When The Amazing Spider-Man opened in 2012, it came with the promise of revealing "The Untold Story." At least part of that was the revelation that Richard Parker had genetically altered his son's DNA, meaning the spider bite simply activated powers already there.
Understandably, Sony Pictures realised it was heading in the wrong direction with the web-slinger, and The Amazing Spider-Man ultimately played it safe, thanks to reshoots. That was to its detriment, especially as widely touted point-of-view scenes were also left on the cutting-room floor.
A sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, followed in 2014. That gave Peter Parker a comic-accurate costume, but veered wildly from the comics with some pretty bizarre takes on villains like the Green Goblin and Electro (there was even a cut subplot revolving around Norman Osborn's severed head).
During a recent YouTube interview, The Walking Dead and Invincible co-creator Robert Kirkman shared his thoughts on the sequel and made it clear he's no fan of that particular take on Peter Parker.
"No, terrible, terrible. I don’t like to publicly talk about my opinions on movies. Still, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is dogs***," he exclaimed. "As much as I love Jamie Foxx, I love Andrew. Andrew Garfield is a great Spider-Man. There are aspects to both of those movies that are spectacular, but that movie is a mess."
It's a scathing assessment, albeit one that many fans are likely to agree with. One of the movie's biggest missteps was the death of Gwen Stacy, though there were plans to resurrect her—and her father, George—in a third instalment with a concoction of some sort created by Oscorp.
We reviewed The Amazing Spider-Man 2 back in 2014, and it wasn't our most positive verdict.
"With appalling dialogue, slapstick humour, some bizarre aesthetics, and cheesy moments aplenty (Peter's Spider-Man theme ringtone or Electro beating Spidey up to the tune of 'Incy Wincy Spider'), this is the Batman & Robin of the Spider-Man franchise," we concluded at the time.
In hindsight, that now seems a little harsh. The movie made some major missteps, particularly with Harry Osborn's transformation into the Green Goblin and constant tonal clashes. However, Garfield was very good, and Spidey's costume remains one of the best efforts we've seen on screen, even after three movies set in the MCU.
Despite grossing $709 million at the global box office, The Amazing Spider-Man 2's massive budget meant it was deemed a failure by Sony.
There's also been chatter about Garfield upsetting Sony execs in Japan by missing an event with them and, with fans rejecting Avi Arad's plans for both a third movie and a Sinister Six spin-off, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige wasted no time in approaching Sony with a ballsy pitch.
He'd already provided notes for the sequel (criticising many of the creative decisions being made) and suggested they now work with Marvel Studios by bringing Peter Parker into the MCU with a new actor playing him.
That happened in 2016 when Tom Holland starred in Captain America: Civil War, while Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home all soon followed. The latter featured Garfield reprising his role as "Peter #3," giving the hero some closure after Gwen Stacy's death. Next up is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which swings into theaters on July 31.