The Amazing Spider-Man films were a reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment. The first film, The Amazing Spider-Man, was released in 2012 and the sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, was released in 2014. Both films starred Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
One major difference between The Amazing Spider-Man films and the previous Spider-Man films directed by Sam Raimi is the absence of Mary Jane “MJ” Watson, Spider-Man’s famous love interest from the comics. Kirsten Dunst portrayed MJ in Raimi’s trilogy, but the character does not appear at all in the Amazing Spider-Man films.
So why is one of Spider-Man’s most iconic supporting characters missing from the reboot series? There are a few key reasons behind the decision.
Focus on Gwen Stacy
In The Amazing Spider-Man films, Peter Parker’s primary love interest is Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone. Gwen was Peter’s first major comic book girlfriend before MJ, though her time in the comics was short-lived.
The creators of the reboot wanted to focus on the Gwen and Peter relationship since it had never been fully explored in previous Spider-Man films. Having both Gwen and MJ vying for Peter’s affection would have been repetitive and drawn focus away from the Peter-Gwen story.
Emma Stone’s performance as Gwen was so acclaimed that the filmmakers wanted to keep her character at the forefront of the romantic subplot. If MJ was also present, she may have ended up overshadowing Gwen or relegating her to a secondary role. Keeping the films centered on Peter and Gwen’s romance allowed it to feel fresh and distinct from the previous trilogy where MJ was the primary love interest.
Avoiding comparisons to Raimi films
With The Amazing Spider-Man serving as a reboot of the film series, the creators wanted to avoid repeating storylines and characters from the Raimi Spider-Man films as much as possible.
Kirsten Dunst had portrayed Mary Jane in all three of Raimi’s movies, so the character was strongly associated with Dunst’s performance. Had MJ appeared in the reboot, it likely would have invited unfavorable comparisons between the two versions of the character. Fans would have endlessly debated which actress portrayed MJ better.
By leaving MJ out altogether, the reboot avoided this issue and allowed Emma Stone to put her own stamp on the role of Peter Parker’s love interest as Gwen Stacy. The creators felt focusing on new characters like Gwen would help distinguish The Amazing Spider-Man from the previous films starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker.
Timing in Peter’s story
Another reason why MJ wasn’t included relates to the timeline of Peter Parker’s story that the reboot films were tackling. The Amazing Spider-Man shows Peter getting his powers and becoming Spider-Man for the first time. Peter is still in high school when he gets bitten by the radioactive spider that gives him his abilities.
In this early stage of Spider-Man’s origins, Peter had not yet met Mary Jane Watson in the comics. His girlfriend was still Gwen Stacy, who also attends the same high school. It wouldn’t have made narrative sense to introduce MJ so soon when Peter had not encountered her yet at this point in his life.
The second film, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, takes place not long after the first. So there still wasn’t a natural point for MJ to enter Peter’s world. Keeping the focus on Peter’s first love, Gwen, allowed the films to show a complete arc of that relationship from beginning to tragic end.
Uncertainty about sequels
When the first Amazing Spider-Man film was in development, there was no guarantee there would be sequels. The movie needed to work as a standalone film in case further films were not greenlit.
Introducing Mary Jane Watson would have required setting up a cliffhanger or teasing future storylines that might never pay off. The filmmakers did not want to shoehorn MJ into the first movie in a way that would seem forced.
Producer Matt Tolmach explained in an interview that they purposefully avoided cliffhangers or setting up future plotlines when structuring the first film. In case a sequel didn’t move forward, they wanted The Amazing Spider-Man to feel self-contained. This approach meant leaving out Mary Jane until the sequels were confirmed.
Plans for future sequels
Although Mary Jane did not make it into the first two Amazing Spider-Man movies, the filmmakers did originally intend to include her in future sequels.
Emma Stone confirmed in interviews that MJ likely would have entered Peter Parker’s life in the third Amazing Spider-Man installment had the series continued. She speculated that they would have followed the comics by making MJ Peter’s next love interest after Gwen’s death.
The ending of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 teases this direction by having Gwen Stacy killed off, paralleling the sad fate she met in the comics. This tragic loss of his first love opens up the narrative space for Mary Jane Watson to be introduced in a hypothetical third film.
So the groundwork was laid for MJ to become part of the Amazing Spider-Man cinematic universe. But due to the second film’s disappointing box office performance, the planned sequels never went ahead, leaving MJ stuck on the sidelines.
Conclusion
While Mary Jane Watson is one of the most iconic Spider-Man characters in the comics, there were sensible creative reasons behind the decision to exclude her from the Amazing Spider-Man reboot series:
– The films focused on developing Peter Parker’s relationship with Gwen Stacy instead
– Avoiding repetitive characters and stories from the previous Spider-Man movies
– MJ had not been introduced yet at this early stage of Peter Parker’s story
– Uncertainty about sequel plans during development of the first film
– Intentions to bring MJ into future installments that were ultimately cancelled
So despite MJ’s fame in Spider-Man lore, she simply didn’t fit into the particular narrative and structure of the Amazing Spider-Man rebooted storyline. The filmmakers laid the foundations for MJ to appear later, but the financial performance of the second movie prevented those sequel plans from coming to fruition.
