Summary
- Bryce Dallas Howard's portrayal of Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man 3 is often overlooked in favor of other aspects of the film.
- Spider-Man 3's love triangle between Gwen, Spider-Man, and Mary Jane Watson is underdeveloped and doesn't fully utilize Gwen's potential.
- Bryce Dallas Howard's performance as Gwen is the best part of Sam Raimi's controversial Spider-Man 3, adding depth to the character by showcasing her genuine sweetness.
Bryce Dallas Howard is no stranger to being the icon and the moment. She's the indisputable queen of modern television directors thanks to her remarkable turns behind the camera on The Mandalorian. After Jurassic World's blockbuster success, she remains an icon in front of the camera with her starring role in Matthew Vaughn's new action-comedy Argylle. And she holds the distinct honor of being the first actress to bring Gwen Stacy to film screens. Yes, neither Hailee Steinfeld of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse, nor Emma Stone of Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man movies, introduced Gwen to the masses. That honor belongs to Howard.
So why isn't Howard's Gwen Stacy more well-known? It might be because Gwen's presence in Sam Raimi's final Spider-Man installment, Spider-Man 3, seems mostly forgotten in the face of Tobey Maguire dancing memes. Sadly, Howard's Gwen had things against her from the start. Not only was Gwen introduced in a movie so universally derided that even its director calls it "awful," but most of what little screentime's afforded to Gwen involves a love triangle that's half-hearted at best and unnecessary at worst. After almost 17 years, some critical re-examination of Spider-Man 3 might be worth the effort, but let's put that on the back burner. Instead, let's talk about why this Gwen Stacy deserves far more love than her movie or the fandom give her.
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Spider-Man 3
PG-13
Action
Adventure
Sci-Fi
A strange black entity from another world bonds with Peter Parker and causes inner turmoil as he contends with new villains, temptations, and revenge.
- Release Date
- May 4, 2007
- Director
- Sam Raimi
- Cast
- Tobey Maguire, James Franco, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Kirsten Dunst, Rosemary Harris, J. K. Simmons, Thomas Haden Church, James Cromwell
- Runtime
- 139 minutes
- Main Genre
- Action
- Writers
- Sam Raimi, Alvin Sargent, Ivan Raimi
- Tagline
- The greatest battle lies within.
- Website
- http://sony.com/SpiderMan
How Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 3’ Uses Gwen Stacy
Everyone knows Peter Parker (Maguire) and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) are endgame. It's comic book legacy, and Sam Raimi's films make no bones about to whom Peter's heart belongs. Spider-Man sees him quietly pining for the girl next door; Spider-Man 2 brings the lovebirds together. With that established reasoning and two films chronicling their blossoming romance, it's clear no attempt at a love triangle will last long, right?
Spider-Man 3 sees the power couple riding the wave of a blissful romance toward marriage. However, as befalls most superheroes' love lives, Peter's masked heroism leads to a temporary break-up. Gwen Stacy's narrative role in this turmoil, alas, is mostly as a walking plot device. Gwen is an obstacle intended to manifest dramatic tension between Peter and MJ before they reconcile. This meager attempt at a love triangle boils down to some misunderstood situations and the Venom symbiote wreaking havoc, but seeing Gwen introduced late in the game and shunted to the side is a shame. Even though her comic book legacy is irrevocably tied to Peter, Gwen has always had more to give beyond the stock love interest or executing one-third of a tired trope. Thankfully, some comics understood the assignment; Spider-Man 3 screenwriters Raimi, his brother Ivan Raimi, and Alvin Sargent missed the memo.
Don't get me wrong — at least Howard's Gwen Stacy doesn't die like her comics counterpart, which was screenwriter David Koepp's vision for Spider-Man 2. Or have twins with Norman Osbourne (shudder). But shouldn't Gwen Stacy's introduction to the mainstream blockbuster world have more, well, bite? Across the Spider-Verse aside, Spider-Man 3 is a striking contrast to The Amazing Spider-Man films where Gwen fulfills her love interest duties without losing her status as Peter's intellectual equal. Why not allow Howard's Gwen to remain a good friend to Peter instead of retroactively incorporating their romantic sparks? Instead, we have Peter, controlled by Venom, using Gwen to make MJ jealous and therefore hurting two women at once. Shame on you, young man!
Bryce Dallas Howard Is the Best Part of ‘Spider-Man 3'
All that said, Gwen Stacy's story in Spider-Man 3 isn’t a total wash by any means. Now a blockbuster actress and an astonishing director, Bryce Dallas Howard joined Spidey's colorful world a few years after her two-time partnership with M. Night Shyamalan and outings with directors like Kenneth Branagh and Lars von Trier. She was a known name in her own right, and to no one's surprise following stellar performances like in The Village, Howard's performance is fantastic. Gwen is truly lovely; there isn't a duplicitous or cruel bone in her body. Howard imbues Gwen with such a genuine sweetness. She's wide-eyed but confident, she nails questions in science class, and she's a grateful champion for Spider-Man after he rescues her from falling to her death. Her tentative excitement during her date with Peter is the most adorable shy puppy energy, and her apology to Mary Jane is heartbreaking. Howard's Gwen sparkles and easily could have soared, which makes how ruefully little she's utilized even sadder.
Before taking the role, Howard was a massive fan of Raimi's first two Spider-Man films. She researched her way through decades of comics and felt a responsibility to appropriately honor Gwen's enduring legacy. Speaking to IGN about Gwen and Peter's tragic romance, Howard said, “I have so much reverence for their relationship, just as a fan."
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Howard was also committed to not letting the script reduce Gwen to, in her words, “some kind of man-stealing tart. [...] I tried to establish that Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy were friends from school and she was part of their circle and MJ just misinterprets some of Gwen's actions.” Thankfully, despite its flaws, Spider-Man 3 avoids portraying Gwen as that noxious stereotype. Yet the reason Gwen feels like a fully fleshed individual is due to Howard's delicate, earnest performance.
Spider-Verse? Nah, It’s Time for Gwen Stacy-Verse
Like Bryce Dallas Howard, the character of Gwen Stacy has been having a moment, and rightly so. Ghost-Spider (or Spider-Gwen, depending on your preference) broke new ground for reimagined women superheroes with her astoundingly successful Marvel Comics run and her increased presence in Sony's animated masterpiece Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Before Hailee Steinfeld donned the mask, Emma Stone brought Gwen to vivacious life alongside Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man. Stone's version was likely the most well-known to audiences before Steinfeld, and one beloved by the Spider-Man fanbase.
With many of Sam Raimi's actors reprising their roles for Spider-Man: No Way Home and the multiplicity of multiverses going around in Across the Spider-Verse, Bryce Dallas Howard said she would happily return as Gwen. If No Way Home can have three Peters and Across the Spider-Verse hundreds of Spider-People (over 250, to be exact), why not multiple Gwen Stacys? It would be a delightful Easter Egg and a gentle correction of an oversight in one. Every version of the character has more to give than just being a love interest, after all.
Spider-Man 3 is available to stream on Disney+.
