Spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Gwen Stacy dies after falling through a clock tower during the film’s climax. Harry Osborn, as the Green Goblin, puts her in danger. Peter Parker catches her with a web near the ground, but the sudden stop does not prevent her from hitting the ground. He reaches her too late to save her.
What happens to Gwen in the clock tower?
During the final confrontation, Peter fights Harry Osborn, who has become the Green Goblin. Gwen is caught up in the struggle and falls through the clock tower. Peter fires a web that catches her just above the ground, but she still strikes the floor and dies. Contemporary accounts describe the fatal impact as a blow to her neck; the scene does not establish a more specific medical diagnosis. TIME’s 2014 account describes the fall, while ScreenCrush’s interview with director Marc Webb discusses the ending.
So, did Peter’s web snap her neck? The film shows the web catching Gwen and her hitting the ground; it does not clearly identify a precise medical cause. The important point in the scene is that Peter’s last-second attempt cannot stop the fatal impact.
Who is the Green Goblin in the scene?
It is Harry Osborn, not Norman Osborn. Sony’s official film page identifies Harry as the character who becomes the Green Goblin and describes Gwen as Peter’s girlfriend and closest confidante.
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#1 Best Overall
- For Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, there?s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers and spending time with Gwen Stacy. But with the emergence of Electro, he must confront a foe far more powerful than himself. And when his old friend, Harry Osborn returns, Peter comes to realize that all his enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.
How does the film’s version differ from the comic?
The scene echoes Gwen Stacy’s death in The Amazing Spider-Man #121, the comic commonly known as “The Night Gwen Stacy Died.” Marvel’s official catalog identifies the issue as “The Death of Gwen Stacy.”
| Detail | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | The Amazing Spider-Man #121 |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Clock tower | Bridge |
| Green Goblin | Harry Osborn | Norman Osborn |
| Peter’s attempted rescue | His web catches Gwen near the ground, but she still hits it. | The comic’s fall and Peter’s web are part of the story’s tragic outcome; the film changes the setting and staging. |
The movie carries over the central tragedy but does not recreate the comic panel for panel. In the film, the clock tower and the seconds Peter has to act make the near-rescue part of the scene’s tension.
Rank #2
- Join Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN as he battles The Lizard. Then, when Spider-Man's enemies unite in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, Peter Parker finds that his greatest battle is about to begin.
Why does Gwen’s death matter to Peter?
Gwen’s death is a turning point for Peter: he fails to protect someone he loves despite reaching her in time to catch her. That emotional consequence connects the film to the comic’s lasting place in Spider-Man’s story, while the clock-tower sequence gives the adaptation its own circumstances and imagery.
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Rank #4
![The Amazing Spider-Man 2 [Blu-ray] [2014] [Region Free]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61W0+NfCTWL._SL160_.jpg)
- The disk has English audio and subtitles.
Rank #3
- Join Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN as he battles The Lizard. Then, when Spider-Man's enemies unite in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, Peter Parker finds that his greatest battle is about to begin.
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