"Spider-Man 4" - Is it possible?

Once upon a time, after “Spider-Man 3” was released, “Spider-Man 4” was green-lighted and confirmed.  The cast and crew were all ready to return.  It was slated for a 2011 release; work went into the production for years.  But it was eventually cancelled, ushering in the Andrew Garfield era.  However, due to recent events, “Spider-Man 4” is apparently a possibility.  Let me organize my thoughts in this way.  To begin…

“Spider-Man 4” – How?

How is this possible?  Well, it gets complicated and involved.  I don’t want to get bogged down in all the details today.  It is sufficient to say, because of recent Marvel stories that were told, the door has been opened back up for a chance – remote as it may be – for “Spider-Man 4”.  Sam Raimi is willing to direct the film; Tobey Maguire is on board; and Kirstin Dunst has also expressed she would be available to reprise her role.

“Spider-Man 4” – Why?

Some wonder why a 4th movie would need to be made in the first place.  After all, the trilogy concluded back in 2007, and it ended on the hopeful note – Peter and Mary Jane choosing to forgive and reconcile.  So, why go down the road of a 4th Spider-Man film?  Well, even after all these years, I and many other fans, think another film is warranted.  There were enough minor loose ends that I would love to see tied up.

For example, in “Spider-Man 3” one of the storylines is Peter’s wedding proposal to Mary Jane.  But due to numerous obstacles that were thrown at them, this never happened.  I would love to see “Spider-Man 4” for several reasons, but one of my burning desires is to see Peter and MJ as a married couple.  These two have endured so much adversity; to see their proposal, engagement, and wedding (or even just to have it referenced in the film) warms my heart to contemplate. 

Other questions abound in my mind.  For instance, what kind of effect has carrying Peter’s secret identity all these years had on MJ?  Would they have questioned whether they should start a family at all, due to Peter’s secret identity?  Would they have children by now?  Would their children have spider-powers?  In short, this is not just a nostalgic wish to bring the gang all back together; there is a compelling story for “Spider-Man 4” just waiting to be told.

“Spider-Man 4” – What?

What kind of story might there be in this next Spider-Man film?  Of course, no one knows at this point.  But there is an intriguing story that appeared in the comics that might tie in well with the film.  In the comics, Peter and MJ had a daughter named May “Mayday” Parker.  May didn’t appear to have any spider-powers, until the age of 15.  But, like Peter, she used her powers for the benefit of others.  Ultimately, she sewed her own costume and dubbed herself “Spider-Girl”.  I was also fascinated to read that May or “Spider-Girl” even battled Hobgoblin; which would go well with Sam Raimi’s Goblin-themed villains. 

(By the way, I read the details of this storyline at this link; there’s a lot I omitted for the sake of brevity - https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/May_Parker_).     

“Spider-Man 4” – When?

When might this next film be happening?  Sony Pictures has been tight-lipped on this.  I suppose one just needs to stay tuned.  Right now, it’s just a wildly popular online rumor.  If someone were to ask me whether I think it will happen or not, I would submit that Raimi and Maguire’s “Spider-Man 4” probably won’t be made.  Even with all dominos that fell into place to get the possibility this far down the track, I don’t foresee it ever making it to the big screen.  I hope it is made. To see this 4th film would make me cry tears of joy right at the opening credits.  Yet to have the remote chance again, all these years later, makes me happy.

Kevin

"Life is a very precious gift"

There was a fun and memorable episode from the TV show “Lois and Clark” that started with a heavy tone.  A man with a colorful name – William Wallace Webster Waldecker – is completely overwhelmed with the issues in his life.  Waldecker attempts suicide, but Superman swoops in and stops him.  I love the words that Superman says to him: “Sir, please, life is a very precious gift.  Every day we’re alive is another chance for us to be the best we can be.”  Not many has the credibility to deliver these words of wisdom; no wonder Superman is sometimes referred to as a Boy Scout. 

In the process of saving Waldecker, some of the Man of Steel’s powers were actually transferred to Waldecker.  This development inspires the man to take on the role of a superhero – he gives himself the name Resplendent Man.  However, his actions are hardly heroic; he charges money for the “service” of saving people’s lives; he uses his x-ray vision to look at women in a locker room, and he basically only thinks of himself.  However, when Waldecker’s sister is kidnapped, as well as Lois, Resplendent Man saves everyone, including Superman himself.  Ultimately, he sacrifices the powers, as they are transferred back to Superman. 

Waldecker’s takeaway from the whole experience is priceless.  He says, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all of this, it’s that life really is worth living for as long as you get to.  Because you never know what’s going to happen next.”  I can relate to that sentiment.  I could write a blog on just instances of that fact in my own life.  Instead let me return to Superman’s words.  He said, “Life is a very precious gift.”

Furthermore, I submit to you that life is a gift from God Himself.  He is the One who holds our breath (Daniel 5:23); keeps our hearts beating (Psalm 139:13); and sustains us while we sleep (Psalm 3:5).  In fact, the Bible declares, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

Yes, life is a gift.  But it is equally true that life can hurt us deeply.  Life can be full of troubling challenges.  As I was putting all of this together, I watched a film titled “The Christmas Chalet” primarily because it stars Erica Durance, who was an excellent Lois Lane in the TV show “Smallville”. 

The film centered around how a chalet (which, I learned from viewing this, is sort of like a cabin) was double-booked.  One party is Grace Mitchum (Durance), her daughter, Lexi, and Grace’s mother, Helen.  The other party is Jack Manning (played by Robin Dunne), a popular writer of fiction novels; he booked the chalet to write.  One scene in particular caught my attention.  Lexi, an aspiring writer herself, asks Jack where he gets his inspiration.  His surprising answer is from pain.

“When you think about it,” Jack continues, “What do you really know about yourself unless you’ve been through something dark?  That’s what it means to be human; that’s storytelling.”  They go on to talk about some of the difficulties they each have faced in their lives.  A little later on in the scene, Jack gives these profound words: “What’s out there [in the real world] is messy, and complicated, and painful, and beautiful.  If you have the courage to embrace that amazing chaos, that’s going to elevate your writing.”    

Let me conclude with this.  Matt Redman, who has written dozens of memorable worship songs such as “Blessed be Your name” “Heart of worship” and “10,000 reasons” wrote an excellent book back in 2001 titled “The unquenchable worshipper”.  His words put a nice bow on my thoughts today.  He writes this in chapter 1:

“There is a kind of worshipper who “always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:7), and who goes through the storms of life with a heart still blazing [for God].  Sometimes it comes down to a simple choice.  We may be hard-pressed on every side, weary and not able to sense God.  But then a choice faces us – to fix our eyes on the circumstances or to cling to God and choose to worship Him, even when it hurts.”

Kevin