Gerry Conway, the writer and one-time Marvel comics editor-in-chief who co-created the Punisher, Ms. Marvel, and helped bring Spider-Man into adulthood, has died.
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Marvel announced the 73-year-old’s death on April 27.
“Gerry Conway was a gifted writer,” Dan Buckley, President of Marvel Comics and Franchise, began in a statement. “He was thoughtful, deeply attuned to the emotional and moral core of storytelling, and a wonderful and articulate advocate for comics and creators. His writing has inspired all of us at Marvel, and will continue to inspire generations of writers, readers, and fans to come.”
RIP Gerry Conway 1952-2026
— Cool Comic Art (@CoolComicArt) April 27, 2026
Co-creator of many fan favorite characters such as The Punisher, Jason Todd, Killer Croc, Power Girl & more.
Writer of the indisputable Spider-Man classics “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” & “The Green Goblin’s Last Stand”
You will be remembered 🫡 pic.twitter.com/lmszYgzUHv
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on September 10, 1952, Conway began his career at just 16, writing and publishing his own comic book stories for late-’60s Marvel titles. By 1971, he was writing full stories for Daredevil, Iron Man, and The Incredible Hulk. Conway also pioneered the use of horror elements in Marvel comics, creating characters like Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, and Marvel’s version of Dracula.
At 19, Conway took over from Stan Lee as the writer for The Amazing Spider-Man. Over the next three years, he crafted hallmark storylines that reshaped the character and the Marvel Universe. It was during this time that Peter Parker matured, facing adult consequences like the death of his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, at the hands of the Green Goblin.
Gerry Conway Co-Creates One of His Signature Characters…
Conway, alongside John Romita, Sr. and Ross Andru, also introduced Frank Castle, the gun-wielding anti-hero known as the Punisher, in a 1974 issue of The Amazing Spider-Man. Conway was responsible for the character’s tragic origin, which set him on a bloody path of vengeance for his family’s murder.
The Punisher has since become a fan-favorite Marvel character. Dolph Lundgren first portrayed the anti-hero on screen in a 1989 film, followed by Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson in two separate movies in the 2000s.
Jon Bernthal’s portrayal, however, is the most popular. Bernthal debuted as the Punisher in Season 2 of Netflix’s Daredevil before starring in his own series. He returned in Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again and will also appear in the TV special Punisher: One Last Kill and this summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Conway Also Co-Created Another Key MCU Character
In the late 1970s, Conway’s work on Ms. Marvel laid the groundwork for the character’s portrayal in the MCU. He launched the series that repositioned Carol Danvers as her own cosmic hero, establishing her as one of the most powerful forces in the Marvel Universe and setting the stage for her eventual rise to Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson in the MCU.
Conway was writing for both Marvel and its rival, DC (creating favorite characters like the Batman villain, Killer Croc), by the late 1970s. He briefly served as Marvel’s editor-in-chief but chose to return to writing for Spider-Man instead.
“Gerry Conway brought real stakes to his writing, able to weave together sensational super heroics with the human and relatable, and in doing so created some of the most memorable stories and characters of all time,” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said in a statement. “His writing has been hugely impactful across our comics, but it has also inspired so much of what we’ve done on screen, from Werewolf by Night to Daredevil to Spider-Man and Punisher. Gerry was a wonderful collaborator and friend to so many and will be dearly missed.”
Gerry Conway is survived by his wife, Laura.