Stacy, George
Attributes
| Eyes: | blue |
| Features: | usually smoking from a pipe |
| Hair: | white |
| Height: | 6'1" |
| Weight: | 190lbs |
Summary
| Citizenship: | U.S.A. |
| Created By: | Stan Lee, John Romita Sr. |
| Former Occupation: | Retired Captain of New York Police Department |
| Known Relatives: | Helen Stacy (wife, deceased), Gwen Stacy (daughter, deceased), Arthur Stacy (brother), Nancy (sister-in-law), Phil Stacy (nephew), Jill Stacy (niece), Sarah Stacy (granddaughter), Gabriel Stacy (grandson) |
| Major Enemies: | Doctor Octopus |
Background
”A Prelude in Red”
A retired Captain on the New York police department, George Stacy's family has played a major role in the life of the Amazing Spider-Man. Many years ago, while still a detective for the NYPD, he responded to a call at OsCorp, the industrial complex of Norman Osborn. The security alarm had been tripped by his brother, Arthur, who was going to settle a personal score with Osborn. They happened to walk in on a red, disfigured creature assaulting Norman. The Proto-Goblin had been Osborn's research assistant, Nels Van Adder, who had agreed to be Norman's guinea pig in the testing of a "super soldier" formula. The Stacy brothers knocked the creature out of Osborn's office window with a football tackle. George broke his leg in the process, forcing him to use a cane for the rest of his life. Norman Osborn was safe, something that George would doubtless later regret. (Flashback-Peter Parker: Spider-Man #Minus 1)
Years later, after he retired, Stacy met Peter Parker, the boyfriend of his daughter, Gwen Stacy. His first appearance was while Spider-Man was under the control of Doctor Octopus and acting as Octavius's partner in crime. Peter had been missing while on assignment for the Daily Bugle and Gwen called her father, asking him to look through the accident reports to see if anything had happened to Peter. He is later seen with military brass, as the military officers demanded to know why Colonel John Jameson had allowed Spider-Man to escape after Dr. Octavius had been captured after he stole the Nullifier. Captain Stacy spoke up for Jameson, admitting that it was difficult to believe that Spider-Man had willfully helped Octavius steal the secret device, after the web slinger had risked his life against threats like the Chameleon, the Rhino and Dr. Octopus himself in the past. A general was surprised to learn that Stacy was so familiar with Spider-Man, to which the Captain replied "As an ex-police officer, I find his history fascinating."
Meanwhile, Peter's college room mate Harry Osborn, found one of Spider-Man's spider tracers in Peter's room, and assumed that Peter must have been kidnapped by the vigilante. News reports picked up the rumor and was broadcast over the radio. Col. Jameson still believed that Spider-Man was innocent and Spider-Man met him at the hospital. Stacy was also there, marking the first meeting between Spider-Man and the Captain. Gwen demanded to know if Spider-Man had taken Peter, and George told her not to provoke him. Spider-Man left them, and Colonel Jameson was disappointed that they couldn't clear Spidey of all wrong doing. Stacy promised to learn more about him.
After Peter's memory returned, he went to the police station to explain why he had been missing. A police officer told him the rumor that he had been taken by Spider-Man, which Peter used as his cover story. George took part in the questioning of Peter, and eventually let him go. After he was released, Peter was taken to the Stacy home, where the Captain wanted to compare notes with Peter about evidence that the police had collected on Spidey with Peter's own observations of his "captor." At that moment, Gwen came home and was so happy to see Peter that she gave him a surprise kiss in front of her father. Stacy let them go, so they could celebrate Peter's safe return.
Later, George received a letter from the owner of a new night club, inviting him to attend its grand opening. Other prominent members of New York society were there, from councilmen to city officials. Mary Jane Watson had just been hired as a dancer at the club and also had the responsibility of taking free pictures of the powerful celebrities that were in attendance. What she didn't know was that her camera doubled as a mind control device, as per the wishes of the clubs owner, Wilson Fisk. After George Stacy's picture was taken, he felt compelled to enter a room to the side of the dining room, which was housing another mind control device. Peter got worried about the time that Stacy was gone, and went looking for him as Spider-Man. After the Kingpin's thugs saw Spider-Man outside of the night club, a fight broke out. Fisk beat Spider-Man quickly, and after the wall crawler left, the Kingpin of Crime turned his attention to George Stacy.
After Stacy was under the control of the device, his moods turned erratic. Peter asked him about the rumor that Spider-Man was involved in a fight at the night club and Stacy attacked him. Peter knocked the older man over in self defense, just as Gwen walked into the room. She kicked him out of the house and her father called the Kingpin, to warn him about Peter being suspicious. A couple of thugs were sent to Peter and Harry's apartment, and Peter arrived later to find a shaken Harry wondering who Peter's "friends" were. Peter went back to the night club as Spider-Man, just in time for him to see Stacy leaving with two of Kingpin's goons. He followed them to police headquarters, where Stacy led them into the police records office.
