Fans Believe Gwen Stacy Is Trans In Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, And Here Are The Evidence
In modern society, it’s quite common to see different factors like ethnicity or gender being put in media products, such as Movies or songs, as an effective way to promote people’s awareness and support for different communities. The newest entry about the Wall Crawler, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse might be no exception. Besides some subtle and heartwarming messages scattered here and there in the movie to support the trans and LGBT communities, Across the Spider-Verse also makes the fans feel represented through one of its major characters -Gwen Stacy.
Now, there is no official statement so far from Sony that confirms Gwen is trans, however, there are massive hints throughout the story that shows how Earth-65 Spider-Woman strongly supports the community by different means, which is a very good move from the studio to send a heartfelt message to fans. Let’s look at all the evidence scattered throughout the movie, that shows Gwen might be canonically trans, or at least very supportive of the concept and the community.
#1. Gwen’s support trans kid poster in her room.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
In the official trailer and the movie, we can catch a glimpse of Gwen’s room, which contains a support message for the trans community. On the top of her door, we can see the color of a trans flag, with the message “Protect trans kids” written in the middle. It’s a subtle and meaningful way to show that Gwen strongly cares about the well-being of the trans community, regardless if she’s one of them or not.
#2. She struggles to fit in with others.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
As we can see at the start of the movie, Gwen has a hard time blending in with others and seems to always get into quarrels with her bandmates. Gwen eventually closes her heart and isolated herself, and as she mentioned, she only had two friends, Peter, who tragically passed away in her arms, and Miles, who’s in a different dimension.
This might be an allegory to how trans people have a hard time connecting and seeking acceptance from society in real life. Seeing Gwen struggle to make friends and get people to accept her for who she is, is quite relatable for the trans community, as they understand her pain and challenges.
#3. Captain Stacy’s struggle to accept his daughter’s true identity.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Right from the start, Gwen and Captain Stacy weren’t exactly on good terms, as she struggled to open up about her real identity as Spider-Woman, worrying that their relationship might go sour. Especially after Peter’s death, Captain Stacy had been on his quest to capture the vigilante, thinking she was the culprit that killed him. This might be an implication from Sony about how trans & LGBT kids in real life are scared of coming out to their parents, afraid that they might not accept them for who they are.
Things got even worse between them when Captain Stacy finds out that his daughter is the Spider-Woman, who he has been chasing all along. Gwen musters all the courage to confess to her dad, but in return, she is devastated when Stacy points the gun at her. This scene might represent how parents in real life struggle to believe and accept their children’s identity as trans or LGBT, and how they react might badly affect the latter’s mentality.
Luckily, the two manage to reconcile in the end, showing how parents can accept their children’s true selves if they love them enough.
#4. Gwen’s color theme throughout the movie is a massive giveaway.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Throughout the film, we can see how Gwen’s theme is specifically more colorful than the others, even Miles. From her clothing to the background color palette, they’re either white, pink, or pastel blue, which are the primary colors that represent a trans flag. She also has a trans pride pin on her jacket, which might mean that she’s part of the community.
#5. Does Captain Stacy wear a trans flag badge on his police jacket?
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Also, at the start of the movie, fans were speculating about George Stacy’s jacket, which has a symbol that is similar to a pride flag, with the same color scheme right above his NYPD badge. The colors look quite similar, but some have pointed out that this is not a trans flag, but the medals attached to the NYPD badge as recognition for a police’s meritorious service.
Considering that George Stacy is a role model officer who has climbed to the rank of Captain, the medal theory seems to make more sense. It might be too soon to affirm that Captain Stacy wears a trans flag on his jacket after all, but it’s not entirely impossible.
#6. Is Gwen Stacy canonically trans?
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
With all the evidence above, it’s safe to say Gwen, and the studio as a whole, is very supportive of the trans and LGBT community, with all the supporting messages hidden throughout the movie. It’s a bit early to assume that Gwen is trans, though, as there’s no official statement yet from Sony, and in the comics, Gwen is not trans either. However, as supportive as the studio is, we wouldn’t be surprised if Gwen is revealed to be trans in the future, and whatever happens, we’ll support our favorite Spider-Woman with all we have.
Do you think Gwen Stacy is actually trans in Across the Spider-Verse? Share your thoughts in the comment.