The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was the definition of lackluster. The villains were lame despite a top-notch cast playing these key roles and the feature never felt focused. It appeared as if Sony cared more about the future instead of the present as the ending of the feature was building towards the next installment and the reported Sinister Six film. Somewhere along the lines, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 lost its way, and unfortunately, the Andrew Garfield films bombed at the box office thus scrapping a sequel and any plans of a Sinister Six movie. However, the second incarnation of Spider-Man made his return in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Andrew Garfield reminded audiences why he was the glue that essentially held the franchise together.
There was one aspect of the franchise that remains notable, the death of Gwen Stacy. At this point, it’s too late to really follow up on that shocking development as there’s somewhat of a payoff in Spider-Man: No Way Home. In fact, if The Amazing Spider-Man 2 wasn’t determined to get audiences invested in a potential third film, then the Rhino scene would’ve never existed. Let’s ignore and pretend that Paul Giovanni – a talented actor – is indeed Russian. He ultimately serves no purpose and is simply there to tell people that a Sinister Six film is coming soon. Plus, the ending sequence takes away the emotional impact of Gwen Stacy’s death. This isn’t the first time that Peter Parker has suffered a major loss, but this was his first death because of his heroism. This moment should’ve lingered longer than an hour. Despite the efforts of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone – who made a fun couple during the series – The Amazing Spider-Man was always missing that emotional weight that could truly get audiences invested in their films. However, the death of Gwen Stacy was indeed that moment. It should’ve had more impact and carried over to the third entry. However, what’s done is done, and it’s a case of a missed opportunity, though the film would’ve still been canceled if the box office numbers remained the same.
However, it’s nearly ten years later and it would be fascinating to see the life of Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man. It’s clear on the way he saved MJ in No Way Home that the death of his girlfriend still weighs on his mind. Is he still parading around as Spider-Man? When the three heroes were discussing their cool villains, it didn’t sound as if Garfield had much activity following his “legendary” encounter with Rhino. Since the most interesting thing to come out of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was Gwen Stacy’s death, it’s still possible to follow up on Peter Parker going through his adult phase. Maybe he’s opted to return from the hero world for good? Surely, he was primed and ready to get back into the Spidey suit in No Way Home, but that doesn’t mean that everything is all rainbows and kittens back in his world. Parker could’ve just been putting on a poker face to hide his true feelings. It’s fascinating that comic book films have rarely done a “where are they now” type movie by catching up to the heroes of yesteryear. People change, especially within eight years. Maybe the thrill and excitement for him is long gone. Perhaps his dimension has become a crime ridden mess that he has trouble controlling? Perhaps Spider-Man is dead! Metaphorically speaking, of course.
He could’ve pulled a Dexter (minus the beard), who left New York City so the danger wouldn’t hurt anyone else that he loves. A recluse who’s shunned himself away from society and believes that being alone is better than having relationships and love. The price of being a superhero is always talked about, and though films tend to kill off loved ones because of their heroism, we never truly see a change in these heroes overall. They mourn, get some type of pep talk or inspiration, and they dawn the suit to save the day all over again. I know that Spider-Man: No Way Home didn’t tease any trouble in paradise for Mr. Parker 2.0, but as I previously stated, it’s possible that he was simply putting on a front as he did have bigger issues to deal with. Still, it would be great to catch up with Andrew Garfield’s version and see how his world is doing. It doesn’t have to connect the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it could actually be a goodbye film as he never got that chance.
