Introducing Ghost-Spider
Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors looks like it will alter the lineup, as only Quake and Ms. Marvel have been part of the team in the comics. Still, the general concept of a group of young and diverse heroes with powers joining forces is true to the spirit of the source material, and the addition of other Inhumans like Inferno will help the new movie connect to the Secret Warriors from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. One major change, however, will be Cameron’s take on Gwen Stacy.
2014’s Edge of Spider-Verse #2 introduced the Gwen Stacy of Earth-65 as the recipient of the radioactive spider bite that the main Peter Parker received. While the Gwen of Earth-616 is dead, it’s Peter who died on Earth-65 and Gwen fights crime as Spider-Woman. With that name already taken by Jessica Drew in the main Marvel Universe, the hit character quickly became known as Spider-Gwen, a title that followed her to her 2015 solo series. Her world, like the Ultimate Universe, allows for an exciting retelling of the Spider-Man story and Gwen’s costume may be the best one yet worn by a wall crawler. Naturally, fans have been hoping to see her join the MCU for some time, and Marvel certainly seems like they’re gearing up for that.
Gwen Stacy is already a part of the new Marvel’s Spider-Man animated series, and Secret Warriors will allow her to fully suit up. One change, however, is that she’ll be known as Ghost-Spider - both referencing her costume and removing her from the gendered naming convention of superhero analogues. It’s also a nice nod to Ghost Rider, despite no connection existing between the two.
With Ms. Marvel, America Chavez, Captain Marvel, and Squirrel Girl all a major part of Marvel’s plans in various media (with many of them soon joining the MCU), the spotlight on Ghost-Spider certainly adds to the idea that she could join a live-action property. Coupled with the announcement of Secret Warriors just a week after Cameron came aboard Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in an undisclosed role, and an alluring prospect begins to emerge. But could the popular Gwen Stacy really join Marvel TV before the movies? And does Marvel Studios even have the right to use the hero given that Sony owns the character?
Where Will Gwen Stacy Make Her MCU Debut?
The deal Marvel made with Fox years ago allows a number of characters to be used by both studios, with the latter having the first right to use anyone they wish. Furthermore, accommodations have been made in the past, for instance letting Ego appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The impending sale of 20th Century Fox to Disney could change all of that, but the characters owned by Sony Pictures pose a different sort of conundrum.
After a dismal few years and the underperformance of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise, Sony finally opened up to the idea of partnering with Marvel Studios. The results saw Spider-Man join the MCU and a new trilogy of films kick-off with Spider-Man: Homecoming. Marvel then reset their animated Spider-Man series, a new PS4 game is arriving next year, and this weekend brought the first trailer for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which will traffic in some of the ideas surrounding Spider-Gwen’s debut. But while there’s more Spidey content than ever, Sony still owns the rights to the Spider-Man characters. They may be playing nice with Marvel Studios in some respects, but it’s still unclear just how much Marvel is able to use the various characters in the Spidey pantheon.
The other big issue with Spider-Gwen coming to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is whether Marvel would want to introduce such a major character on the TV side of things. While a case can be made that Gwen Stacy is two massive of an IP to use on a show that may be on its last season, Marvel hasn’t shied away from using the series as a vehicle for a number of well-known heroes and villains. The Kree, Quake, Ghost Rider, Deathlok, LMDs, and Mockingbird have all made their debut on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., so it’s hardly out of the question that Gwen Stacy could be next. Especially given how reluctant the minds behind the new Spider-Man franchise are to bring back well-worn characters.
A recent rumor indicates Gwen Stacy may be in the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel, but there’s so far been no evidence to back this idea up. What’s more, but the stated desire by Kevin Feige and director Jon Watts to not repeat established characters seems to rule out this possibility. After all, Gwen Stacy has been in both of the previous Spider-Man franchises. While she may be incredibly popular, it’s hard to imagine Gwen Stacy, let alone Spider-Gwen, ever having a place in the increasingly crowded MCU. As such, a recurring role on Marvel’s flagship TV show could be the perfect way to adapt the hero to live action and mirror Ghost Rider’s arc last season.
Though Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors may look like an MCU adjacent film, it will certainly be its own thing. And despite the involvement of Bennet and Vayntrub as their live-action heroes, Ming-Na Wen will be voicing the villainous Hala rather than an animated Melinda May. With that in mind, it’s more than possible that Cameron’s work on Secret Warriors led to Marvel wanting to bring her into the MCU and she’ll play some other role on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. In the end, there’s plenty of reasons why a Spider-themed character coming to a Marvel TV show might not be in the cards. On the other hand, it’s hard to ignore the mounting evidence that Spider-Gwen aka Ghost-Spider might be coming to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
