Dear Mr. Feige,
As president of Marvel Studios, we want you to know we are your biggest fans. We’ve grown up on the stories of Captain America, the Hulk, Spider-Man, and others since we were little. While we enjoyed some of the first Marvel movie adaptations, we never dreamed that one day we would get to see all our favorite heroes working in tandem up on the big screen. But to our delight it actually happened—and in mighty Marvel fashion! Thank you for giving us such a quality movie-going experience.
We love all the Marvel characters, but as spider-fans, Spider-Man is our favorite. We loved the Amazing Spider-Man films and loved Andrew Garfield in the title role. When we heard you made a deal with Sony to allow Spidey to join the rest of the Marvel crew on screen, we were thrilled. Marvel Studios was once again giving us what we love! But our excitement was dampened, however, when we learned Andrew Garfield and the rest of the Amazing characters might not come with Spider-Man as he makes the big move. This news has disappointed all of the fans who enjoyed Garfield’s portrayal so much. Twitter and Facebook campaigns have rolled out, articles have been written, and petitions signed, all protesting the release of Andrew Garfield from the role of Spider-Man.
The reasons are obvious. Another reboot of the Spider-Man franchise would leave so many questions unanswered from the Amazing series, and would make Spidey a casualty of Hollywood politics rather than the symbol of adventure he is to all of us. We want to see our character in a continuous story arc, not tossed from actor to actor, reboot to reboot. Lastly (and most important) we simply love Andrew Garfield in the role. For us, he is Spider-Man.
The fans are also clear in their desire to see Peter Parker don the mask once again. We love Miles Morales, but Peter Parker is the Spider-Man we grew up with and Peter’s cinematic story is not done being told. While other actors might do an okay job portraying Spidey in the future, Andrew Garfield embodies the 21st-century Peter Parker masterfully, so why fix something that isn’t broken?
Please know that we fans recognize the great effort it takes to make these Marvel movies. It’s not easy to make films of this caliber, and bringing the Amazing storyline into sync with the existing Marvel plot might present a few challenges. But we know your fantastic writers can synthesize the existing storylines and create something new that will accomplish things that neither franchise could achieve on its own.
We write to you as fans of all the work you’ve done so far. We love the Marvel cinematic universe, but we’re also deeply convinced that separating Andrew Garfield from Spider-Man at this time would be a poor decision. You have always heeded us in the past, so please hear us now. Let us keep Spider-Man “amazing” and bring Andrew Garfield into the Marvel fold. The spider-fans will be extremely grateful, and rest assured it will show at the box office. Bring Andrew back!!!
Sincerely,
The Spider-Man fans