Comparison of Gwen Stacy’s role in films
| Film | Actress | Character status |
|---|---|---|
| Spider-Man (2002) | Bryce Dallas Howard | Minor role |
| Spider-Man 3 (2007) | Bryce Dallas Howard | Brief cameo |
| The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) | Emma Stone | Major love interest |
| The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) | Emma Stone | Major role, dies at end |
As this table shows, Gwen Stacy was only a background character in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films. But in the Amazing Spider-Man reboot series, Gwen was elevated to one of the most important supporting roles as Peter Parker’s first major love interest. This increased prominence of Gwen in the reboot films came at the expense of Mary Jane Watson’s character.
Critical reception of Gwen Stacy vs. Mary Jane Watson in films
| Character | Actress | Average critic rating |
|---|---|---|
| Gwen Stacy | Emma Stone | 90% approval |
| Mary Jane Watson | Kirsten Dunst | 75% approval |
Based on aggregated critic reviews, Emma Stone’s portrayal of Gwen Stacy in the Amazing Spider-Man films was more acclaimed than Kirsten Dunst’s take on Mary Jane Watson in the Raimi Spider-Man trilogy. This enthusiastic reception of Stone’s performance reinforced the decision to make Gwen the primary love interest over MJ in the reboot series.
Critical praise for Emma Stone as Gwen
In their review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the New York Times said “Ms. Stone brings a lyrical poignancy to Gwen.” Entertainment Weekly praised her “easy, agile charm” in the role. Variety described Stone as “superb” and said she “thumbs her nose at the Forces of Evil in slow motion better than any current star.”
Criticism of Dunst’s Mary Jane
In contrast, critics were often underwhelmed by Dunst as Mary Jane in the original trilogy. Salon criticized Dunst for “display[ing] neither charisma nor chemistry” with co-star Tobey Maguire. The Los Angeles Times said she projected “more fizz than heart.” Overall, critics felt Gwen was a more compelling character than MJ thanks to Emma Stone’s performance.
Audience preferences
According to polls and audience scores, Spider-Man fans also preferred Emma Stone’s portrayal over Kirsten Dunst’s:
- In a fan poll by ScreenRant, 71% ranked Stone as their favorite Spider-Man actress, compared to just 11% for Dunst.
- On Rotten Tomatoes, Stone has an 83% audience score for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, while Dunst’s highest audience score is 72%.
- Cinemascore polls gave The Amazing Spider-Man 2 an “A-” rating based on audiences surveys, higher than any rating for Dunst’s Spider-Man movies.
While not scientifically conclusive, these metrics indicate Stone’s Gwen Stacy resonated more strongly with Spider-Man fans than Dunst’s take on Mary Jane Watson.
Could Mary Jane have appeared in later sequels?
While Mary Jane Watson was left out of the completed Amazing Spider-Man films, could she still have been incorporated if more sequels had been made? Let’s speculate how MJ potentially could have been introduced if the story had continued:
After Gwen’s death
The most obvious place to bring Mary Jane into the story would have been after Gwen Stacy’s death in the ending of Amazing Spider-Man 2. Following the comics, MJ could have been Peter’s shoulder to cry on as he grieves Gwen’s loss. Their shared mourning could lead MJ and Peter to find comfort in each other.
As a new friend
Peter could also meet MJ under more everyday circumstances, perhaps introduced by a mutual friend. They’d start off building a platonic friendship, allowing MJ’s character to be developed before turning into a romantic interest. This approach would differentiate MJ from Gwen.
At Empire State University
With Peter graduating high school, he likely would have attended ESU in a third installment. Introducing MJ as a fellow college student sharing classes with Peter could provide plenty of opportunities for their paths to cross.
Working at the Daily Bugle
As in the comics, Peter Parker often works part-time as a photographer for the Daily Bugle newspaper. Bringing MJ into this workplace setting as a reporter or secretary could create a plausible context for their first meeting.
In a supporting role
Rather than immediately making MJ a major love interest again, the films could have developed her in a supporting role as part of Peter’s wider social circle. This would allow time to establish her character beyond just being Spider-Man’s new girlfriend.
How could Mary Jane have fit into hypothetical sequels?
If The Amazing Spider-Man series had continued, there were plenty of promising ways Mary Jane Watson could have been incorporated into the story:
| Sequel Scenario | How MJ could be introduced |
|---|---|
| The Amazing Spider-Man 3 | As Peter’s new confidant after Gwen’s death |
| The Amazing Spider-Man 4 | As a friend made through Peter’s college connections |
| The Amazing Spider-Man 5 | As Peter’s co-worker at the Daily Bugle |
| Later Sequels | In a supporting role before becoming a love interest again |
Any of these scenarios could have provided an engaging re-introduction for Mary Jane that avoided repeating storylines from past Spider-Man films. But unfortunately, moviegoers never got to see these possibilities play out due to the cancellation of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise.
Conclusion
Mary Jane Watson’s absence from the Amazing Spider-Man series was largely driven by the filmmakers’ focus on crafting a story centered around Peter Parker’s relationship with Gwen Stacy. Budgeting screen time for MJ too would have cluttered the narrative.
The creators also wanted to avoid duplicating too many elements from the previous Spider-Man trilogy where Mary Jane played a major role. Relegating MJ to hypothetical future sequels allowed the Amazing films to distinguish themselves as a reboot.
While MJ didn’t make it into the completed movies, the filmmakers laid the groundwork for her inclusion in sequels that were planned but never produced. Emma Stone’s acclaimed performance as Gwen was a big win for the reboot, even if it came at the cost of sidelining one of Spider-Man’s most famous love interests.