Mary Jane cut from Spider-Man sequel

If you read my post on my thoughts for the Amazing Spider-Man 2, you know that, among other things, I wanted Gwen Stacy to die and for Mary Jane to be introduced. And that seemed to be going along well, until I saw this story saying that Mary Jane has been cut out of the film.

Now that's not necessarily derailing my plans, because, as I stated in the post, I was assuming a trilogy story. But Sony recently announced release dates for Spider-Man 3 and 4, so some shifting can be OK.

I still think Gwen Stacy has to die in this film. If you wait until the third film, there won't be enough development with Mary Jane. She will just be seen as "the next girl" rather than the girl he belongs with, that he marries. And if the producers cut out that Gwen dies, I will just be furious. So she needs to die, and it needs to be in this film. It can be near the end, instead of in the middle as I was thinking with a three-part series, but she needs to die. Which would make for an awesome emotional scene, and really push towards Amazing Spider-Man 3.

They might get away with not introducing Mary Jane or Black Cat in the second film and wait for the third. I would actually prefer that, because to do too much with them before Gwen dies would be to lessen the emotional connection between Peter and Gwen. So, start off the third film in one of two ways:

1. Spider-Man (not Peter Parker) begins a loose relationship with Black Cat. Throughout the film, he is remembering Gwen, and how she loved Peter Parker, not Spider-Man. Black Cat wants nothing to do with Parker, only Spider-Man, so he eventually ends the relationship. Near the end of the third film, he meets Mary Jane, and the fourth film is dedicated to her (in regards to love interest).

2. Spider-Man begins a relationship with Black Cat, while Peter Parker starts seeing Mary Jane. As each relationship develops, our hero has to decide between which girl is right for him, and which part of him is more important. Obviously, Mary Jane wins out, and they develop a little before the fourth film, which is all her.

Now, something else that needs to happen in Spider-Man 2 for this all to go as well as possible is that Gwen needs to die at the hands of a villain. Actually, that's not specific enough. Whatever way she dies, whatever situation she gets herself into, it needs to be because she knows Peter's secret. Now this wasn't in the comics, but I really think that it should happen in the films to cement in Peter's mind after Gwen's death that he cannot tell anybody who he is. Which would really create a solid platform for the Spider-Man-and-Peter-Parker-have-different-girlfriends angle. While he would love to be with either Mary Jane or Black Cat in bother personas (Peter and Spider-Man), he will be extremely hesitant to tell either one because of what happened to Gwen. Of course, by the end of 4, Mary Jane should find out somehow. Maybe she just finds out, he doesn't tell her.

So yeah. That's where I'm at with this.