While Spider-Man 3 ended Sam Raimi's trilogy on a somewhat disappointing note, there's no denying that the filmmaker delivered a spectacular take on the web-slinger. At the heart of that was Peter Parker's relationship with Mary Jane Watson, and while things never went smoothly for them, they got a mostly happy ending in the threequel's closing moments.
Kirsten Dunst played MJ, but admitted in new book With Great Power (via CBR) that she initially believed Raimi had cast her as a totally different Spidey love interest: Gwen Stacy.
When she met the director, Dunst says she'd been "flipping through the comics," and became convinced Gwen lay in her future. That was due to the physical similarities she shared with the character, and even though the actress wasn't familiar with Peter and MJ's dynamic, she upped her research once the role was offered to her.
Producer Avi Arad has previously said that they did indeed consider Dunst for the role of Gwen, but ultimately changed course and went with Mary Jane because of the depth of her relationship with the wall-crawler.
Funnily enough, Spider-Man actually adapted elements of "The Night Gwen Stacy Died," including the Green Goblin throwing Spidey's girlfriend from one of New York's bridges and the villain's subsequent demise.
Gwen did later join the franchise, of course, with Bryce Dallas Howard playing the character in Spider-Man 3. Unfortunately, that wasn't the best take on Gwen despite a great performance from the Jurassic World star. Since then, Marvel Studios has left the fan-favourite love interest on the shelf, though Spider-Gwen has become a huge part of the animated Spider-Verse franchise.
It's unclear what the future holds in store for both MJ and Gwen. The former is played by Zendaya in the MCU, but since losing her memories of Peter, we don't know if there are plans for her to return in Spider-Man 4.
Who is your favourite Spider-Man love interest?