The monstrous success ofSam Raimi’sSpider-Manin 2002 helped usher in the superhero era. StarringTobey Maguireas Peter Parker andKirsten Dunstas Mary Jane Watson, the Spider-Man trilogy became a love story as much as it was an action franchise. We quickly got a reboot in 2012 withMarc Webb’sThe Amazing Spider-Man, and nowAndrew Garfieldas the webslinger, but this time, Mary Jane was nowhere to be found. Now, it wasEmma Stoneas Gwen Stacy who was the focus. When it came time forThe Amazing Spider-Man 2,Shailene Woodleywas actually cast to play MJ and even filmed her scenes, but before the final cut was released, Webb removed her part. So just why wasthe love of Peter Parker’s lifetaken out?
Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy Is ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’s Love Interest
While you could argue thatSpider-Man didn’t need to be rebooted just five years after the failedSpider-Man 3, Marc Webb at least tried something different withThe Amazing Spider-Manby making Gwen Stacy the love interest and not Mary Jane Watson. And with a great actress like Emma Stone cast in the role, who could complain? However, inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, Webb decided to add MJ to the mix, and cast an equally impressive actress in Shailene Woodley. She came in and filmed several scenes with Andrew Garfield, with photos leaking from the set, but before the film hit theaters, the director chose to remove Mary Jane from the film.
In an interview with theLos Angeles Times, Marc Webb said it was a difficult decision to remove Woodley’s performance:
“It was something we only discovered when we were shooting and then in the edit room… Shailene is a brilliant actress, and she did a great couple days of work. But it was very difficult to introduce someone as a competing love interest when so much is on the table with Peter and Gwen.”
Mary Jane Watson Would Have Taken Away From Gwen Stacy’s Death
Shailene Woodley herself backed up what Webb saidin an interview with Perri Nemiroffto promoteDivergent, saying, “Mary Jane was in four scenes in the whole film, and it didn’t make sense, they’re introducing so many new characters, it really didn’t make sense to introduce such a vital character to the comic books in a movie that had so much going on.”
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Gwen Stacy is a vital character to the Spider-Man world as well, having first appeared in the comics in 1965. She’s important as Peter Parker’s first girlfriend, but she is also a tragic character who propels Peter forward when she dies.Gwen did have a part to play inSpider-Man 3(played byBryce Dallas Howard), but that trilogy always belonged to Peter and MJ, and Gwen felt like she was getting in the way. That’s exactly how it would have felt inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, except this time with Mary Jane being the unnecessary third wheel. It would have been even worse here because, at the end ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, Gwen dies.Putting Mary Jane Watson in such a tragic story would have said that Gwendidn’t really matterin the grand scheme of things, and that MJ was destined to become the bigger story. This would have diminished Gwen’s death and have made it seem like she only died so that Mary Jane could be introduced.
Mary Jane Watson Could Have Been in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 3’
TheLos Angeles Timesarticle mentioned that MJ might appear inThe Amazing Spider-Man 3. This was something that Shailene Woodley addressed with Perri Nemiroff as well, saying, “They’re holding off for future films.” In another press interview forDivergent, when asked if she could come back for the third film,she told Total Film, “I have no idea. I don’t know that I would even want to do two franchises at this point.”
Unfortunately, it was a decision neither Shailene Woodley, Marc Webb, nor anyone else had to make because the intendedlast movie in the trilogy never happened.The Amazing Spider-Man 2was seen as a flop both critically and commercially. It received a mediocre50% on Rotten Tomatoesand made an underwhelming$202 million domesticallyat the box office. Although Webb was hired forThe Amazing Spider-Man 3, it never came to be.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2
