The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Ending: 11 Big Questions For Webb's Spidey Universe

7. How Does Uncle Ben Become Important Again?

It might have been intriguing to see Spider-Man's origin story told in a new way, with the added element of his father's secret life and involvement in shady biogenetic experiments, but it came at a rather unfortunate cost. In pushing Richard Parker to the front of focus in Parker's metamorphosis into Spider-Man, it forces Uncle Ben out of the equation, even with his rather hokey attempt to recapture the original "with great power, comes great responsibility" speech. And the overall effect is that possibly the single most important element in Spider-Man's origin becomes part of his history, as rather pertinently symbolised in Aunt May's packing of his remaining possessions into a box. But without Uncle Ben, there can be no Spider-Man: the mystery of what Richard Parker did does not carry the same kind of longevity as Ben's lessons and his death, and at the minute it feels like he has been swept aside for a cheaper, immediate narrative pay-off. That surely has to change if the franchise is going to continue beyond the announced movies.