'TREMENDOUS ICON'

Comic Book Legend Dead at 73

The writer penned some of the most famous Marvel and DC Comics stories.

Gerry Conway, a writer known for his work on numerous Marvel and DC comics, died on April 26 at age 73 after a years-long struggle with pancreatic cancer. “Gerry was a tremendous icon in comics who shaped pop culture itself. He was a dear friend, partner, and mentor, and our hearts are with his family and the millions he touched through his work,” Marvel posted on X. Conway took over The Amazing Spider-Man after Stan Lee’s legendary run and wrote the infamous arc that killed off Gwen Stacy. He co-created the antihero The Punisher, now one of the franchise’s most enduring storylines. He also worked on The Incredible Hulk, Legends of Tomorrow, and Daredevil. His love for the medium came from the need to write “for the youthful part of myself, the primitive part of myself,” Conway said in a 1981 interview with Comics Journal. The famed writer also ventured into film and television, penning episodes of Law & Order and the 1984 film Conan the Destroyer. “Gerry Conway brought real stakes to his writing, able to weave together sensational superheroics 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. Conway is survived by his wife and two daughters.