4 Ways Sony and Marvel Can Fix ‘Spider-Man’

Now that Sony and Marvel Studios are collaborating on ways to breathe new life into “Spider-Man” on the bigscreen, here are some things they could do to fix the franchise.

Find a New Star: Andrew Garfield may have proved his love for the character at San Diego Comic-Con, but his portrayal of the web slinger just wasn’t what fans were looking for, especially as Peter Parker. As Sony and Marvel look to reboot the series, a number of other actors could be great for the role, including Donald Glover, Dylan O’Brien and Logan Lerman. Why not Zac Efron?

Make Him an Avenger: Fans are clamoring to see Spider-Man join Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the rest of the Avengers on the big screen and with the third film, “The Avengers: Infinity War” broken up into two films in 2018 and ’19, there’s room to add him into the action to fight Thanos but also before that, too. He’s a key part of the “Civil War” storyline in the comics, which is meant to kick off a new seven year film plan for Marvel’s movies. With Sony loosening its grip on Spider-Man, the character can now be woven into the next “Captain America,” too.

Move Past the Origin Story: We get it. Peter Parker was bit by a spider and Uncle Ben dies. It’s like watching Bruce Wayne’s parents get shot over and over again or the Kents find Superman’s space ship. We’ve seen the origin story too many times. Let’s move on and see another side of Spider-Man that doesn’t dwell too much on the teen angst but explores the decades of storylines from the Marvel comicbooks.

Watch the Tone: Moviegoers were turned off by the wandering tones of Sam Raimi’s third “Spider-Man” and parts of Marc Webb’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” where campy comedy removed audiences from the rest of the film — think the Tobey Maguire’s jazz number in “Spider-Man 3″ or pulling down the pants of Rhino in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” As ridiculous as the world of “Guardians of the Galaxy” may be, the light hearted nature of the film and its characters always meshed together because James Gunn found the heart of the film and what made a talking tree and racoon worth caring about. Spider-Man is a snarky character. Let him have fun, just as long as the audience is too.

What do you think Marvel and Sony can do to improve the franchise? Weigh in below.

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