Andrew Garfield’s version of Peter Parker from Spider-Man comics, resulting in a heartbreaking loss that continues to haunt Garfield’s Peter Parker years later when he’s transported to the MCU. Garfield’s Spider-Man, nicknamed “Peter-3,” defeats his enemies (and those of two other Spider-Man variants) by “curing” them of their powers and sending them back home redeemed, but one such resolution could have also saved the life of Gwen Stacy.
After defeating Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Harry Osborn, now the Green Goblin, quickly appears, seeing Spider-Man with Gwen Stacy and realizing that the web-slinger is his former best friend, Peter Parker. During the ensuing fight, Spider-Man tries to save Gwen from falling to her death but fails, an event that breaks his heart. As revealed in No Way Home, Peter tried to move on and continued to help others as Spider-Man, but he became more brutal over time as he was consumed by grief. Peter still likely replays the scenario in his head many times, as he uses a different method to rescue MJ from a similar fate in No Way Home, successfully saving her life.
Two of Peter-3’s villains, The Lizard and Electro, are pulled into the MCU along with Peter himself due to a rampant reality-altering spell by Doctor Strange and Avengers: Endgame, changing the past doesn’t affect the present or future but creates a new timeline instead. The Lizard being turned back into the benevolent Doctor Curt Connors and sent back to his home reality likely wouldn’t change much, but curing Electro and sending him home as a redeemed Max Dillon would have fascinating ramifications, such as preventing the tragic death of Gwen Stacy.
How Electro's Cure Changes His Final Spider-Man Fight
According to Max Dillon in No Way Home, he is teleported out of his home reality just as Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy are overloading him with energy to defeat him. Electro presumably learns Peter Parker’s identity during this time, as he is bombarded with information, possibly learning Spider-Man’s real name via digital messages sent between him and Gwen or perhaps files from Oscorp. In either case, Dillon learns that Spider-Man is Peter Parker and thus is pulled into the MCU by Strange’s botched spell. In a new reality, Dillon resumes his villainous ways, seeking a power upgrade via a Stark Industries miniature Arc Reactor.
Despite this, Dillon is never truly evil but misguided. Thanks to the three Spider-Man iterations and a redeemed Doctor Octopus, Electro’s powers are removed, restoring him to the good man he once was. Dillon would presumably return to the timeline of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where he’d not only be unharmed due to his powers being gone (and therefore unable to be overloaded), but he’d also be an ally to Spider-Man, who knows his secret identity. Given Dillon’s brilliance and experiences in No Way Home, he’d be an invaluable partner for Spider-Man, finally becoming his friend as he’d wished to be in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
No Way Home Changes Means Gwen Stacy Might've Lived
In addition to saving Max Dillon, No Way Home might have created a timeline where Gwen Stacy survived too. Sending a now-cured Max Dillon back to the events of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 would have ended the fight early, preventing Gwen Stacy from being seen by the Green Goblin when he arrives at the Oscorp power plant. While the Goblin and Spider-Man still would have fought, Gwen Stacy wouldn’t have been carried onto the clock tower and almost certainly would have survived their battle. Spider-Man may have gained a dangerous new enemy in the Green Goblin, but he wouldn’t have had his heart broken and subsequently become bitter and brutal.
Gwen Stacy’s survival wouldn’t have prevented another dilemma, however. Gwen is planning to move to England for college before her death, and while Peter Parker resolves to move out with her, the emerging threat of not only the Green Goblin but also his small squad of additional supervillains (the Sinister Six) would necessitate that Spider-Man remains in New York and fight against its new threats. While Gwen would thankfully survive, the alternate Amazing Spider-Man 2 would still end on a melancholic note, with Peter devoting his time to defending New York while Gwen Stacy moves out, possibly at the cost of their relationship.
Green Goblin Never Would've Learned Spider-Man's Identity
Dane DeHaan's Green Goblin pieces together that Spider-Man and Peter Parker are the same in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 when he sees the web-slinger and Gwen Stacy working together to defeat Electro. In a new timeline where a redeemed and no longer superpowered Max Dillon is returned to the film’s finale, the Green Goblin wouldn’t have seen Gwen and Spider-Man together and therefore wouldn’t have deduced his enemy’s real identity. Harry Osborn would have still been a major threat as the Green Goblin, but without knowing Spider-Man’s secret, he wouldn’t be able to attack Peter Parker’s loved ones. While Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker’s relationship would still become strained, her survival, the redemption of Max Dillon, and the Green Goblin not knowing Spider-Man’s secret identity would be a far kinder iteration of The Amazing Spider-Man’s timeline, thanks to Electro being cured in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
