Homecoming What to do with Spider-Man... AGAIN?!?!?!

[sl500jazz]

No, I definitely want to see Marvel handle The Night Gwen Stacy Died so they can do it right!

I'm aware of what you'd like to see. I was describing what I think is likely to happen. They're going to want to distance themselves from TASM.

I never said the death of Gwen is soon. Since we're "spending all this time in high school," you would wait until sometime in college to do Gwen's death properly.

Even if you waited a decade's worth of films to get there, it would still require building up Peter and Gwen's relationship just to kill her off. Sure you could make the story better (though you probably aren't getting any better than Garfield and Stone's chemistry), but it would still be ground that the last failed franchise already covered. This is a business. If general audiences were exasperated about Sony redoing Spidey's origin only a decade after Raimi's first film, they'll be just as (if not more) annoyed about them redoing Gwen's death...especially in the third Spider-Man reboot.

And to be honest, I'd prefer not to wait another 10+ years to have MJ on film again. She's a pivotal character in the franchise who has been sidelined for way too long.

You're probably going to have to wait quite sometime for this to ever happen. If they were to dabble about Gwen again in the MCU so soon after the ASM films, I'd wager we'd see her storyline play out more like in the Ultimate comics, if only so the MCU can maintain some distance and sense of originality over the ASM films.

Precisely.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

I'd give Gwen and MJ (and Harry) a bit of a rest. They didn't even show up in the comics until Peter was in college.

 

[harryoscop]

I'd give Gwen and MJ (and Harry) a bit of a rest. They didn't even show up in the comics until Peter was in college.

By 2017, we wouldn't have seen MJ for nearly a decade. I'd say she's rested long enough.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

By 2017, we wouldn't have seen MJ for nearly a decade. I'd say she's rested long enough.

I am just not sure I want to see an Ultimate style teenage MJ (we already got that with Dunst in the Raimi trilogy anyway), and if Marvel doesn't want the romance to be as big of a part of this new series as it was with the previous series of movies I'd rather not waste his two biggest well known girlfriends (MJ and Gwen) on minor roles.

 

[sl500jazz]

Raimi's Mary Jane wasn't Ultimate MJ. I don't know what gave you that impression. She was 616 Liz, Betty, Gwen, and Mary Jane mixed into one character and probably about the same age as 616 MJ when we first met her. And in the Ultimate universe, MJ does play a pivotal role even when she and Peter aren't romantically tied because she started off as his best friend (kind of like how MJ eventually became Peter's closest friend in the 616 universe).

I'd rather have an Ultimate MJ than no MJ at all (but I'm sure it wouldn't even be straight up ultimate and that they would blend elements of the 616 version into her characterization) .

 

[harryoscop]

Raimi's Mary Jane wasn't Ultimate MJ. I don't know what gave you that impression. She was 616 Liz, Betty, Gwen, and Mary Jane mixed into one character and probably about the same age as 616 MJ when we first met her. And in the Ultimate universe, MJ does play a pivotal role even when she and Peter aren't romantically tied because she started off as his best friend (kind of like how MJ eventually became Peter's closest friend in the 616 universe).

I'd rather have an Ultimate MJ than no MJ at all (but I'm sure it wouldn't even be straight up ultimate and that they would blend elements of the 616 version into her characterization) .

Too tired for a debate, so I'm just gonna agree with this post.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

In the previous series it was either MJ or Gwen that was the love interest right off the bat. I'd rather see something else this time. At least for a little while before we inevitably go back to the same well again (MJ and Gwen).

If the actor playing Peter is gonna be younger and this series is gonna stick around for awhile I'd rather they take their time with Spider-Man's story and not try to fit everything into a single trilogy or rehash stuff we've already seen in the previous movies right off the bat.

 

[sl500jazz]

So...Liz and Betty? (Though he really only had a relationship with Betty before Gwen.)

I don't think they'll rehash stuff from previous movies. That's what is I was trying to argue.

