Fans of the Spider-Man movies who also happen to be completists have been waiting for every Spider-Man movie to be available on one streaming platform, so they can be enjoyed in a binge (without us having to get off the couch and trade DVDs in the player). Our dreams slowly have been coming to fruition as a chunk of the Spider-Man films have been made available to anyone with a Disney+ subscription, even though the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield films were produced and distributed by Sony. While we wait for Tom Holland’s Far From Home and No Way Home to make it to the streaming services, we have been enjoying Garfield’s two movies… and thinking about the original ending for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which would have been insane.
Released in 2014, Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 tried its best to build an entire Spider-Man universe in one movie. Jamie Foxx received the powers of Electro. Dane DeHaan was turned into a Green Goblin, while Chris Cooper was introduced as Norman Osborn, then killed off and – in a deleted scene – had his head removed and placed into a cryogenic chamber. Weird shit. And in the original ending of that movie, during a mid-credits sequence, we would have seen Norman’s severed head, accompanied by the mysterious “Man In The Hat” we had been following for two movies. And according to Geek Tyrant, this mystery figure, identified as Mr. Fiers, would have said:
Wake up, old friend.
The indication at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is that Norman Osborn – easily Peter Parker’s greatest nemesis – would be brought back to life once the scientists at Oscorp figured out how to pull that off. Possibly, Norman would assume the mantle of The Green Goblin, and lead a team called The Sinister Six made up of other villains hinted at in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. As Gustav Fiers walked through Oscorp in preparation for unleashing The Rhino (Paul Giamatti), we saw mechanical suits for a possible Doctor Octopus, a Vulture, and that Rhino.
Severed, cryogenically frozen heads? A mechanized Sinister Six? Yes, it’s understandable that the disappointing performance of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 prompted Sony Pictures to lend the Spider-Man character to Marvel Studios, allowing Spidey to play in the MCU. But as we watch (and rewatch) Andrew Garfield’s two Amazing Spider-Man movies on Disney+, we’re reminded about how exciting The Amazing Spider-Man 3 could have been, if only Sony and Garfield had been given the chance.
Fans are still lobbying for Garfield to get a third solo Spider-Man movie, especially given how well-received he was in Spider-Man: No Way Home. That third MCU Spider-Man movie have Garfield’s version of the hero some redemption, then sent him and Maguire back to their universes. Even if they do manage to bring Garfield back, it’s extremely unlikely that Sony will rekindle the ideas brought forth in the closing moments of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, so Norman’s head will remain frozen in our imaginations, no matter how matter how many times we rewatch this 2014 movie on the Disney+ streaming service.
