Now, on this site, I am one of the few advocates for Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man franchise. However, even I cannot state that it is perfect. Still, I find most of the problems to be corporate rather than creative. With the relatively new company mandate to have a Spider-Man film every year, it seems like the franchise went through very sudden changes to accomodate this. It is a film that really suffers from Iron Man 2-itis. There is definitely a way I would've done the universe from the ground-up and think it could've been pulled off better and it would've also included a re-imagining or new version of some characters to make them heroes.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
We all know that
The Amazing Spider-Man took a lot of material from the
Ultimate Spider-Man comic book series. I, actually, would've used this and gone the full nine yards. Remove the Peter's parents subplot's massive importance but have the references to Peter's father of course be there to show that Peter didn't always grow up with his aunt and uncle. I think it would've been brilliant to use the Ultimate Green Goblin as an introductory villain, as the
Ultimate line, in my opinion, tied Peter and Norman together much better than in the original universe, which goes a long way into setting up their rivalry. While it would look like a repeat of
Spider-Man, the origin is different enough and dwelved into far more that it would've been well worth it. Heck, just taking the first arc (like I would prefer) and making it into a film Uncle Ben wouldn't even die until halfway into the film (which, honestly, isn't that much off from
The Amazing Spider-Man) and Uncle Ben didn't die over a bottle of chocolate milk. Uncle Ben died because Peter wasn't home when he should've been, because he was acting immaturely and he was also not responsible enough to stop someone who was robbing many local businesses, including, but not confirmed, his original wrestling place of work. This would also have allowed Webb to fully dwelve into the indie-feeling movie he wanted to make as there is only one massive fight at the end between Goblin and Spider-Man. Of course, this would just serve as the beginning of this rivalry. The one thing I would change, however, is keep Gwen Stacy. This allows for Gwen to also follow through on her potential fate further along. However, with Gwen, I'd have Peter reveal his secret to Gwen at the
end of the first film, allowing for something more deep in the sequel but without Gwen's father dying at the end as well.
Miles Morales: Guardian (2013)
I just picked another name for one of the newest additions to Spider-Man's universe. In fact, Miles has even been Spider-Man himself. However, I think it would be a mistake to remove Peter from the equation as Spider-Man, as, even though we might be able to accept Miles, the general audience would likely have a difficult time moving on from Peter...at least immediately. By using another name that is close to Spider-Man, Miles Morales can also substantiate himself in a new role and on his own film. With this one, it also allows a different dynamic with his parents, of course, being alive and his father
really hating Spider-Man, especially after the destruction caused by Spider-Man's and Goblin's fight. The costume would need a
slight re-design but the eyes and the bigger stand-out features owuld likely be able to make the leap, just removing the spider and webs to make sure he can fit as the Guardian. This would also be one of those rare opportunities to have a superhero film without a love interest. Miles can also serve as an entrance to the criminal underworld aspect of New York City as his uncle was a guy trying to make his way to the top. Of course, Peter also has his own connection to the criminal underworld that I feel would be a great way to deal with the universe in a fuller way.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Following Uncle Ben's murder in the first film, I think the second film should pick up with Peter going up against the criminal underworld that left his uncle dead. This leads Peter on a collision course with the Kingpin as he starts moving towards his graduation date. However, the real thing that launches him on this collision course is the fact that Gwen's father also suffered the same fate as his uncle did but through a larger scheme. Peter had caught his uncle's killer but this serves as a wake-up call that he needs to do more. Peter finds out that Aleksei Systevich is the guy that killed her father and tracks him down. Systevich tells Peter that it was ordered by Kingpin, himself. However, before Peter can ask for more, the Enforcers show up and are about to shoot Systevich before Peter saves him. Peter takes down all three of the Enforcers. Spider-Man figures out about Wilson Fisk's connection through a newly acquired job at the Daily Bugle. Peter and Gwen's interactions are way more dynamic as they also concern Peter's life as Spider-Man as well and his investigation of the criminal empire. Peter shows up as Spider-Man to the Wilson Fisk fundraiser where he runs into Black Cat. Black Cat is revealed to also have a vendetta against Fisk but tells Spider-Man that he needs to kill him to truly get rid of him. Spider-Man replies that he won't do that but is spotted as Black Cat escapes. This forces Spider-Man to fight against one OsCorp experiment trying to use the Oz on electic eels and to use it on a human. Max Dillon was acquired when Fisk bought out a dying OsCorp following the disappearance of Norman Osborn and the hiding of Harry Osborn. This fight could lead into Times Square where Spider-Man gets beat down by Electro and decides he needs to go about taking down the Kingpin in a smarter fashion. When Peter finds out about the secruity system that records all the data that Kingpin goes through, he breaks back into the tower to take it. Through the break-in, Electro and the Enforcers go after Spider-Man where he takes them all down. Upon finishing them all by thinking through the situation very intelligently, he takes all the tapes that can be used as evidence but finds Black Cat trying to kill Kingpin. Spider-Man has to fight both of them. Upon taking down the Kingpin and Black Cat, Black Cat states that Kingpin owns too many cops for Spider-Man to allow her, an enemy, to be arrested. Peter realizes this and lets her go. As Peter begins looking through the files, he finds out that Kingpin was looking into OsCorp's old files and had just stopped short of finding out his real identity. Peter decides that this call was too close and, despite tying up all the loose ends with Kingpin with the help of Gwen Stacy and Ben Urich, breaks up with Gwen following their graduation, deciding that is the only way he can protect her and that is how the film ends, with Peter swinging away.