And I don't think MJ would be the love interest right off the bat. I'd imagine there would be more of a platonic friendship in the beginning like Ultimate, keeping the emphasis off romance between the two and focusing more on her primary role as Peter's confidant, but leaving the romance door open for future films. Meanwhile, Peter has an unrequited crush on popular girl Liz and/or a crush on a much older Black Cat who flirts with him until she realizes that he's just kid.

The previous films went heavy in terms of romantic drama. From what we've been told, I'm expecting them to keep things light this time around.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I find avoiding characters that have been used problematic, since they're all so essential to Spider-man.

Don't rehash, do it better.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

So...Liz and Betty? (Though he really only had a relationship with Betty before Gwen.)

I don't think they'll rehash stuff from previous movies. That's what is I was trying to argue.

And I don't think MJ would be the love interest right off the bat. I'd imagine there would be more of a platonic friendship in the beginning like Ultimate, keeping the emphasis off romance between the two and focusing more on her primary role as Peter's confidant, but leaving the romance door open for future films. Meanwhile, Peter has an unrequited crush on popular girl Liz and/or a crush on a much older Black Cat who flirts with him until she realizes that he's just kid.

The previous films went heavy in terms of romantic drama. From what we've been told, I'm expecting them to keep things light this time around.

If Peter needs a female to be his geeky "best friend" who potentially becomes a love interest... why not just use Gwen for that (the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon did that and I thought it worked)? Or someone else if not Gwen?

Because if we need to have MJ right away I still want it to be the "face it tiger you hit the jackpot" MJ. Because we haven't really gotten that in a Spider-Man movie yet and Ultimate MJ is too close to the girl next door Dunst take (which works okay but well... we've already gotten it).

I am not sure why we can't wait until Peter goes to college to get MJ or Gwen, but I get that there are fans who don't want to wait that long (even though I think it would be kind of interesting to go without them for awhile and use someone like Liz to be his love interest for a trilogy).

 

[sl500jazz]

If Peter needs a female to be his geeky "best friend" who potentially becomes a love interest... why not just use Gwen for that (the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon did that and I thought it worked)? Or someone else if not Gwen?)

Because to get from Gwen and Peter to Peter and Mary Jane you'd have to kill her (like Weisman had wanted to do) which I don't think they'd do again in this franchise. And if they didn't, then what's the point really?

And in the comics, Gwen wasn't geeky. She was also a bombshell, yet only MJ is held to bombshell standards.

And I didn't say that this MJ would be a geek. Maybe she'll be the extroverted class clown who has been friend's with Peter since childhood. Combining elements of ultimate and 616.

Because if we need to have MJ right away I still want it to be the "face it tiger you hit the jackpot" MJ. Because we haven't really gotten that in a Spider-Man movie yet and Ultimate MJ is too close to the girl next door Dunst take (which works okay but well... we've already gotten it).)

I addressed this in the MJ thread, but both versions not being bombshells doesn't mean that they would have much in common. Raimi's MJ wasn't geeky. She wasn't a class clown. She was the Liz Allan popular girl of Midtown.

And you could still have a "face it tiger" type scene even if it isn't within the same context.

I am not sure why we can't wait until Peter goes to college to get MJ or Gwen, but I get that there are fans who don't want to wait that long (even though I think it would be kind of interesting to go without them for awhile and use someone like Liz to be his love interest for a trilogy).

Fair enough. I'd be all for a 1:1 comic accurate portrayal of these characters, but while that might seem like a good idea in theory, I think it's difficult to actually work things out that way.

I tried to play the waiting game for the TASM franchise, but their "plan" for MJ backfired with so much emphasis placed on Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy. MJ was thrown under the bus and even after killing Gwen, they were trying to brainstorm ways of bringing back Emma Stone instead of moving on to MJ . I don't want to see them make that same mistake again. Not with Liz, Betty, or anyone. MJ is the girl that Peter ultimately ends up with. She certainly doesn't have to be the first love interest, but at the very least, get the audience invested in the character from the get-go.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

There is only one clear choice....

