As Sony Pictures builds their live-action Spider-Verse, they can beat the MCU to a milestone Marvel and Disney took years of world-building to reach: a female-led superhero movie, particularly one starring Spider-Gwen. Though she is now officially known as Ghost-Spider in the comics, Gwen Stacy of Earth-65 was introduced in Edge of the Spider-Verse #2 in 2014. In her reality, it was she, not Peter Parker, who was bitten by a radioactive spider and given enhanced speed, strength, and wall-crawling abilities. The character was an instant hit, and she received her own solo comic in 2015. Since then, Spider-Gwen has been continuously included in Marvel Comics storylines and adaptations.
Spider-Gwen notably made her big-screen debut in the animated Morbius only amplified these comments.
Sony's Spider-Verse has been brushed off as derivative, but the company has a chance to set itself apart from Marvel Studios by introducing Spider-Gwen. By giving the web-slinger her own movie early in the Spider-Verse's development, Sony would have a female lead whose character arc is not secondary to a male co-star, something the MCU has only explored relatively recently.
The MCU's first film was in 2008, but it wasn't until 2018's Black Widow promise to fill this gap. By establishing Spider-Gwen early on as a flagship character, the Sony Spider-Verse has a chance to create a role model for young girls who are not a love interest or side character.
Spider-Gwen has also been a feminist symbol in Marvel Comics since her debut. Her creator, Jason Latour, was inspired by the fact that he previously only knew of Gwen Stacy as a victim of the "Women in Refrigerators" comic book trope. The trope describes the oft-repeated plot point of a female character being killed or otherwise demoralized for the sake of moving a male character's storyline. Gwen's murder at the hands of the Green Goblin and the turmoil it caused Peter Parker exemplified this. Spider-Gwen is a version of Gwen Stacy who is both literally and metaphorically empowered, and spotlighting her would make a statement without having to actually say much at all.
When it comes to casting the web-slinger, Sony already has two interesting options. Both her Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Dove Cameron, are the right age and have the on-screen experience needed to play a live-action Gwen Stacy. Seeing either of them help Spider-Gwen make the jump from animation to live-action would be an intriguing development that could give Sony's Spider-Verse a much-needed boost.
