Warning: Spoilers for Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider #5!
New powers Spider Gwen Continue wreaking havoc in Spider-Man's rogues gallery. Spider-Gwen has long been a staple of the Marvel Universe through Spider-Verse team-up events, and even recently officially joined the main Marvel Earth-616 canon. As such, he and Spider-Man, the centerpiece of Spider-Brain, share the same villains.
His latest challenge is none other than former Spider-Man villain Chameleon. The first supervillain that Peter Parker faced. Gwen and Chameleon's battles continue Spider Gwen: Ghost Spider #5 Stephanie Phillips, Paolo Villanelli, Matt Milla and Ariana Maher of VC. You can check out Mark Brooks' cover art below, as the release itself will be released on September 11, 2024.
Also, preview the panels below The upcoming issue fully showcases Spider-Gwen's new powers and just how powerful they are, as they manage to supersede Chameleon's powers.
Spider-Gwen's New Powers, Explained
Spider Gwen: Ghost Spider #5 comes out September 11th
Originally from Earth-65, Spider-Gwen has officially joined Earth-616 within the Marvel multiverse. As Gwen adjusts to this reality, she faces her first big challenge in the form of Spider-Man's first official handler, Chameleon. After Spider-Gwen foils a bank robbery attempt by crime lord Black Tarantula, Carlos LaMuerto recruits the brother of Kraven the Huntsman to exact revenge. At first, the chameleon tries to do this by attacking Gwen in the guise of her brother, but now she has switched to impersonating Gwen herself.
Whatever plan Chameleon and Black Tarantula have, it goes beyond maiming or maiming Spider-Gwen. Instead, they want to defeat Gwen by damaging her reputation with the Earth-616 public still unfamiliar with this Ghost Spider that suddenly appeared. To achieve this, Chameleon commits crimes under the name Ghost Spider. All of this happens while Gwen is being held captive underground. However, on a brighter note, when Spider-Gwen is incapacitated, she unlocks a new power to adapt to her new status as a citizen of Earth-616.
While in captivity Spider Gwen: Ghost Spider #3, the protagonist begins to hallucinate his Earth-65 father, Captain George Stacey. This vision motivates Gwen to try harder to escape and leads her to think outside the box. Out of frustration, especially after losing contact with his father, a sudden burst of electricity erupts from his mouth and another blast allows Gwen to break free of her restraints.. This is how Gwen describes the feeling “Like fire in my veins. It's like I'm going.” [explode].” Later, a Gwen vs. Gwen fight results in Gwen exploding in New York.
This explosion shocks Gwen, who creates a crater in the middle of New York. Not only that, but This one blast of energy from Spider-Gwen short-circuits Chameleon's abilities, breaking not only his ability to maintain a form, but his mind as well.. He starts changing randomly and acting erratically, leaving him with no choice but to turn to Gwen, begging for help in the next issue. Before he can help, both Gwen and Chameleon escape the NYPD, bringing readers into this next issue.
Where did Spider-Gwen get her new powers?
Literal Sting of Power Upgrade
As of now, it is unclear how these powers manifested in Gwen and why she suddenly has them. These mysteries will be addressed in the future as Spider-Gwen explores her new abilities further. However, he wouldn't be the first Spider-Man to have powers other than the usual, like spider-sense or wall-crawling. Notably, he's not the first Spider with electricity, as some readers may see his powers and immediately think of Miles Morales' electric Venom blast power..
For Miles, his powers stem from being bitten by a spider created by Oscorp's Oz Formula in his universe. This spider was specifically designed to recreate the spider that gave Peter Parker his powers. Because it was made differently from the original spider, Miles displayed different powers when bitten. With the same sword, It can be bitten by different spiders (in some cases, from different universes) and therefore they are all affected differently..
This is no different than some mutants in the Marvel Universe naturally showing secondary mutations in life. The same can be said for Spider-Man, and it affects Gwen the same way. Unfortunately for Gwen, she doesn't have much time to explore her powers and what they cause, as she is a wanted fugitive. If he continues to help the chameleons, he will be charged with helping more known criminals. Time will tell how it will be Spider Gwen continues to develop his new power.
Spider Gwen: Ghost Spider #5 It will be available from Marvel Comics on September 11th.