Spoiler

BACK TO FORMULA

 

[Angryfantasyfan]

I am not sure why we can't wait until Peter goes to college to get MJ or Gwen, but I get that there are fans who don't want to wait that long (even though I think it would be kind of interesting to go without them for awhile and use someone like Liz to be his love interest for a trilogy).

There's a consensus among Marvel creators that the Lee/Romta era was the golden age of Spider-Man. I think the Hammond series was the last version that had more Ditko elements than Lee/Romita. Even in the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, where Peter's in high school, there is more from the 616 college years than the Ditko years.

Based on what little we know about the new series (no origin, coming of age tale with John Hughes humor and emotion, non-stop wit) It's not going to be very Ditko-esque.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

Because to get from Gwen and Peter to Peter and Mary Jane you'd have to kill her (like Weisman had wanted to do) which I don't think they'd do again in this franchise. And if they didn't, then what's the point really?

And in the comics, Gwen wasn't geeky. She was also a bombshell, yet only MJ is held to bombshell standards.

And I didn't say that this MJ would be a geek. Maybe she'll be the extroverted class clown who has been friend's with Peter since childhood. Combining elements of ultimate and 616.



I addressed this in the MJ thread, but both versions not being bombshells doesn't mean that they would have much in common. Raimi's MJ wasn't geeky. She wasn't a class clown. She was the Liz Allan popular girl of Midtown.

And you could still have a "face it tiger" type scene even if it isn't within the same context.



Fair enough. I'd be all for a 1:1 comic accurate portrayal of these characters, but while that might seem like a good idea in theory, I think it's difficult to actually work things out that way.

I tried to play the waiting game for the TASM franchise, but their "plan" for MJ backfired with so much emphasis placed on Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy. MJ was thrown under the bus and even after killing Gwen, they were trying to brainstorm ways of bringing back Emma Stone instead of moving on to MJ . I don't want to see them make that same mistake again. Not with Liz, Betty, or anyone. MJ is the girl that Peter ultimately ends up with. She certainly doesn't have to be the first love interest, but at the very least, get the audience invested in the character from the get-go.

Actually, Stan Lee wrote Gwen as Peter's equal in science and grades. So yeah, she was geeky even though she looked attractive (Emma Stone's take was spot on in that regard). She was still the "good Daddy's girl" though, while MJ was the "hot fun one" who modeled and wanted to be in showbiz and flirted. That was the dynamic until Gwen died.

Look... even if we need to have MJ in high school with Peter and plant her that early (I don't necessarily think we do but whatever), why does she need to be his "best friend", or his high school crush that he obsesses over before he eventually gets her (like in the Raimi trilogy)? Either one puts too much emphasis on her being "the one", and is ultimately not very fun or interesting to have the storytelling place so much importance on a single woman that the hero has to "ultimately end up with".

It becomes too much of an obligation rather then organic storytelling that happens over time.

And it is ultimately the same way the previous movies handled Peter's relationships. Let's get away from that a little.

 

[harryoscop]

Actually, Stan Lee wrote Gwen as Peter's equal in science and grades. So yeah, she was geeky even though she looked attractive (Emma Stone's take was spot on in that regard). She was still the "good Daddy's girl" though, while MJ was the "hot fun one" who modeled and wanted to be in showbiz and flirted. That was the dynamic until Gwen died.

Look... even if we need to have MJ in high school with Peter and plant her that early (I don't necessarily think we do but whatever), why does she need to be his "best friend", or his high school crush that he obsesses over before he eventually gets her (like in the Raimi trilogy)? Either one puts too much emphasis on her being "the one", and is ultimately not very fun or interesting to have the storytelling place so much importance on a single woman that the hero has to "ultimately end up with".

It becomes too much of an obligation rather then organic storytelling that happens over time.

And it is ultimately the same way the previous movies handled Peter's relationships. Let's get away from that a little.

I can almost guarantee you that Mary Jane will be in the 2017 Spider-Man film. I can almost guarantee it.

 

[Frodo]

If Peter needs a female to be his geeky "best friend" who potentially becomes a love interest... why not just use Gwen for that (the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon did that and I thought it worked)? Or someone else if not Gwen?

