Today I am doing something a little
different. Instead of DC, I will be focusing on a beloved MARVEL
comics character that hasn't been given a fair shake lately. This is
a very, VERY raw treatment for how I would do a third AMAZING
SPIDER-MAN FILM without rebooting. It's just a rough outline of the
plot and a few of the elements that I would include.
Treatment: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3.
The film opens in Iraq, amid a violent
fire fight between American forces and insurgents. We follow a lone
heroic Soldier, face obscured by helmet, through the chaos as he
heroically saves his comrades in arms. The unknown Soldier shows
spectacular athleticism and a devil may care attitude to the danger
around him as he rushes to the aid of two young soldiers that are
pinned down by a enemy squad. He takes down the squad and ushers his
fellow Soldiers to safety. Unknown to him a lone, mortally wounded
enemy combatant is aiming a RPG at his location. With his dying
breath he fires of the rocket. The Unknown Soldier sees this and at
the last second pushes his allies to safety as the Rocket explodes
beside him. When the dust settles the Soldier is lying on his back
unconscious, gravely wounded, his fellow Troops remove his helmet to
reveal... FLASH THOMPSON.
Cut to six months later in New York.
Subway. CLETUS KASADY, a emaciated man who oozes evil, his face
hidden under a dirty fedora, stalks a well to do family. He follows
them off the train and out of the station. Hidden in the sleeve of
his coat is a razor sharp SCALPEL. He watches them intently as they
enter their building. He follows. Inside the expensive apartment, the
Family, Mother, Father, Two Kids, go about their business as families
do. We focus on the Father as he makes his way through the house. He
pauses, forgetful of something and walks back through and into the
living room where he sees his family shuddering in fear. Kletus
pounces and puts the blade to his neck. The family screams. The
unhinged Killer taunts them. Just as he is about to slit the Father's
throat, the Daughter notices something by the window.. Glass shatters
and a line of Web strikes KASADY in back he releases the Father as he
is pulled backwards out of the window and swung up onto the roof. He
lands roughly and cuts the webbing from his body. SPIDER-MAN lands on
the roof beside him and after a brief fight, where Kasady attacks
like a wild animal, the hero subdues the murderer and leaves him for
the police. He leaves and we follow Spider-Man to his lonely NY
studio apartment where he removes his mask to reveal PETER PARKER,
older now, weary, still mourning the death of GWEN STACY.
OSCORP INDUSTRIES in conjunction with
the US MILITARY, work on a new and dangerous project. A way to
incorporate the previous experiments, the Spider VENOM, into a viable
way to help amputees and wounded soldiers. It is a strange BLACK
LIQUID, almost ALIVE. One of the scientists is screening potential
candidates for trails, he chooses, Flash Thompson.
Flash Thompson is in a military
hospital having lost both his legs due to his heroics. Peter visits
him. Both find common ground in their personal losses, Peter Gwen,
Flash his independence, both due to the lives they have chosen. Flash
idolizes Spider-Man and confesses to Peter that it was the hero that
inspired him to join the Marines, to make a difference and fight
injustice. As Peter leaves, Military Officials and Oscorp Scientists
arrive to offer Flash a proposition. When Flash hears he may get his
legs back, he agrees.
Cletus Kasady, who is being kept in
solitary confinement, is visited by GUSTAV FRIERS. It transpires that
Kasady is a assassin on Oscorp's payroll and that the man he was
attempting to kill was a former Oscorp employee. Kasady threatens to
confess to the authorities of all the murders that he has committed
for Oscorp unless they get him out of prison. Frier's uses the fact
that Spider-Man captured Kasady, and not the Police, to get the case
thrown out of court and Kasady back on the streets.
Peter meets aspiring actress Mary Jane
Watson and forms a connection, but still feels guilty about Gwen's
death and is afraid that he will be the cause of another tragedy and
this prevents him from entering a relationship. Due to his conflicted
feelings he visits HARRY OSBORN at RAVENCROFT. The former friends
trade verbal blows and accusations. Peter almost snaps when Harry
lays the blame for Gwen entirely at his feet because none of it would
have happened if he had just helped Harry, like a true friend would
have. Peter catches himself, calms and leaves.
Meanwhile at Oscorp, Flash is bonded
with the newly christened, 'VENOM SYMBIOTE'. He feels a euphoric rush
as his legs are returned and the substance envelops his body. Friers
watches in the shadows as Flash passes many tests. His agility and
abilities akin to Spider-Man. When asked a few questions by observing
scientists he answers 'We' instead of 'I'. Flash is devastated when
he is told that he will not be able to continue wearing the suit as
it has been labeled unstable. He is approached by Friers, who offers
him a deal and plays to his Military background. Flash will have full
use of the suit if he agrees to go on missions for Oscorp's
interests, replacing Kasady. Flash, seemingly still in the thrall of
the Symbiote, agrees. His first mission, assassinate the Serial
Killer.
Peter on a date with Mary Jane
discovers that Kasady is free and has been cleared of all charges.
Angered he decides to follow the Killer to his hideout as Spider-Man.
He confronts Kasady, but quickly discovers he is not the only one
stalking the Murderer. Flash attacks and Spider-Man finds that he now
has to protect Kasady from Flash. A battle insures where he and Flash
are equally matches in abilities. During the fight Spider-Man manages
to cut a piece of the Symbiote away from Flash's body and it scurries
away out of sight. Spider-man battles Flash to a standstill and when
he asks the former Marine who is he, Flash replies “WE ARE VENOM”.
