If you haven’t seen The Amazing Spider-Man 2 yet, you may want to stop reading now! Those of you who have will obviously know by now that Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone) is killed by the Green Goblin in the sequel in a moment loosely based on Amazing Spider-Man #121; “The Night Gwen Stacy Died”.

“I’ve poked my head into theaters in L.A. for that moment just to hear people gasp,” director Marc Webb said of the shocking scene. “It’s fascinating. People just don’t believe it. I was anxious and curious to explore it on the screen. From the very beginning I planned on doing it. For me, everything in the movie was built around that moment. There’s a cost to being a hero.”

Webb went on to say that it was the theme of time which really interested him in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and explains how that relates to Gwen’s death in the clocktower. “Ultimately, it’s not the Goblin that kills Gwen. They’re fighting in the cogs, in the machinery of the clock tower, and Spider-Man puts his foot in between the cogs and literally tries to stop time. That’s what causes her death—his inability, despite his enormous efforts, to stop time.”

As for how he feels about losing Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy for The Amazing Spider-Man 3, the filmmaker explained: “I’m utterly aware of the consequences for us. Emma is beloved, and that relationship is the heart of these movies. But that’s also why we couldn’t shy away from that. It has to have impact. It has to shock you. It has to be devastating. Anything else would be undermining the truth of it.”

We’ll obviously see the ramifications of Gwen’s death play out in The Amazing Spider-Man 3, but which of Peter Parker’s love interests do you think they could consider replacing her with? Mary Jane Watson perhaps?

SOURCE: EW