Because if we need to have MJ right away I still want it to be the "face it tiger you hit the jackpot" MJ. Because we haven't really gotten that in a Spider-Man movie yet and Ultimate MJ is too close to the girl next door Dunst take (which works okay but well... we've already gotten it).

I am not sure why we can't wait until Peter goes to college to get MJ or Gwen, but I get that there are fans who don't want to wait that long (even though I think it would be kind of interesting to go without them for awhile and use someone like Liz to be his love interest for a trilogy).

I would suggest Deborah Whitman as the geeky "best friend" who is just a friend, with Liz Allen as Harry's Girlfriend and Felicia Hardy as the Popular girl who Peter wants but can't have.

I personally wouldn't want them to rush into Gwen and MJ again for the first film. If he is 15 or so, i'd like to see a story which doesn't involve constant references and allusions to one or both of those characters being "his soulmate" or "destined for tragedy". I'd prefer to see a fresh spin on his early days and potential love life with female characters who haven't been exploited yet, as opposed to the same love interests we've seen in two other versions already.

That said, if they're trying to build interest with the mainstream , I think they would likely be inclined to at least introduce MJ even if she's not a love interest. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have Gwen for the first film given that she's been used more recently used and exploited, and MJ would have been off the screen a decade by the time the first film comes out. I know that may make fanboys mad, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's the route they went.

 

[JOE]

I want to see Spider-Man fighting street level thugs more often. The past 5 movies favor the central villain too much and the plot heavily revolves around them being connected somehow. Let's not have any of that this time around, no relationship, or prior encounters. Unless he put one of them away as Spider-Man. No direct Peter connections please.

 

[RivenSky]

I want to see Spider-Man fighting street level thugs more often. The past 5 movies favor the central villain too much and the plot heavily revolves around them being connected somehow. Let's not have any of that this time around, no relationship, or prior encounters. Unless he put one of them away as Spider-Man. No direct Peter connections please.

I would like this as well.

 

[sl500jazz]

Actually, Stan Lee wrote Gwen as Peter's equal in science and grades. So yeah, she was geeky even though she looked attractive (Emma Stone's take was spot on in that regard). She was still the "good Daddy's girl" though, while MJ was the "hot fun one" who modeled and wanted to be in showbiz and flirted. That was the dynamic until Gwen died.

No...We saw next to nothing of Gwen's academic/career pursuits in the issues that Stan wrote. In her earliest appearances, she was a "sci major"(as was Harry Osborn yet everyone seems to forget that), but she certainly wasn't geeky or Peter's friend outside of their courtship. She was the ex beauty queen of Standard High (to quote Harry) and seemingly more responsible/forthright in the expression of her emotions than the flighty and carefree Mary Jane. She eventually devolved into a "good Daddy's girl". I'll give you that.

Look... even if we need to have MJ in high school with Peter and plant her that early (I don't necessarily think we do but whatever), why does she need to be his "best friend", or his high school crush that he obsesses over before he eventually gets her (like in the Raimi trilogy)? Either one puts too much emphasis on her being "the one", and is ultimately not very fun or interesting to have the storytelling place so much importance on a single woman that the hero has to "ultimately end up with".

Because having Mary Jane as "the friend " takes the emphasis off of romance as they have suggested wanting, but still allows them to explore Peter and MJ's relationship. If they introduce MJ or any other love interest, for that matter, the way you've suggested, she'd have to remain in the background perpetually or go through some type of courtship with Peter(meeting, falling for each other, the girl being disappointed by Peter's constant absences, strain on relationship, the girl potentially discovering Peter's identity, strain on relationship...wash, rinse, repeat), which again is something that's already been explored in previous films. You'd just be changing up the women/minor plot details. And I don't want Peter Parker turned into James Bond with his harem. It's already done enough in the comics.

And Mary Jane is, without a doubt, the most significant and developed Spider-Man love interest. Sorry, if you don't like it, but it's not about setting her up as "the one" (even though she pretty much is), it's about exploring MJ and her dynamic with Peter (that of being the best friend and confidant which she has been in the 616 universe more than anyone else) and not relegating a complex female character to being Peter's endgame by having her show up at the last moment just to say the jackpot line.