Stacy escaped with the crooks, but not without Spidey taking a few photos of Stacy stealing official police documents. (Gwen was not happy to see those pictures on the front page of the Daily Bugle, with photography credit going to Peter Parker.) By then, the mind control was starting to lose effect and all George could remember was that he felt obligated to steal the police records. Knowing that the mind control would wear off, the Kingpin sent thugs after George and Gwen. Meanwhile, Dr. Winkler, the inventor of the mind control device, moved the machine from the damaged night club to his research laboratory at OsCorp. Kingpin was pleased with the move, as no one would expect a mafia crime lord to have criminal operations at a respected industrial facility.
George and Gwen tried to escape New York but were captured at the airport by Wilson Fisk's men, who took them to OsCorp. Spider-Man, finding a clue at the night club that connected the Kingpin to OsCorp industries, quickly headed for the industrial park. While he battled the Kingpin, Dr. Winkler held Gwen and George hostage at gun point. Norman Osborn, wondering why D.r Winkler was working so late, stumbled upon the scene. In a rare moment of selflessness, Osborn tackled Winkler, whose gun went off and damaged the machine, making it explode. Winkler was killed in the explosion and Kingpin escaped in a helicopter. After the police arrived, Gwen gave credit to their rescue to Norman Osborn and Spider-Man.
After George had time to recuperate, his memory became clearer and he told Gwen that it wasn't Peter's fault for attacking him. Gwen was thrilled to hear that Peter hadn't turned against them. Walking to lunch with Gwen, George explained that he had tried to call Peter to explain why he had tried to attack the younger man, when they noticed a fight going on at the Daily Bugle between Spider-Man and Adrian Toomes, the Vulture. Vulture manage to escape, but an unconscious Spider-Man lay on the street, as an anxious crowd wanted to pull off his mask. Stacy demanded that the crowd leave the mask on, saying "We haven't the right." Another officer asked him what he wanted to do with Spider-Man, and was told to leave the mask on, on the ground of protecting his legal rights. While Gwen worried that Peter was on the roof during the fight and may have been hurt, George assured her that he was probably at his lab developing pictures.
Spider-Man, still knocked out, was taken to a prison hospital, where he eventually woke up. Since this is a comic book, he couldn't just wake up, he woke up during a prison riot. Stacy was in charge of over seeing Spider-Man's care and was in the prison during the riot. (Funny how much this guy was able to be a part of police business, for a retired cop.) One of the inmates threatened to kill George, until Spider-Man bluffed and told them he wanted to break out with them. After the police cut the lights to the prison, Spidey turned on his "friends" and took them out one by one. After being set free, Stacy promised to testify on Spider-Man's behalf at the trial. He also gave credit to ending the hostage situation to Spider-Man.
By this time, George Stacy's suspicions about Spider-Man's identity were growing stronger. While at a meeting with Robbie Robertson, both men admitted admiration for the masked man and commented that he seemed familiar. George told Robbie that he at least knew that Spider-Man knew them, if they didn't know him. Soon after, George was standing up for a group of college demonstrators that were accused of helping the Kingpin steal a priceless clay tablet from the school's exhibition hall. After the tablet was returned to Stacy, it was stolen again by the Shocker. Instead of keeping it in a police station, Stacy kept it in his home safe, which made it easy for Shocker to steal. (Stacy clearly wasn't used to criminals having super powers.) Spidey visited Stacy at home as we rested after being beaten by the Shocker and gave Spider-Man a clue as to where the thug may have hidden the tablet.
After the tablet was taken back from Man-Mountain Marko and Silvermane, George was discussing Spider-Man again with Robbie. They agreed that Spider-Man wasn't the menace that J. Jonah Jameson believed him to be but they thought he would be more trusted by the public if he would take his mask off. Ironically, the public didn't trust Stacy after he was accused of stealing various famous works of art from a museum. The Chameleon had drugged George Stacy and then impersonated him.
While on a date with Gwen, a car hit a truck and flipped over, landing on top of the two of them. Peter fell on top of Gwen and managed to keep the car off of her without being hurt. Gwen was unconscious and later asked Peter how he managed to not be hurt in the accident. Stacy interrupted and suggested it was the parking meter that acted as a wedge and kept the car's full weight from laying on top of Peter. Gwen continued to question and Peter faked a sickness to leave. Later, Gwen and her father stopped by Peter's apartment to ask him how he always manages to to get pictures of Spider-Man for the Daily Bugle. When Peter said it was just luck, Captain Stacy suggested it was more than just luck. Peter changed the subject and went to develop some photos. In the other room, Peter changed into Spider-Man and doubled back into the other room, looking for Peter. Spider-Man claimed that he and Peter had an agreement to share the money that he made from taking crime scene photos and that Peter hadn't been paying. Gwen told him he had left hours ago and Spidey left. Gwen and her father left, as Spider-Man watched them from another building. A skeptical looking George said "He's watching us...from that building above. We dare not return to Parker."
