Credit: Sony PicturesMarvel Studios has a history of keeping actors in the dark when it comes to top-secret projects like Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), but not quite to the degree Oscar-winner Emma Stone experienced.
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In recent years, the connective tissue between the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man Universe (SSU) has grown even stronger, with characters from both corners of the Marvel franchise crossing over for new Multiversal adventures like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and the Tom Holland-fronted Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
With Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parkers joining forces for No Way Home, things are indeed coming full circle for longtime Spider-Man fans, and it seems like things will only continue to build in the lead-up to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
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Given that more than a few faces from the days of Marvel past have popped up in recent MCU projects, it’s not entirely unlikely that Gwen Stacy, who starred opposite Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), could make an appearance in Phases Five and Six, despite her famously brutal onscreen death.
In the recently released MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios book, it was said that early versions of the No Way Home script actually incorporated Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy, along with Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson and Sally Field’s Aunt May. Ultimately, screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers cut all those women when they decided that the story was already overstuffed, leaving Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May and Zendaya’s MJ to take center stage.
When asked about reports that she was, indeed, supposed to appear in some capacity in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man threequel during the red carpet premiere of her latest movie, Poor Things (2023), Stone was visibly shocked, denying that Marvel Studios ever contacted her. “No. No. Is that true? I have never heard that before,” she admitted before adding (perhaps sarcastically), “This is awesome. This is a big moment for me. Thank you for telling me.”
Check out the fill clip (via @PhaseZeroCB on X) below:
Emma Stone never heard Gwen Stacy was considered for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“Is that true? I have never heard that before. This is awesome. Thank you for telling me.”
Emma Stone never heard Gwen Stacy was considered for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
"Is that true? I have never heard that before. This is awesome. Thank you for telling me."https://t.co/E5ImG4SX28 pic.twitter.com/xIzuJd0YBF
— Phase Zero – MCU (@PhaseZeroCB) December 7, 2023
It was then put to Stone that she could, hypothetically, return to Marvel and play Spider-Gwen thanks to the upcoming Madame Web (2024), a movie that takes place in an entirely different universe than Venom (Tom Hardy) and Morbius’ (Jared Leto). Again, Stone admitted to not having any knowledge of the film, responding, “Oh my God, once again, new information. Everyone? Everyone in the world? Whoa. Alright, send [the fan-art] to me. Send it over.”
Although it would be incredible to see such an iconic character from the web-slinging franchise return, there would be a few, well, glaring continuity issues. It would make little sense to see Stone suit up as Spider-Gwen, considering the character is a teenager, not a veteran superhero in her 30s. Although not impossible to explain, her aging up would be a huge departure from the Marvel comics and might ruffle some feathers, especially considering how much Madame Web is already changing the source material.
Based on her recent remarks, it sounds like we may never know if there truly were any discussions between Stone and Marvel boss Kevin Feige. Still, maybe it’s a good thing that Gwen Stacy didn’t appear in No Way Home, as it would’ve diluted the emotional weight of her death in The Amazing Spider-Man. Plus, with Andrew Garfield’s Peter getting a sort of redemption in No Way Home after saving MJ from a deadly fall nearly identical to Gwen Stacy’s, her sudden reappearance would’ve reversed much of the character growth he’s undergone since.
With a busier-than-ever schedule and an Oscar nom for her performance in Poor Things almost guaranteed, it seems like Emma Stone is saying “au revoir” to her time in the SSU, joining Robert Downey Jr. and perhaps Mark Ruffalo in an exclusive club of Marvel alums turned 2023 Academy Award winners. Still, with the Multiverse leaving the door wide open for her return, fans should never say never.
Would you like to see Gwen Stacy (or a variant played by Emma Stone) return to the Spider-Man universe, or should Marvel preserve her tragic ending? Chime off in the comments below!