It becomes too much of an obligation rather then organic storytelling that happens over time.

Don't see how falling for your friend is an obligation or inorganic storytelling. It's something that happens quite often in real life. The people that surround us tend to be the people that we end up with. Shoehorning MJ in at the last moment and expecting something significant to come out of that in the grand scheme of the franchise (or the GA to give a damn)would be inorganic.

And it is ultimately the same way the previous movies handled Peter's relationships. Let's get away from that a little.

No. In the previous movies, Peter was infatuated with Gwen and MJ from the beginning and the movies (to a large extent) were about him trying to get with the girl. That wasn't what I was suggesting here...at all.

 

[Frodo]

Because having Mary Jane as "the friend " takes the emphasis off of romance as they have suggested wanting, but still allows them to explore Peter and MJ's relationship. If they introduce MJ or any other love interest, for that matter, the way you've suggested, she'd have to remain in the background perpetually or go through some type of courtship with Peter(meeting, falling for each other, the girl being disappointed by Peter's constant absences, strain on relationship, the girl potentially discovering Peter's identity, strain on relationship...wash, rinse, repeat), which again is something that's already been explored in previous films. You'd just be changing up the women/minor plot details. And I don't want Peter Parker turned into James Bond with his harem. It's already done enough in the comics.

And Mary Jane is, without a doubt, the most significant and developed Spider-Man love interest. Sorry, if you don't like it, but it's not about setting her up as "the one" (even though she pretty much is), it's about exploring MJ and her dynamic with Peter (that of being the best friend and confidant which she has been in the 616 universe more than anyone else) and not relegating a complex female character to being Peter's endgame by having her show up at the last moment just to say the jackpot line.

I think ultimately there has to be a medium in terms of the whole "love interest" thing. The reality is ,Feige wants the focus to shift more towards the idea of a teen dealing with powers and aspects which weren't explored by the Sony films. As a result, the romantic stuff is likely gonna take a backseat regardless , if the MCU films are an indication of how they would handle it.

We may get the MJ or Gwen characters again, but I think fans assume too much that they have to build up to "the one" for Peter , or that they have to play out "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" storyline again.

Looking at it, not as a fan, but instead as Filmmaker or storyteller who have may have a certain arc for the character, I could see Marvel not considering the Mj and Gwen characters priorities , for the first film, especially if the character is in the context of a civil war /infinity war reality in which its about the challenges of being a hero more than the challenges of his love life.

That's not to say that the films couldn't or wouldn't feature MJ in some capacity , but I think to assume that the filmmakers need to plant the seeds for MJ or Gwen for that matter, and need to establish who he's destined to be with , i think, is mistaken. Marvel is clearly taking a different approach entirely in their approach toward the franchise than Sony did.

Sony's emphasis was the romantic relationships effects on Peter , where Marvel and Feige seem to place emphasis on the effects Spiderman has on Peter's teen life and social life which is a much less narrow concentration, in addition to Peter being exposed to a much larger universe. Now , no doubt MJ and Gwen could be included in that social circle and they could be "friends" who eventually develop into something more, though I wouldn't assume that Marvel/Sony wouldn't exploit characters like Liz Allen and Felicia Hardy instead. Sony has certainly spent years trying to have the films focus on the latter. SM2's original script included Felicia Hardy, the original SM4 script was to feature Hardy, and she clearly was going to have a bigger role in the ASM films and S6.

It would make sense if Sony and Marvel decided to focus on her in the first film than to go with MJ and Gwen. Again, not as a fan , but as a filmmaker who wants to tell a fresh story and not be burdened by the baggage of the previous franchises, I could see them giving the GA a new female character in Peter's inner circle as opposed to focusing or alluding to the future which the GA has already seen two times in a row. I'm just speculating but ultimately I think as fans we have to prepare ourselves for Marvel to approach the story in a very different way then Sony did, including characters which haven't been exploited but are classic parts of the Spiderman myth.

