Even More Details Of Spider-Man 3

There are spoilers ahead - just ahead - so be wary.

[EDIT: This is only the first page of Spider-Man spoilers you can read here on film ick. There's plenty more]

Can anybody who knows the Spider-Man comics well enough tell me if this ties in with the printed version of events: I've been told that, in the new movie, Gwen Stacey and Eddie Brock have dated. As far as I can tell, they don't date during the film, the idea is that they have already dated - but is that official continuity?

Indeed, I've been given lots of info about those two characters, how they are treated and what they do in Spider-Man 3. I had another pile of spoilers for you a few days ago, but Aint it Cool beat me to it with almost every detail, but anything I've got left over after their piece, I'll pop in this post.

We'll talk about Ms. Stacey, first of all. Gwen is called upon to introduce Spidey at a the big Spider-Man Day jamboree - we saw stills from this last year, with the kids in costume and all of the balloons and so on, and there's a pretty good look at it to be had in some of the trailers out there now. Gwen actually happens to be Peter's science study partner at this time, but she certainly doesn't know who Spider-Man really is behind the mask: she appears to get the gig of introducing him simply because her dad is Chief of Police. Some girls get all the luck.

One of the most important events in the whole movie happens in this scene: showing off a little, Spidey hangs upside down and actually reprises his famous topsy-turvy kissing technique from the first film, this time with Gwen. I guess this is a Superhero version of all of those popstars pretending to be single so that they don't alienate their fanbase, or those huge Hollywood superstars fibbing about their sexual orientation because while Peter would have to admit that Gwen is very attractive, he is (at this point at least) planning to ask Mary Jane to marry him.

It's when Peter is trying to propose to MJ that Gwen next resurfaces, interrupting his patented geekiness-come-romantic flow. She asks if he has a picture of her kiss with Spider-Man, and frankly, this goes down like a lead balloon with Ms. Watson.

Skip forward in the movie some way, past a lot of black suit shenanigans. Peter and Gwen decide to come by MJ's singing gig - but this is after the symbiote has taken a hold of our hero, so you better be prepared for things to not go well. Peter's all over Gwen, for one thing, and then he upstages Mary Jane - what a braggard! - and then Gwen rushes off in a terrible huff. Love triangles, eh? Who'd have one?

Having two women to save certainly doesn't make Spider-Man's life any easier. In the final battle, Venom and Sandman have both Gwen and Mary Jane, and they're both at extreme risk of a nasty fall. Now, I can't get any confirmation that MJ dies, but I do have a few voices telling me that she lives. What I can say, very confidently, is that Gwen Stacey walks away intact. (Going back to my original source, I was told again that Harry and Aunt May are the only lead character deaths in the film).

After Ms. Stacey is dropped from very, very high building it looks like we're on for the classic death of Gwen scene, and to a point it plays out in an incredibly similar fashion. Look at the panels of the comic book for a clue to some of the shots, in fact - but don't expect that controversial 'Snap' sound effect to make too loud an appearance because this time, her neck doesn't break. Hurrah?

After Gwen is saved here, she tries to kiss Spider-Man again, but Peter's having none of it this time, letting her down gently (pun intended) and swinging off to save the day. Here ends Gwen's arc, really.

So, how about Mr. Brock? What does he get up to?

Well, he's a pretty new recruit to the Daily Bugle's freelance line-up, in this version of events. A decent staff position is coming up and Peter and Eddie appear to be the competing leads for the role. Peter's advantages (he knows where Spider-Man will be, of course, and can even pose for his own pictures) and disadvantages (he won't slur Spider-Man just to climb the greasy pole and he sometimes has to go webslinging instead of shutterbugging) are pretty well established from the earlier films, while Eddie's established here as something of a cheat. He's seen trying to get the upperhand by doctoring pictures and he generally acts like an all-round naughty paparazzo badboy.

After the scene in the belltower (use the tags below to trawl film ick's history of spoilers) and Brock has been splashed with symbiotic splooge, it's Venom we're really dealing with here. He only makes his grand appearance towards the end of the film, after Brock has tracked down Marko and they've formed a Terrible Two (where the other four are, I don't know) in order to make Spider-Man's life misery and, presumably, corner him and kill him. This is when Gwen gets kidnapped (a Brock spurned, and so on) and pretty soon we're into the big smack down.

After Peter has made a lot of clanging noises on the girders at the building site - see my previous post on the final battle royal for more on that - the symbiote suit slinks off of Eddie and makes an attempt to re-symbiotise (ahem) with Peter. Now, I've been told by one reliable source that Brock buys the farm at this point, and another reliable source that he's alive, just a bit bruised, and that he's headed to the clink instead of the grave. I guess I just don't know - and perhaps, just perhaps, nobody does yet with both endings scripted, storyboarded or maybe even shot to give Raimi and crew some options?

All the same, the originator of my new info consolidates my previous findings: Mary Jane Watson does not die, and neither does Gwen Stacey. They're really mixing things up on us here.

I've been promised more soon, so watch this space - add me to your RSS subscriptions or sign up for the daily e-mail newsletter.

Spider-Man 3 (the best film of 2007?) opens pretty much everywhere on May 4th.