The only time Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy came back to life was truly heartbreaking

At this point, it's widely known that no one is ever truly gone in comic book pages. If someone bites the dust, chances are they will come back sooner or later - be it by magic, Death itself giving them a second chance, or even retcons. However, this rule has two unique exceptions: Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy.

Across 61 years of history, Spider-Man stories have mostly left the demise of both characters untouched. Sure, there's the strange limbo of the Clone Conspiracy storyline where Gwen technically came back, but let's not dive into the logistics of what counts as "reviving" or merely "cloning". So without taking that weird event into account, both characters have truly left the wall-crawler.

Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy's deaths presented a pivotal point for Spider-Man, turning him into the hero he is. That's why writers and creators rarely attempt to undo such tragic events. It seems to be a golden rule - one that fans are happy is never broken. But if we dive a little deeper, we'll find a single occasion where each deceased character makes a very brief return. No tricks involved, no cloning, and no impersonation. Just Peter catching up with the ones he lost and, believe me, the results are heartbreaking.

Uncle Ben returns in ASM #500 to know if his nephew is happy

The Amazing Spider-Man #500 is a true celebration of the character's history. In it, the wall-crawler and Doctor Strange end up lost in the flow of time, and the only way to fix things is for the former to relieve fragments of his history leading up to the present. Spidey has no other option but to fight his way through many of the confrontations he once experienced, such as facing the Lizard, Electro, and the Sandman for the first time yet again.

With each passing encounter, the friendly neighborhood hero gets more and more tired. And who could blame him? He even had to relieve losing Gwen Stacy. However, Strange asks him to be strong and persevere all the way through. Eventually, Spider-Man is able to return to the present and warn other heroes about the tragedy that will unfold. Thanks to that (and Doctor Strange's interference) Dormammu's plans are foiled once and for all.

As an act of gratitude for his unmatched bravery, the Sorcerer Supreme gifts Peter Parker a small box containing a single note: "You have five minutes. Spend them as you wish". Then, by pure act of magic, Uncle Ben is brought back to life, and the two family members share a beautiful yet heartbreaking conversation. While Peter wants to apologize for all of his failures, Ben simply wants to know if his nephew has never walked away from what he believes in and, more importantly, if he's happy. Peter can't help but answer with: "I am, I have a good life", even with all the tragedy and responsibility that comes with being Spider-Man. Hearing these words Ben is finally able to rest, but not before asking the wall-crawler to take care of Aunt May.

This interaction takes place across just three short pages. But even then it's more than enough to make us shed a tear or two, especially when taking into account that all of this takes place on the friendly neighborhood hero's birthday.

Gwen Stacy tells Peter she misses him in ASM (2022) #10

Zeb Wells' Amazing Spider-Man run has not been the most memorable chapter in the wall-crawler's history. However, it features one heartbreaking issue where Peter and Gwen finally meet after The Green Goblin separated them for what was supposed to be an eternity.

Due to a war with the X-Men, a Celestial called The Progenitor is judging every human being on an individual basis - asking them all to justify their existence. To accomplish this, the primordial being manifests itself in front of every person in the form of someone different, to observe them and their actions. In the case of Peter Parker, it's a projection of Gwen Stacy that follows him all throughout the day, watching his every step and judging if he should live or not.

Eventually, the Celestial notices Peter's kindness and deems him worthy. As a reward, he brings back the true Gwen Stacy briefly back to life. The two have barely any time to do anything but say they've missed themselves while dropping tears. Finally, Gwen says she was only allowed a moment to return with the only purpose of seeing Peter's heart open. After that, she dissipates into the air, never to come back.

It's a heartbreaking event that plays out beautifully (even if the illustrations don't do it justice, by any means). However, Gwen doesn't overstate her welcome and, if anything, that just makes us miss her even more.