 

[sl500jazz]

^ It's likely that they're going to want a female lead/foil because it attracts a certain demographic. Most if not all Marvel Studios films have them. With Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy they ultimately dropped their lead, which is a decision the Sony execs clearly regretted. The benefit of using MJ (beyond the fact that she is the most iconic female supporting character) is that they could keep that girl around and have her play a pivotal role for an indefinite amount of time. And again...John Hughes...so they're likely to exploit the quirks of being a high school student which includes friendships, social cliques, and finding one's place in the world. Exploring a romance with Felicia ala 616 doesn't quite work with that vibe (not to say they wouldn't have Felicia at some point, but I think the relationship would be more like Ultimate). And it isn't about removing MJ, Gwen, Harry, etc. It's about changing the narrative focus, and doing different things with them and other characters. Ultimate is a good model for that.

 

[Frodo]

^ It's likely that they're going to want a female lead/foil because it attracts a certain demographic. Most if not all Marvel Studios films have them. With Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy they ultimately dropped their lead, which is a decision the Sony execs clearly regretted. The benefit of using MJ (beyond the fact that she is the most iconic female supporting character) is that they could keep that girl around and have her play a pivotal role for an indefinite amount of time. And again...John Hughes...so they're likely to exploit the quirks of being a high school student which includes friendships, social cliques, and finding one's place in the world. Exploring a romance with Felicia ala 616 doesn't quite work with that vibe (not to say they wouldn't have Felicia at some point, but I think the relationship would be more like Ultimate). And it isn't about removing MJ, Gwen, Harry, etc. It's about changing the narrative focus, and doing different things with them and other characters. Ultimate is a good model for that.

Again, you can't really look at it from the perspective of a fan but as a filmmaker and storyteller. If you're starting off with 3 version of a character in less than a generation and you're shifting the focus away from just doing the same thing over again, you're likely not gonna go with two love interests who've been done to death. You're more likely to go with a female character who hasn't been used or exploited yet.

Again, this is High school, which gives the filmmakers alot more creative freedom to explore characters, friends , and love interests who aren't known by the mainstream, and thus less baggage from the previous versions .That's why Webb went with Gwen. Sure , she was in SM3, but outside of fanboys, the GA didn't care. With Gwen, Webb was able to tell his own story without being bound to the constraints of the previous series. It why Nolan created Rachel Dawes in BB instead of iconic characters like Vicki Vale . It was because it gave them the freedom to tell a different type of love story with their protagonists than what was done before.

So while MJ is iconic , we have to keep in mind this is just "high school" . Peter hasn't been Spiderman that long and at 15 I doubt he's thinking about "the one". I suspect that's one of the reasons why Marvel wanted to go so young. They wanted to be free of the constraints of his senior year and college romantic drama and get back to a Peter who's got his life ahead of him and is just living day to day. Its certainly consistent with what the recent comics did with Brand New Day, and what Ultimate's goal was: to take Peter back to a time when his options were open. So the stakes for a teens future wife and partner aren't gonna be there , so Peter can , and likely will have love interests who won't ultimately be his true love. There really isn't a need to set that up when he's just 15. Yeah , there are people who end up marrying their sweethearts from highschool , but most people nowadays don't , so the idea of Peter being hung up on a girl who ultimately isn't the one is more the norm than the exception.

In the early comics Gwen and MJ didn't even exist , it was Betty Brant and other females he crushed on so its not like it wouldn't be true to the comics if Gwen and MJ weren't there. Again, not saying that Gwen and MJ won't be in the film , but I really don't think its as essential to plant the seeds for his young adult relationships in the first film. Yes , they're iconic characters, but we have to keep in mind the goal is to explore new aspects of Peter's teen life and to give the audience something they haven't seen before with the character.

 

[sl500jazz]

Do you work in the film industry? Don't presume to say where I am approaching things from because I could just as easily say the same about you and your desire to see Liz, Felicia, and/or an adaptation of BND.

