Gerry Conway, a writer for Marvel Comics who helped create characters such as the Punisher and Ms. Marvel, has died, Marvel announced on Monday. He was 73.

Conway, who was briefly Marvel’s editor-in-chief during the late 1970s, had been battling cancer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Dan Buckley, Marvel’s president, said in a statement that Conway was “a gifted writer.”

“He was thoughtful, deeply attuned to the emotional and moral core of storytelling, and a wonderful and articulate advocate for comics and creators,” Buckley said. “His writing has inspired all of us at Marvel, and will continue to inspire generations of writers, readers and fans to come.”

Conway was born in Brooklyn, New York, on Sept. 10, 1952, and began publishing comics when he was 16, Variety reported. He started writing superhero stories for Marvel in 1971.

He created Man Thing, Werewolf by Night and Marvel’s version of Dracula, according to the entertainment news website.

Before joining Marvel, Conway had written a fan letter that was published in “Fantastic Four” issue No. 50 in 1961, according to Marvel. He made his writing debut for Marvel in 1969 in “Chamber of Darkness” and “Tower of Shadows,” the comic book giant said.

Frank Castle, the gun-toting anti-hero Punisher, debuted in the February 1974 issue of “The Amazing Spider-Man,” according to Marvel. The character was created by Conway, John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru, with Conway writing the Punisher’s tragic backstory that explained his quest for revenge.

Several months before the Punisher, Conway wrote one of Spider-Man’s most tragic tales: the death of Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker’s girlfriend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“The Night Gwen Stacy Died,” killed off Gwen Stacy and the villain Green Goblin, and was considered to be one of Marvel’s most important and memorable storylines, the entertainment news website reported.

Conway also created the Jackal, the clone Ben Reilly and Carol Danvers, known as Ms. Marvel, according to Variety.

“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.”

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