| George Stacy | |
|---|---|
.png) Captain George Stacy as seen in interior artwork forThe Amazing Spider-Man #56 (January 1968). Art byJohn Romita Sr. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Amazing Spider-Man #56 (January 1968) |
| Created by |
|
| In-story information | |
| Team affiliations | New York City Police Department |
| Supporting character of | Spider-Man Spider-Woman |
George Stacy is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics, primarily in association withSpider-Man. He isGwen Stacy's father and the police captain from theNew York City Police Department. Stacy is a strong supporter of Spider-Man, often defending the superhero when others accuse Spider-Man of criminal acts, and thus serves as afoil personality to another Spider-Man related character,J. Jonah Jameson. Stacy's death inThe Amazing Spider-Man #90 (November 1970) has been described as a turning point in the Spider-Man saga, signaling to readers that permanent changes could happen in the story, and that the supporting cast was not safe.[1] Stacy was resurrected in a cloned body byBen Reilly inDead No More: The Clone Conspiracy (2016–2017), with theembodiment ofDeath herself confirming inBen Reilly: The Scarlet Spider (2017–2018) that all clones Ben created of deceased people had their souls intact on being brought back, before Stacy was killed again by the Carrion Virus.
The character has been adapted from the comics into several forms of media, including animated series and feature films. In live-action, the character was played byJames Cromwell in the filmSpider-Man 3 (2007), byDenis Leary inMarc Webb'sThe Amazing Spider-Man film duology (2012–2014), and byShea Whigham inSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) andSpider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (TBA).
George Stacy first appeared inThe Amazing Spider-Man #56 (January 1968), created by writerStan Lee and artistJohn Romita Sr.[2]
Little didPeter Parker know, after falling in love with Empire State University classmateGwen Stacy that her father was Captain George Stacy, one of the most respected former police members in theNYPD. He is also the husband ofHelen Stacy and the brother of Arthur Stacy. But even in retirement, Captain Stacy kept up with the happenings at the department - and had taken a keen interest in Spider-Man.[3] It was not long beforeJohn Jameson called Stacy out of retirement to assist in the return of a device called the Nullifier - which could render any electrical or mechanical apparatus inoperative - thatDoctor Octopus had tricked an amnesiac Spider-Man into stealing.[4]
After safely securing the weapon, Stacy interviewed Peter, believed to have been held captive with Doc Ock and Spider-Man. After the interview, Stacy revealed to Peter that he had spent time studying the career of Spider-Man, and that he was glad to have met Peter, known for photographing the wall-crawler on numerous occasions.[5]
Identifying himself as a strong supporter of Spider-Man, Captain Stacy wished to see the wall-crawler redeemed in the public eye. He also took an instant liking to Peter, and openly encouraged the growing bond between the youngster and his daughter Gwen. Shortly thereafter at a dance club which employedMary Jane Watson, Captain Stacy was put under a hypnotic trance through a rigged camera operated by Mary Jane who took photos of him unaware that these actions were aidingWilson Fisk (aka the Kingpin). Stacy was compelled into a backroom where he underwent additional brainwashing by the camera's inventor, Dr. Winkler.[5]
Despite Spider-Man's efforts, George returned programmed to follow the Kingpin's directions. As such, Captain Stacy later stole police records for the Kingpin while Spider-Man's automatic camera captured the theft. Peter gave the photos toJ. Jonah Jameson, hopeful that this apparent betrayal of the Stacy family would actually help expedite a discovery of the captain's innocence. While George and Gwen attempted to flee, they were kidnapped by the Kingpin's men and held captive at one ofNorman Osborn's labs where Dr. Winkler worked. The Kingpin intended to eliminate the Stacys once they were used to lure Spider-Man into his crushing hands. While Spider-Man battled the Kingpin, Osborn arrived and tackled the Kingpin's henchmen holding the Stacys at gunpoint. Though the Kingpin fled, and Winkler was apparently killed, the Stacys were rescued. Osborn's testimony to the police exonerated Captain Stacy.[6]
Captain Stacy started to suspect Peter and Spider-Man were the same person. After a feverish Peter admitted to being Spider-Man before his friends including Captain Stacy, Parker asked theProwler to imitate Spider-Man so Peter and Spider-Man could be seen together,[7] however, Captain Stacy could not be fooled. Later, Stacy sacrifices himself to save civilians during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus.[8][9][10]
George Stacy has largely remained dead since. He was resurrected in a clone body in "Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy", but later died from the Carrion virus.[11][12][13]
An alternate universe variant of Captain Stacy appears inSpider-Man: 1602. This version is a passenger of theMayflower and a former member of the Navy.
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An alternate universe variant of George Stacy appears in "Spider-Man: House of M". This version is a former police chief and a personal friend of Peter Parker, though the latter is soured after George discovers Peter's diary and ramblings that allude to his death on Earth-616.[14]
An alternate universe variant of George Stacy appears inMarvel Adventures Spider-Man #54. This version is younger and has light brown hair. Upon discovering Spider-Man's secret identity, he calls on him for support on some of his cases.
A character based on George Stacy namedJohn Stacy appears inUltimate Spider-Man. This version is much younger than George, has brown hair, is more athletic, is estranged from his daughterGwen Stacy, and has a troubled marriage. Additionally, he is not a fan ofSpider-Man, but admires his vigilante work.[15] John later sacrifices himself to save a child from a bank robber posing as Spider-Man.[16][17]
An alternate universe variant of George Stacy from Earth-65 appears inSpider-Verse andSpider-Gwen.[18]
Two alternate universe variants of George Stacy appear inSpider-Geddon:
InThe Amazing Spider-Man #56 fans met retired police Captain George Stacy, father of Gwen.
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