Flash knocks Kasady off a roof and the Killer plummets down into an
alleyway. He's mortally wounded but not dead, as he lays dying the
piece of the Symbiote slithers into a open wound and he convulses
violently. Flash departs the scene, and Spider-man searches for
Kasady, who has also disappeared.
At Oscorp, Flash begins to debate with
himself about the nature of what Friers is asking him to do. A voice
replies, not his own, the Symbiote's. Flash starts to become one,
psychologically, with the Venom substance, which convinces him that
he is a hero and can do the things that Spider-Man cannot. The
Symbiote starts to alter itself to look like a Black Suited
Spider-Man.
Kasady staggers through the city.
People mistake him for a drunk. Two cops stop him and upon
recognizing him, arrest him. As they drive him back to booking, the
Symbiote takes hold and consumes his body and he becomes, CARNAGE. He
escapes and kills to the two Offices, brutally. He swears revenge on
Friers and Oscorp.
Friers gives Flash/Venom his next
task. He's to assassinate the one person that could derail all of
Oscorp's future plans and destroy the company. At first Flash refuses
to murder a civilian until Friers reveals that it was Harry Osborn
who was responsible for the death of Gwen Stacy. Enraged, Flash, now
more Venom, agrees to the task.
Carnage, drunk with power, has gone on
a city wide killing spree of Oscorp employees. Spider-Man battles the
Monster, but due to the sadistic nature of Kasady ad his lack of
moral compulsion against killing innocent people, Spider-man is badly
beaten. Understanding that Oscorp is behind the emergence of both
Venom and Carnage, Spider-Man breaks into Ravancroft and interrogates
Harry. The former Goblin fills the hero in on the Oscorp Symbiote
project which used Peter's father's work as a basis. Spider-Man
realizes that he needs Harry's help in stopping both Carnage and
Venom and thus breaks him out of the institution. Venom watches as
Spider-Man escapes with Harry and in his twisted mind begins to blame
the hero for Gwen and that he and the Goblin both killed her.
With Harry's help, Spider-Man breaks
into Oscorp and he discovers that his friend Flash is in fact Venom.
Friers sets Venom on both Spider-Man and Harry and a violent battle
ensues. During the chaos Harry escapes and steals the Goblin suit and
Glider, embracing once again his villainous nature. Spider-man tries
to reason with Flash that he did not kill Gwen Stacy, and that Kasady
has been killing innocent people. During the battle Venom removes
Spider-man's mask and upon the realization that it is Peter he has a
sudden, violent breakdown and surrenders fully to the Venom Symbiote.
Seeing himself as a dark avenger, he is about to kill Peter but Harry
saves Peter and they both flee Oscorp. Harry departs, promising Peter
that they will meet again even if just to give Spider-man his chance
at revenge.
Flash, now completely Venom, decides
he must stop Spider-man, The Green Goblin, and Carnage. He plans to
use Mary Jane and Friers as Bait for all three. He beats Friers
senseless and kidnaps Mary Jane. He lures Spider-man to a
confrontation at Gwen's grave. The Hero pleads with Flash to let both
of his hostages go. Venom promises to make Spider-man's defeat public
and that he, Venom, is the hero that New York needs. He departs.
Mary Jane awakes to find herself tied
to the spire of the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING along with Friers. Venom is
with them and as he watches NEWS & POLICE HELICOPTERS circle
around them. Mary Jane asks why he is doing this this and momentarily
Flash emerges. He confesses that he always loved Gwen and that after
her death he joined the Marines to get away from the pain. He blames
Spider-Man for not saving her and denying him his revenge against
Harry. Spider-man arrives, as does Carnage and both engage in a three
way battle across the rooftops. Each turning on and assisting each
other randomly. While they battle, Harry arrives to seemingly rescue
Friers. Aware of his attempt to use Venom to assassinate him, he
drops Friers to his death. Mary Jane asks for help and Harry agrees,
to even the score between himself and Peter. He lowers her safely to
a rooftop below where Spider-man battles Venom and Carnage. He gives
her a SONIC WEAPON, and tells her the symbiotes are susceptible to
high frequency sound. She uses to save Spider-Man from Carnage.
Kasady's Symbiote seemingly dies and leaves him powerless. Venom
kills Kasady finally and he battles Spider-man after he disarms Mary
Jane. Venom is about to kill Peter when Mary Jane pleads to the Flash
part of him, telling him he is a hero and heroes don't kill.
Spider-Man confesses his pain over Gwen's death but admits that he
finally needs to move on, to let go, and that Flash should do the
same. Flash spares Peter, but it is bittersweet. Flash states that he
can move on because the Symbiote never loved Gwen, and that he is
Venom now, and forever. He leaves.
Days later, Peter and Mary Jane visit
Gwen's Grave. Finally he puts the past behind him and decides to move
on, hopeful.
Harry, sitting alone in his hideout,
goes over schematics for The VULTURE WINGS & DOCTOR OCTOPUS'
ARMS. In front of him is a Mask, A HIDEOUS GREEN GOBLIN FACE, under a
PURPLE HOOD. He smiles.
End.
This is a very basic plot and lacking
in a lot of the vital nuances needed to make a film work, but that
said it is pretty much how I would approach the franchise. My main
goal would be to eject the elements that didn't work in the previous films
and build on those that did. I see it as THE GOOD, THE BAD and the
UGLY of Spider-man films.
SoA.
