It’s official: fans of are convinced that the character of Gwen Stacy is trans – and the evidence is compelling. (June 2023) The animated sequel to 2018’s Oscar-winning was released on Friday 2 June 2023, reuniting viewers with , Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), and countless Spideys from other dimensions, including Spider-Gwen, also known as Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld). Fans who’ve seen the film are theorising that Gwen is trans – or at least an allegory for the trans experience – due to a number of queer-coded (and queer-coloured) clues. It all comes after fans bearing the words “Protect Trans Kids” in the background of a
trailer for the film earlier in 2023. Follow up was supposed to have been released on March 29, 2024 but has been delayed and removed from the Sony release schedule for now, disappointing fans who were hoping that the third instalment in the “threequel” would answer some of the following questions. Watching adds vital additional context, with many who’ve now seen the film in full arguing that Gwen’s characterisation, animation and story arc mirror the societal and internal struggles that trans people face on a daily basis. First off, there’s that aforementioned “Protect Trans Kids” poster, which is confirmed to be on the wall of Gwen’s own bedroom on Earth-65 during the film’s prologue. In a film with multiple animation styles, the colour palette used for all of Gwen’s scenes on Earth-65 appear imbued with the pastel blue, pink and white . This stylistic choice becomes even more apparent during a key scene where Gwen opens up to her policeman father, George Stacy (Shea Whigham), about her hidden identity as Spider-Woman. Gwen and the environment around her are practically drenched in the trans Pride colours during the sequence, with many seeing the scene itself as a metaphor for coming out: In the film, Gwen is forced to hide her identity from judgemental eyes in a world where Spider-Woman is misunderstood and despised by society. To top it all off, eagle-eyed viewers noticed that during the same scene, a trans Pride flag badge can be seen pinned to Gwen’s father’s
police uniform. Like before it, boasts a diverse array of characters, with the teeming with different versions of Spider-Man who share many of the same struggles but also the same pride in their identities. Whether Gwen Stacy is trans, an ally or simply a metaphor for the trans experience, many fans have praised the inclusion of a trans-coded superhero overcoming adversity in a world hellbent on suppressing her. One user likened the open-ended answer to the question of Gwen’s identity to
Actor Mark Hamill’s past comments that his legendary character Luke Skywalker could be gay if that’s how viewers choose to interpret him. In an interview with in 2016, the : “[Fans] would say to me, you know, ‘Could Luke be gay?’ I’d say it is meant to be interpreted by the viewer. “If you think Luke is gay, of course he is,” he continued. “You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves.” While Gwen Stacy’s gender identity is not integral to the plot of , the struggles she faces in her life have resonated with the trans community and cemented her as a trans icon, whether she’s cisgender or not. Gwen isn’t the only Spidey who’s been embraced by the LGBTQ+ community: Last year, Marvel revealed details about the origin story of its , who made his debut in the fifth issue of the comic book. Fans will find out whether Gwen’s trans mythology is explored further when the delayed third instalment in the franchise, , is finally released. was originally scheduled for release on 29 March 2024 before it was taken off the Sony release schedule in July 2023. There’s no new release date as yet, but fans might enjoy which has been released on . It’s a short movie set in the world that sees Miles Morales experience a panic attack and learn that asking for help is as heroic as anything.