Amazing Spider-Man 2 and 3 Logo

We expect big things from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, but it seems we won't even have to wait for the official Sony panel to kick-off before we learn more about Spider-Man's next cinematic adventure - details have been spilling out left in right in the week leading up to SDCC '13, and today (on the eve of the convention) we're still getting tidbits for fans to nibble on.

The latest development in the big web (pun) of story and characters in ASM2 once again focuses on actress Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) and her yet-unnamed character - who hasnow been given an identity  (sort of). Read on for details, but obviously:

[WARNING!!! POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!!]

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Felicity Jones Amazing Spider-Man 2 Spoiler

Jones was recently talking to View London about her role in director Marc Webb's sequel, and had the following to say:

"It’s all quite shrouded in secrecy, but I’m the Goblin’s girlfriend - I’m in a relationship with him, and his accomplice. I’m on the dark side...It’s all in the vaults of Marvel. I love all that secrecy, I think it’s great. It builds anticipation, there’s too much transparency in everything these days."

A seemingly innocent (and media savvy) answer - but of course, Internet hounds/fanboys like ourselves can derive plenty of reasonable speculation from her quote.

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Harry Osborn Green Goblin?

'Amazing Spider-Man 2' - Peter Parker & Harry Osborn

There has long been discussion as to WHY actor Dane DeHaan (Chronicle) was brought onboard to play the new Harry Osborn in Amazing Spider-Man 2. DeHaan has gained rapid attention for his roles in films like Chronicle, Lawless and even Lincoln, and has clearly demonstrated some strong acting chops - so logic dictated that Sony would use him for greater purpose in the Spidey franchise - say in a spin-off film or later sequels.

During production, Marc Webb tweeted a cryptic photo to DeHaan; fans quickly dissected it and realized it was a direct homage to the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, in which Peter Parker discovers a strange lab experiment that serves as the origin of one of his more iconic foes. In the comics, that foe happened to be Venom - a character Sony has long been trying to spin-off into a film franchise - and so it was assumed (by me in particular) that DeHaan's Harry Osborn would follow in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon continuity and become the new Venom.

However, it was subsequently revealed in later teaser photos that Amazing Spider-Man 2 would involve some sort of transformation chamber sequence - and  unofficial set photos and rumors added to the popular theory that the Ultimate Spider-Man version of  Green Goblin (a gene-spliced monster rather than a guy in a mask) would be the real "big bad" of the film, with characters like Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Rhino (Paul Giamatti) serving as henchman.

Ultimate Green Goblin - Amazing Spider-Man 2

 

The Goblin's classic alter-ego, Norman Osborn, is being played by Chris Cooper in the sequel - but I for one have always had a hard time believing that Cooper would be suiting up for the action sequences required for a film like this. It seems more likely that DeHaan (a perfect foil for star Andrew Garfield) would be the one to do battle - either as Venom, Green Goblin, or the Hobgoblin version of Harry from the Ultimate Spider-man continuity.

Jones' claim that she is "the Goblin's girlfriend" seems to fit with the idea of her being DeHaan's love interest; ergo, that would prove Harry will indeed become some sort of Goblin villain. If the man Jones was referring to is Chris Cooper... well, that's a little creepier to imagine, now isn't it?

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NEXT PAGE: Black Cat - or Menace?

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Black Cat or Menace?

Black Cat in Amazing Spider-Man 2

It's been long assumed that, like DeHaan, Jones (another rising star) was being courted to play villain-turned-hero (and Spider-Man's hot/cold love interest) Black Cat - if only for the potential to spin the character off into her own franchise. However, from Jones' description, it seems that one of the following scenarios is possible:

  1. She's a re-imagined version of Black Cat/Felicia Hardy (hence the word "accomplice" - a reference to Cat's career as a criminal). 
  2. She's one of (or a composite of) the female love interests who have appeared in Harry and/or Norman Osborn's life over the years, such as Liz Allan (from old-school Spidey comics) or (more likely) Lilly Hollister, who goes on to become her own version of the Green Goblin, known as Menace.
  3. She's a new character created for the film.
Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Felicity Jones as Menace

For my money, I'm betting on option #2. They already cut Mary Jane Watson from Amazing Spider-Man 2 in order to focus on Peter and Gwen Stacy (and some possible tragic developments in that relationship), so adding Black Cat (yet another love interest) to the mix seems a  less likely than simply giving Harry Osborn his own love interest. And, Lilly Hollister/Menace would certainly fit Jones' description of being on the dark side of things.

If you don't know, Menace  was Harry's girlfriend who happened to discover one of Norman Osborn's Goblin lairs and was exposed to his Goblin serum, giving her the ability to transform into her own Goblin creature. Menace is even stronger than the Osborn boys in Goblin form, with just as many nasty weapons and gadgets up her sleeve. A third act twist revealing Jones as a super powered threat would indeed catch a lot of fans off guard - which is why I'm placing my bet on that very scenario.

We'll know more after Comic-Con 2013 - but until then, what do YOU make of this?

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be in theaters on May 2, 2014.

Stay Tuned to our Comic-Con 2013 Coverage Page to get the latest news!

Sources:  View London (via Bleeding Cool)