- "She told me that being clean was an attitude that had nothing to do with money or your job. Because she cook, and she clean, but she walk in the road like a queen. It's how you carry yourself inside."
- ―Bushmaster to Anansi[src]
Gwenevere "Gwen" McIver was the wife of Quincy McIver and the mother of John McIver.
Biography[]
Fleeing New York[]
- "Nobody asked her to stay away."
"Did that on me own, after what yuh did to Quincy." - ―Pistol Pete and Gwen McIver[src]
Gwen with her family in Kingston
Living in New York City, Gwen married Quincy McIver and together, they had a son, named John. They lived in Harlem, where Quincy built a business with Buggy Stokes and the Stokes Crime Family, profiting off of Harlem's Paradise and the Bushmaster Rum. However, Quincy ended up being betrayed and killed by Buggy, although he managed to shoot Buggy before his death. With Quincy dead, Gwen had no choice but to take John and move to Kingston, Jamaica, living together with her sister Ingrid and her husband Paul.
Raising John, Gwen would always teach John to keep his appearance clean and refined, because such attitude had nothing to do with money and status. However, she knew that deep down, her son was a fighter, so whenever John would come home after a fight, Gwen would punish him but she could not hide her pride. Gwen usually told John about his father and how proud he used to be, until the Stokes family took everything away from them.[3]
Lawsuit with the Stokes[]
Gwen attends the meeting with the Stokes
- "You kidding me? He shot Buggy!"
"Show some respect, you murdering, stealing bitch!" - ―Mama Mabel and Gwen McIver[src]
Seeking to reclaim her property from the Stokes Crime Family, Gwen hired Terence Rogers as a legal counselor and arranged a meeting with Mama Mabel and Pistol Pete. Pete remarked that Gwen left Harlem by herself, but she argued that she had to leave after what Buggy Stokes did with her husband, which led to an argument with Mabel. Rogers then voiced Gwen's demands of a fair share of Quincy's property, but Benjamin Donovan dismissed her demands, saying that the Stokes family did not owe Gwen anything.
Gwen watches Mama Mabel scoffing at her
Rogers argued that both Quincy and Buggy signed their shared ownership on the cocktail napkin, and although Mabel questioned its validity, Gwen reminded her that both she and Pete were present at Smalls Paradise when they signed it. Gwen reminded Mabel about all the plans the Stokes and McIver families had on the Bushmaster Rum and the resort in Kingston but Mabel replied that Buggy was the one who liked Jamaica, not her. Rogers noted that Gwen would win the case in the open court and suggested resolving the matter privately by giving Gwen the 50% of Harlem's Paradise and the rum profits, but the Stokes family only laughed at Gwen's demands.[4]
Killed by Mama Mabel[]
Gwen tells John McIver to escape the fire
- "I remember the bottle flying through the window. A Bushmaster bottle."
"It's not true."
"Filled with gas and a lit cloth inside. Yeah. When it landed, the flames went everywhere. The fire moved so fast. My madda put me outside the window and she told me, she yell, "Run!" So I did. I never saw her again." - ―Bushmaster and Mariah Dillard[src]
The same night, when Gwen was sleeping at their hut, the Stokes Crime Family decided to retaliate and set the hut ablaze with the molotov cocktail in the Bushmaster Rum bottle. Frightened, Gwen hurried to wake John McIver up, telling him to leave the hut through the window, knowing that only one of them can escape. John told his mother to get out first, but Gwen lied that John would help her get out, once he is safe. John managed to escape, while Gwen stayed inside the hut, while the flames continued to grow and devour the hut, and died in the collapse.[4]
Legacy[]
Now an orphan, John McIver was adopted by Ingrid Mackintosh and Anansi, who wanted to raise John like Gwen would want. Years later, Anansi and Ingrid moved to New York City where they opened a restaurant in Brooklyn, calling it Gwen's in honor of Ingrid's sister. McIver refused to let go of the deaths of his family and vowed to exact his revenge on the Stokes Crime Family, with the powers, gifted to him by the Nightshade.[4]
Personality[]
- "I'd come home, shirt ripped, knuckes bloodied, tie loose, one shoe, because mi had to defend mi name. She never said a word. But I knew I was in trouble. I see that frown on her face, there would be no supper, but he eyes... her eyes always smiled. She couldn't hide her pride. Because she knew that I was a fighter, a warrior... I'd always be free."
- ―Bushmaster to Anansi[src]
Gwen McIver is described by her family as strong-willed but kind-hearted woman, who always put her family before her own needs. Gwen believed that keeping oneself clean is an attitude that had nothing to do with a money or a job, and always taught her son John to look respectable. But John never cared about his appearance and would always get himself in the fights, and although Gwen would punish him, she could not hide the pride for her son and his strong spirit. Gwen was never afraid of speaking bluntly in front of such fearsome people, like Mama Mabel or Pistol Pete, demanding her justified compensation for what they did to her husband. Although she knew that getting into a legal battle with the Stokes family was a death sentence, Gwen never backed down, which ended up causing her tragic death.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Allies[]
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Enemies[] |
Appearances[]
In chronological order:
Luke Cage | Episode 2.11: The Creator (flashbacks)- Luke Cage | Episode 2.02: Straighten It Out (mentioned)
- Luke Cage | Episode 2.04: I Get Physical (mentioned)
- Luke Cage | Episode 2.07: On and On (mentioned)
- Luke Cage | Episode 2.08: If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right (mentioned)
- Luke Cage | Episode 2.11: The Creator (photo)
- Luke Cage | Episode 2.12: Can't Front on Me (mentioned)
Behind the Scenes[]
- Although never being said on screen, McIver's first name of "Gwenevere" is revealed in a prop.[1]
Gallery[]
