1. Gwen Stacey Must Die, But Mary Jane Has To Be Earned
So we've come to this... the inevitable issue that is going to obviously be faced in the upcoming installments of the Spider-Man saga: Gwen Stacey's death. Much like her father before her, Gwen Stacey winds up in the cross-hairs of super-powered evil in New York and suffers an untimely death when Spider-Man fails to save her from a freak accident indirectly caused by the Green Goblin. Now right here we have the potential for emotional depths that even the previous trilogy did not plume. (Peter and Mary Jane breaking up at the end of Spider-Man 3 doesn't count). Here we see Peter, with his super powers so strong and mighty, fail to protect someone he loves so dearly. It's the stuff that rivalries are made of, and that super hero films thrive upon. But just because Gwen Stacey is going to suffer an untimely death doesn't mean it's a pass to just have Mary Jane Watson waltz in the next day and court Peter. If we're going to follow this trajectory, it has to be done the right way and at the right time. It would be advisable to hold off until the end of the second film (if this second film is where the Green Goblin comes into play) before killing off Gwen. Of course, while the second film plays out, it's wise to also start building this fledgling attraction between the pair that will be destined to wind up together (depending on what continuity you follow) so that way it capitalizes on the same type of energy that Peter and Gwen had in the first film. Too soon, and you undercut the emotional core as well as rush your storyline to its conclusion. Too late, and it just seems like you're begging for another trilogy to tell the next part of the story. Either or, the decisions that have to be made on this movie need to be ones that are informed by the mistakes of the past. Spider-Man, at his best, is a symbol of hope within all of us to have the strength to do what's right and save the day. At his worst, he's an emo little runt who spurns all he loves in order to fulfill his own selfish needs. Let's learn a lesson from Peter Parker and pursue the former, as opposed to the latter.
Once again the floor is yours, What Culture. What do you want to see in The Amazing Spider-Man 2? Is it too soon to throw Venom into the mix? Sound off in the comments section below.