Arachnophiles Assemble!

Spidey’s back, but how much do you really know about the web-swinging superhero’s new film, The Amazing Spider-Man?

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of Spider-Man. The classic Marvel comic book character made his debut in 1962 in Issue #15 of the anthology series Amazing Fantasy (August 1962). Amazing Fantasy ended with this issue and Spider-Man’s adventures continued in a new series, The Amazing Spider-Man, beginning in 1963.

Andrew Garfield is a lifelong fan of Spider-Man – he remembers an old snapshot of himself, at age 3, dressed as Spider-Man for Halloween.

Emma Stone portrays Gwen Stacy, a key character in Spider-Man lore and Peter Parker’s first love. Gwen Stacy made her first appearance in the December 1965 The Amazing Spider-Man #31).

Costume designer Kym Barrett collaborated with director Marc Webb to realise his vision for Spider-Man’s suit to reflect a more lean and athletic, less muscular silhouette.

56 Spider-Man suits were created for the film, including 17 suits for Andrew Garfield and multiples for each stunt person.

It took Andrew Garfield 20 minutes, assisted by costumer Robert Moore, to put on the Spider-Man suit for shooting.

The Lizard, one of the most formidable of Spider-Man’s foes, made his first appearance in 1963 in Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man #6.

In order to portray the role of the one-armed Dr Curt Connors, Rhys Ifans learned to complete various tasks with one arm tied behind his back. He became quite skilled at tying a tie, making coffee and many other tasks using only his free arm.

In Peter Parker’s father’s study, created for flashback scenes, Dr. Parker’s passion for jazz is represented by a collection of jazz CDs and a framed photograph of Duke Ellington, which hangs on the study wall. The same Ellington image can be seen as a postcard on the bulletin board of Peter’s bedroom years later, a symbol of his memories of his father.

Interiors of Midtown Science High School were constructed on Sony Studios’ Stage 15. The stage housed four classrooms, five hallways, a restroom, a principal’s office and secretary’s office. The chemistry class was constructed of breakaway materials, to accommodate several fight sequences. Over 400 pieces of breakaway glass flasks, cylinders and beakers were acquired for this classroom alone.

In Captain Stacy’s office at the Police Precinct, a certificate of commendation from The Leary Firefighters Foundation hangs on the wall. This real-life organisation was established in 2000 by actor Denis Leary in response to a tragic fire that claimed the lives of six firefighters, including Leary’s cousin and a childhood friend.

With enemies like these…

This time he takes on The Lizard, but is he the most awesome of all Spidey’s nemeses?

Mysterio

Mysterio was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appears in Amazing Spider-Man #13, although it was later retconned that the aliens seen in Amazing Spider-Man #2 had been Mysterio and his men in disguise; it was revealed that he had been hired by the Tinkerer to disguise himself as an extraterrestrial and uncover military and industrial secrets.

Kraven the Hunter

Kraven the Hunter is another enemy. Kraven’s name is Sergei Kravinoff. He also appears as Xraven, with white-grey skin and red eyes, possessing the powers of X-Men. He is the half-brother of Dmitri Smerdyakov, better known as the Chameleon. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko.

Venom

Venom, or the Venom Symbiote, is a fictional extraterrestrial life form. Symbiote is a sentient alien, with a gooey, almost liquid-like form that requires a host, usually human, to bond with for its survival and to whom it endows enhanced powers. The Symbiote’s first known host was Spider-Man, who eventually separated himself from the creature.

Doctor Octopus

Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius) is a highly intelligent mad scientist. He is typically portrayed as a stocky, myopic man who utilises four powerful, mechanical appendages, and is obsessed with proving his own genius and destroying Spider-Man. The character is portrayed by Alfred Molina in the 2004 film Spider-Man 2.

Green Goblin

The Green Goblin first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14. Although many characters have taken up this identity, the most well-known is the original Green Goblin, Norman Osborn. He is one of Spider-Man’s most persistent foes, and many consider him to be one of his archenemies, being directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Spider-Man’s life.

Tags: Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, The Amazing Spider-Man, Venom

Category: Cinema, Hollywood