she went to France, but eventually returned to New York and returned to Peter. During her journey, twins were born. To avoid scandal, Norman offered to adopt them, but Gwen refused, seeing how Harry Osborn’s upbringing was heavily influenced by his father.

Time moves differently in comics than in the real world. The twins were supposed to be about 10 years old, but were also revealed to have inherited Norman’s goblin-infected and accelerated metabolism. And not only that, they also die because of it. Peter offers to help them and explains his side of the story. In turn, he learns from the twins that Norman has been manipulating them their entire lives, telling them that Spider-Man killed Gwen and that Peter is their father.

What happens at the end of Sins of the Past?

Sarah Stacy on the cover of Spider-Man: Sins Past
Image via Marvel Comics

Sarah is accidentally injured by her brother and ends up in the hospital. Peter gives her a transfusion and she finally begins to recover from her rapid aging. Gabriel decides to stay on the path of violence and uses the goblin formula to fight it. He takes on the Gray Goblin mantle and attacks Peter again. Sarah shoots his glider, saving Peter, but they both disappear.

While Mary Jane is keeping Gwen’s secret from Peter, this can be seen as a betrayal, but it’s actually a sacrifice of sorts. She kept it from Peter because she promised Gwen and didn’t want to tarnish Peter’s memory of her. The storyline provides a darker and more sinister motivation for Norman killing her in The Night Gwen Stacy Diedbut it still seems undeserved. It was solely a story to move the story forward, no matter how controversial the topic was or how outraged the fans were.

Unsurprisingly, in true Marvel spirit, the story has recently been reworked (thankfully). In the early 2000s, the Gwen Stacy character wasn’t as profitable as it is now. Spider-Gwen, voice Hailee Steinfeldreturns to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. On top of that, fans are still clamoring for the movie’s return to live. Emma Stone like Gwen Stacy. While it seems highly unlikely we’ll ever see Emma Stone become Spider-Gwen, Spiderman: No Way Home proved that anything is possible!