Summary
- Emma Stone’s return as Gwen Stacy was considered but did not happen in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
- The possibility of Stone’s Gwen Stacy returning in a future Spider-Man movie remains open.
- Stone could potentially portray a Spider-Gwen variant in future multiverse projects alongside Garfield’s Spider-Man.
Emma Stone last appeared as Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and the actress has commented on a possible return to the role, which could happen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not. To this day, Stone played who might be the best live-action Spider-Man leading woman, delivering an emotional, charismatic, and funny performance as Gwen Stacy in two Spider-Man franchise movies. After Gwen’s tragic death in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Stone has yet to play the character again. With Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker from The Amazing Spider-Man franchise joining an MCU film, Stone’s Gwen could also return soon.
Following The Amazing Spider-Man 3 getting canceled, it seemed like Garfield’s time as Peter Parker had come to an end. Seven years after his last solo movie as the wall-crawler, Garfield would come back to thunderous applause in the MCU’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. After his 2021 Spider-Man return was universally praised, fans have asked for Garfield to come back for more Marvel movies, and that has led to requests for a reunion between him and Stone as The Amazing Spider-Man franchise’s versions of Peter and Gwen or through a multiverse story, which has almost happened already.
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Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy Was In Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Initial Drafts
Gwen Was Only Mentioned In The MCU Movie
Despite months of speculation, Spider-Man: No Way Home did not bring any of the supporting characters from the past Spider-Man movie franchises. Alongside the returns of Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were villains from both their franchises, with characters like Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Willen Dafoe’s Green Goblin coming back to fight the Spider-Men trio in the MCU. The only supporting character from one of the two franchises to make a semi-return was J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson, though the actor did not play the version of JJJ from Maguire’s movies but rather the MCU’s Jonah.
However, that does not mean that other major returns like that of Stone as Gwen Stacy were never in play for the multiverse film. After the movie’s release, the MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios book revealed that Spider-Man: No Way Home considered bringing back supporting characters from Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Man franchises. According to the book about the MCU’s behind-the-scenes, early drafts of the script for Tom Holland’s third Spider-Man movie included Stone’s Gwen Stacy and Sally Field’s Aunt May from The Amazing Spider-Man movies, as well as Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson from director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.
What Emma Stone Has Said About Returning As Gwen Stacy
Before the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, several rumors were circulating regarding which actors from past Spider-Man movies would make a return in the MCU multiverse event. While Stone’s name was a popular one amid the rumors, the actress at the time made sure to say that she would not be part of the movie. Speaking to MTV News in 2021, Stone denied there was any truth to the rumors of her Gwen Stacy return, saying, “I have heard those rumors. I don’t know if I’m supposed to say anything, but I’m not [in the movie].”
“I feel protective of that version of Spider-Man.”
Stone also revealed how important The Amazing Spider-Man movies were to her in the same interview. According to the actress, she “had wonderful experiences making them even though they were challenging.” The actress completed with a comment that could lead to her return as Gwen Stacy one day, with Stone saying, “It was really a special experience for me. I feel similarly protective, I feel protective of that version of Spider-Man.” Stone has a close connection to Gwen Stacy and her time in the Spider-Man world, which could make a return alongside Garfield possible.
While Gwen Stacy was considered to return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, that idea never made its way to the star. Stone was surprised to hear she was considered for No Way Home, saying, “No… Is that true? I have never heard that before. This is awesome. Thank you for telling me.” While promoting her movie Poor Things last January, Stone was asked by Entertainment Tonight if she would return for a new Spider-Man movie with Garfield, saying, “I don’t know, that’s so challenging.”
Emma Stone won her second Best Actress Oscar for Poor Things. Her first win came in 2016 for La La Land.
Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy Would Have Returned In The Amazing Spider-Man 3
The Ultimate Spider-Man Comics Showed How
Gwen Stacy died in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 after Green Goblin’s fight with Spider-Man led to Stone’s character falling to her death. While the character died and The Amazing Spider-Man franchise had plans to introduce Divergent star Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson, that does not mean that Stone would not have returned for The Amazing Spider-Man 3. Sony explored many different ideas for how to continue the Spider-Man franchise with Garfield before it chose to reboot the hero with Tom Holland in the MCU. One of those ideas was to have Stone’s Gwen Stacy back as Carnage.
Shailene Woodley filmed scenes as Mary Jane Watson with both Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy, though her role got cut from The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
As Venom: Let There Be Carnage showed to a larger audience, Carnage is a deadly symbiote that usually is bonded to serial killer Cletus Cassidy. However, in the “Ultimate Spider-Man” comics, Gwen was killed by Carnage, only to come back to life in a way when experiments to revive Carnage after its death led to Gwen Stacy being cloned. Gwen spent some time being linked to Carnage before she was eventually separated from it and fully became herself again, something The Amazing Spider-Man 3 could have adapted. Stone’s Gwen/Carnage fighting Garfield’s Spider-Man would have made the movie quite emotional.
Where Emma Stone Could Return As Gwen Stacy
The Multiverse Is A Popular Superhero Concept
Since Garfield’s return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans have been asking for the actor to return for more movies as his version of Peter Parker. As the only Spider-Man movie actor not to get a trilogy, multiple rumors about a possible The Amazing Spider-Man 3 have begun to emerge. If the franchise does return, it would make sense for Stone’s Gwen Stacy to return as either a resurrected version of herself — Carnage or not — through flashbacks, or as the Gwen of another universe.
With the multiverse being the element behind Garfield’s Spider-Man return, Stone appearing as the Spider-Woman version of Gwen Stacy in live-action or animation is possible. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 is rumored to be another multiversal adventure with Garfield and Maguire, which could open the door for Stone’s Gwen return. Alternatively, the confirmed multiverse epics Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and Avengers: Secret Wars could also serve as other possible projects for Emma Stone to play a Spider-Gwen variant, teaming up with Garfield’s Spider-Man.
The Amazing Spider-Man
In Andrew Garfield’s first film as the iconic Marvel superhero, Peter Parker gains his powers and his alter ego as Spider-Man. Meanwhile, the Lizard is a growing threat, and Spider-Man must use his newfound abilities to save the day.
Director
Marc Webb
Release Date
July 3, 2012
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Andrew Garfield returns to the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, dealing with balancing his life as a high school student and his responsibilities as a hero. After reconnecting with his old friend, Harry Osborn, Peter learns details regarding his late father’s mysterious past and begins to connect the dots that his father’s disappearance, the emergence of new supervillains, and other dark dealings in his city are all connected to Oscorp.
Director
Marc Webb
Release Date
May 2, 2014
The Amazing Spider-Man 3
The Amazing Spider-Man 3 is the unmade third installment in Sony’s second Spider-Man franchise. Despite the numerous set-ups established in the previous two entries, the third movie was canceled, paving the way for an MCU-set reboot starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker. However, Andrew Garfield reprised his role as the Marvel web-slinger once again in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Key Release Dates
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