MCU isn't Nolan Batman and Peter Parker is a far cry from Bruce Wayne. There's precedence in the MCU for having female leads. It stands to reason (from a business perspective) that if you have a hot talented up and coming teen actress your'e going to cast her in a role that holds potential long term significance to the franchise. Especially after what happened with Emma Stone's Gwen. Betty and Liz aren't those roles.

And again I never said that 15yo Peter would be pining after MJ.

And Webb went with Gwen to do The Night Gwen Stacy Died, but the plan was to introduce MJ in the second film...until that plan backfired. The franchise isn't in the same state now as it was then.

 

[Angryfantasyfan]

Webb went with Gwen because he wanted to do The Night Gwen Stacy Died. If he had done it to avoid baggage from the previous series, he wouldn't have filmed scenes with Mary Jane for the second film and planned on bringing her back for the third.

Webb understands. He felt much the same way when Gwen Stacy was killed off in the comic. “It stayed with me in a profound way. It broke me. I was anxious and curious to explore it on the screen. From the very beginning I planned on doing it,” he says. “For me, everything in the movie was built around that moment. There’s a cost to being a hero.”

http://www.ew.com/article/2014/05/08/spider-man-marc-webb-gwen-stacy

The payoff of Conway’s legendary “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” arc was about all Webb and producers Matt Tolmach and Avi Arad had planned for their new incarnation of the Spider-Man franchise.

http://grantland.com/hollywood-pros...-2-death-universe-venom-sinister-six-sequels/

I can almost guarantee you that Mary Jane will be in the 2017 Spider-Man film. I can almost guarantee it.

While it's possible MJ won't be in the film, the fact that she was mentioned during the discussions between Marvel and Sony makes her inclusion more likely than not.

1) the idea of PP/SM being featured in Cap3 sounds fantastic and an exciting way for the character to be reintroduced to the fans with a new actor.
Q: could we participate in casting the new actor for SM and any other key cast related to him like Aunt May, Mary-Jane etc?
Q: what do we get as a licensing fee - we should ask for a combo upfront fee plus some back-end (for example maybe $10M fee against $20M)
- the Russos will have to give us a detailed pitch of what they are planning as part of the deal so that we can continue to develop our own projects accordingly.

https://wikileaks.org/sony/emails/emailid/70305

 

[Frodo]

Webb went with Gwen because he wanted to do The Night Gwen Stacy Died. If he had done it to avoid baggage from the previous series, he wouldn't have filmed scenes with Mary Jane for the second film and planned on bringing her back for the third.

http://www.ew.com/article/2014/05/08/spider-man-marc-webb-gwen-stacy

http://grantland.com/hollywood-pros...-2-death-universe-venom-sinister-six-sequels/





While it's possible MJ won't be in the film, the fact that she was mentioned during the discussions between Marvel and Sony makes her inclusion more likely than not.

https://wikileaks.org/sony/emails/emailid/70305

Webb wanted to do the Gwen stacy death to be sure, but if that were the case he could have do it in part one. They killed her in part 2 , and I'm not sure that was always going to be the plan. They wanted to try something new for ASM 1 and give Peter a new love interest, so they went with Gwen because of what she could add. They always planned to kill her but that wasn't the only reason they introduced Gwen, and I doubt even Webb would argue they only picked her because they wanted to kill her.

As for baggage from the previous series, that baggage had to do with telling the same story all over again, and agree with it or not , that's not what Marvel is going to do. That's not even what Webb had in mind, so including MJ in ASM 2 didn't therefore mean they were gonna do the same thing Raimi did. Even then she was only going to have a few scenes, and Webb wanted to focus on Gwen and Peter, not MJ and Peter. That's why he cut her out , so it wasn't as if she was gonna be a big player in ASM 2 anyway.

The argument isn't about keeping out characters such as MJ and Gwen. The argument is about telling a new story and perhaps using the characters in different ways then before instead of following the same story beats of the last two films. Marvel and Sony are clearly singling a fresh start and fans have got to wrap their heads around the idea that its not just gonna be an updated retread of what we saw before. Now that doesn't mean we won't see MJ , Gwen, Harry, Norman etc, but its clear that Feige wants to do several things different from what Raimi and Webb did.