Agent Venom (2015)
One villain that could be turned into a hero would be Agent Venom. With Flash Thompson being set up much in the same way that
The Amazing Spider-Man set him up in the film, Flash going to the military would be a good way to set him up. With an officer named Cletus Kassidy becoming the villain (a murderer who joined the military just to legally kill people) with a part of the symbiote that the military developed to help their best soldiers recuperate and join the front lines again getting onto him, he would become Carnage, finding himself above everyone else. Flash is shipped into Afghanistan following his graduation and earns the medal of honor because of his strength as a military soldier but he loses his legs. Because of this, the president gives Flash another chance to serve his country by also giving him the symbiote and letting him join the Silver Pack, a special operations group that deals with America's special interests abroad. However, Cletus sneaks in and takes a little of it because he is jealous that he has been a soldier longer and hasn't been given the opportunity to have power. However, the power corrupts him and it is up to Flash, Silver Sable and the rest of the Silver Pack to take down Carnage. Unfortunately, the Silver Pack is used as a scapegoat and have to go on the run from the government and end up in England, in hiding.
The Amazing Spider-Man 3 (2016)
I think this would be the perfect culmination of this trilogy. Following Peter's break-up with Gwen Stacy, Aunt May wants Peter to get together with Mary Jane, the neighbor. Peter, however, doesn't want to put anyone else in danger and refuses to do it. The only person who knows who he is, though, the Green Goblin returns to New York City with Harry Osborn returning to Empire State University with Peter and Gwen. While Gwen and Harry get closer together, Peter is forced into going to Harry's penthouse, invited by his father. Norman's father tells Peter that Peter now works for Norman and Norman wants to kill the president. Norman Osborn already has a team assembled of proper candidates in Electro, the Enforcers and Aleksei Systevich, given the RHINO suit. Spider-Man is the last one that fills out the seven that are designed to kill the president, the guy who is preventing Norman Osborn from restarting his company by keeping him under surveillance following his reappearance. Peter refuses to help Norman but Norman says that, despite him being gone, he has been keeping tabs on Peter through OsCorp's resources and knows who he loves the most: Gwen Stacy. Peter pleads with Gwen to stay away from Harry because she could be in serious danger with Green Goblin. However, Gwen is still angry at Peter for dumping her and decides to hook up with Harry when he asks her. When Peter decides to confront Green Goblin and the other four, Harry and Gwen are on a date. Norman heard about this date before the confrontation and goes after Gwen while Peter is forced to deal with the other four. Peter manages to take down the powered up Shocker (Montana), Ricochet (Fancy Dan) and Ox along with RHINO pretty easily but takes issue with Electro, who is eager to avoid water. Eventually, Peter figures out a way to disrupt his electricity by overloading his electricity. However, he tries to stop it before he explodes but Electro tries to fire at Spider-Man, but Spider-Man dodges which causes the electricity to hit the wire, exploding Electro. Peter starts to mourn the fact that he just killed someone when he realizes that Green Goblin is throwing fireballs at helicopters from the top of the George Washington Bridge. Peter runs to try to save Gwen and promises Norman that he'll do anything if he just lets her go. Green Goblin taunts Peter that he will allow him to say one last thing to Gwen. Peter tells Gwen that he loves her and Gwen says the same thing back when Goblin throws her off the top of the bridge. Peter screams and jumps off after her. He manages to stick to the side of the bridge and snag her foot but it kills her. Green Goblin destroys all the helicopters and Peter goes after Goblin, beating the living crap out of him. Green Goblin, though, manages to get the best of him until Harry shows up and calls his father out on being a monster. Green Goblin jumps over to kill his son as well but Peter pulls him back and tells him that no one else dies on his watch. As Peter starts choking Goblin, Harry stabs his father with a sharp edge of a door. Norman, then, shrinks down to his normal size as Harry realizes that Peter is behind the mask. Harry and Peter both mourn over Gwen as the sirens pull up. The film ends much like
The Amazing Spider-Man 2, without the
Sinister Six set-up but with Peter finally meeting Mary Jane one year after Gwen's death and learning to cope with having friends (but not another girlfriend) again.