Gwen and George returned later, but didn't find Peter at his apartment. Gwen began to worry and George called the precinct to see if they knew anything. While Gwen was afraid that Peter had been kidnapped by Spider-Man "again," her father mentioned that he may have left willingly. Peter returned later, after a fight with Kingpin and the Schemer to find Gwen, Harry and Capt Stacy waiting for him. Gwen told him about what Spider-Man told them, and wanted him to promise to never have any more to do with the vigilante. He hesitated and Gwen left in a huff. Her father told him that Gwen was a woman and women think with their feelings. "She feels that you're keeping something from her. And that's hard to take...for a girl in love."
”Unmasked At Last!”
Gwen was celebrating her birthday and was upset that Peter didn't seem to be showing up. (He had been feeling weaker, and feared that he was losing his spider powers. He had been testing his blood all day to see if he could detect any changes.) It was shocking when he did show up...with a Spider-Man mask in his hand, confessing to the crowded room that Spider-Man's career was over and that he was Spider-Man. Gwen began to panic and, ashamed of himself for upsetting her, Peter ran. Stacy tried to calm his daughter, telling her that Peter wasn't well and didn't know what he was saying. (Peter later learned he had the flu, which had weakened his powers in the past.) Peter came back later, with Hobie Brown (the Prowler) filling in as Spider-Man. "Spider-Man" confirmed that he and Peter had a business deal to share the money from the Spider-Man photos. Gwen was relieved, as was her father. (Amazing Spider-Man #87)
”The Arms of Doctor Octopus”
Days later, Doctor Octopus hijacked a plane in Chicago carrying a General that was on his way to the United Nations. Ock demanded $10 million to ensure the general's "protection." Robbie Robertson and Peter rushed to Kennedy airport, where the plane was scheduled to land. Captain Stacy seemed to be in charge of the situation, speaking with Washington DC, relaying the message "take no chances." Naturally, Spider-Man got involved and while the hostages on the plane escaped, Ock was seemingly killed in the destruction of the jumbo jet. Peter and George ran into each other on the street, and Peter collapsed, still not fully recovered from the flu. George brought him home, where Gwen took care of him. Later, George told his daughter "I hate being a spoil sport Gwen, but I think he'll be perfectly ok after this. I've never seen anyone with such amazing powers of recuperation." Peter was suspicious of that last comment, but kept quiet.
Doctor Octopus later ambushed Spider-Man, having survived the jet's crash. A crowd gathered to watch the roof top battle and Captain Stacy tried to clear the area. It wasn't long that one of Octavius's tentacles smashed a nearby chimney and the rubble fell towards a boy on the street. George Stacy jumped to the rescue, pushing the kid out of the way and was hit by the debris himself. Spider-Man tried to get him to a doctor but the old man told him to stop. He wanted Peter to take care of Gwen. He reminded Peter that Gwen loves him very much. George died there on the roof top, and Spider-Man couldn't believe he'd just lost the second greatest friend he'd ever had. (Amazing Spider-Man #90)
”To Smash the Spider!”
Gwen never forgave Spider-Man for the death of her father, despite Peter reminding her that Spider-Man tried to protect her father from Octavius. Of course, months later, Gwen would be killed by the Green Goblin (Amazing Spider-Man #121), the same man that George and Arthur had saved from the Proto-Goblin years prior. George's death would also have the ramification of encouraging the bigoted Sam Bullit to run for District Attorney. He saw Stacy as having been too soft on crime and was going to be a "law and order" candidate. Bullit also had ties to hate groups, and kidnapped Robbie Robertson when he found out about them. (Amazing Spider-Man #91 and #92)
”Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy”
Stacy was cloned many years later by the Jackal (Ben Reilly). It was part of Reilly’s plan to force Spider-Man to join him by resurrecting people whose deaths Peter blamed himself for. Reilly promised that the clones had received therapy from Ashley Kafka and were no threat. He also said he could clone Ben Parker, which Peter refused. Jackal then told the criminal clones to kill him.
"Last Remains"
Years later, George's body was exhumed by an undead demon called Kindred. Others that had passed away that were associated with Spider-Man (Gwen, Flash Thompson, Marla Jameson, Jean DeWolff, and Ben Parker) were assembled in a dinner setting, waiting for Spider-Man to arrive. (Amazing Spider-Man #852 and #853)
Image Gallery
