Shailene Woodleyis a critically acclaimed actress who’s been acting in roles both large and small for over 20 years now. She initially started by playing small roles in big shows likeThe O.C.,CSI: NY,My Name is Earl,andEverybody Loves Raymondbefore landing larger parts in hit films likeThe DescendantsandThe Spectacular Now.2014 was set to be a breakout year for the star, as she had the firstDivergentset for release at the beginning of the year and two summer films:The Fault in Our StarsandThe Amazing Spider-Man 2where she would play Mary Jane Watson. While the star had a great 2014, one of those performances never was seen since Woodley was cut out ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Update August 23, 2025: This article has been updated with further details about Shailene Woodley’s cut role fromThe Amazing Spider-Man 2and Sony’s original plans for the franchise.
Mary Jane is one of the most important characters in Spider-Man history, and casting a star like Woodley seemed like an indicator of the franchise’s long-term potential.The Amazing Spider-Man 2director Marc Webb stated that Woodley’s involvement wasn’t going to be a large part of the film, likely an extended cameo laying the groundwork for later movies like the plannedThe Amazing Spider-Man 3andThe Amazing Spider-Man 4.
Cutting her out of the film should not be understated, especially when she was set to be a big part of futureAmazing Spider-Manmovie storylines. However, directors are often forced to make difficult decisions in the editing process. They don’t always have the final say and in the case ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony Pictures had a lot invested in the movie and was heavily involved in the editing. The movie had to not just be a sequel toThe Amazing Spider-Man 2but also set up a cinematic universe with multiple spin-off films. Let’s take a deeper look into why Shailene Woodley’s MJ was cut fromThe Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Did Shailene Woodley Film Any Scenes for The Amazing Spider-Man 2?
Basedon set photos taken during filming, there were at least 3 significant scenes shot with Woodley’s involvement. One shows her working with a hammer on the front porch of a house when she meets Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone). A second scene has Woodley holding her motorcycle and talking to Peter Parker (played by Andrew Garfield), who is working under the hood of a car at the time.
Related:Everything We Know About Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man 3 (& Why It Didn’t Happen)
The third has Woodley running out of a café she’s working at (known because she’s wearing a café apron), likely due to the loud noise of a car landing upside down. This scene ends up in the final film during the Rhino’s introduction, but all of Woodley’s footage is edited out. Her presence in the end during the Rhino’s appearance was likely a way to lay the groundwork for the future relationship between her and Peter Parker as she was present when Spider-Man made his grand return.
Shailene Woodley was Expected to Appear in The Amazing Spider-Man 3 Instead
While Woodley’s role inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2was small, it was cast with the intention for her to be a larger role in the sequels. Woodley was cast in 2012 and filmed her scenes in early 2013, but by summer 2013 it was confirmed she had already been cut from the film. Worth noting when she was cut from the film, neitherDivergentnorThe Fault in Our Starshad opened in theaters. One wonders if Sony would have cut her out of the movie if they knew just how big her career was about to become. It is unclear after Woodley was cut if they intended to bring her back forThe Amazing Spider-Man 3or if they would have cast the role with a different star.
Woodley being cut from the film made her one of two high-profile stars cut out of 2014 Marvel movies, the other being Anna Paquin’s Rogue inX-Men: Days of Future Past. Yet while Anna Paquin’s scenes wererestored in the director’s cut,The Amazing Spider-Man 3was canceled, which meant that Woodley’s Mary Jane never got the chance to appear.
MJ’s Appearance Might’ve Been Like Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 3 in Reverse
In Marvel Comics, Gwen Stacy is often established as Peter Parker’s first serious love interest with Mary Jane being a romantic rival. Mary Jane then became the primary Spider-Man romance following the death of Gwen Stacy. Peter and Mary Jane are one of the most famous couples in Marvel Comics and later went on to get married, only for it to end in the controversial storyline “One More Day.”
Related:Here’s 5 Reasons Why Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 3 Wasn’t That Bad
In the Sam RaimiSpider-Mantrilogy, due to Mary Jane Watson being the comic current love interest of Peter Parker she was made his first love in the movies, with Gwen Stacy being brought inSpider-Man 3to be a romantic rival for Mary Jane. In a way to distinguishThe Amazing Spider-Manfrom the previous threeSpider-Manfilms, the filmmakers opted for Gwen Stacy as the central romance. Yet withThe Amazing Spider-Man 2set to adapt the iconic “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” storyline, it made sense in the long term to introduce Mary Jane into the film series to help set her up for future films.
Why Shailene Woodley Was Edited Out of the Movie
There has never been a specified reason for why Woodley was cut out ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2. It appears that director Marc Webb didn’t want to take focus away from Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy’s relationship, particularly since their romance was the emotional core of the movie.TheAmazing Spider-Manstar Andrew Garfield was quoted as saying it was a “bummer” and that Shailene Woodley did “just beautiful work.”
However, he understood the reasoning behind the move, tellingYahoo! Movies: “in the sense of storytelling, it didn’t quite make sense to introduce another girl." Woodley took the decision well, despite stating the movewas a blow to her ego. Woodley toldVanity Fairshe felt that “everything happens for a reason” and “it makes total sense.”
One other reason Woodley might have been cut from the film could have been regarding the franchise’s larger plans moving forward. In December 2013, after Woodley had been cut from the film Sony Pictures announced in addition toThe Amazing Spider-Man 3andThe Amazing Spider-Man 4they were also makingSinister SixandVenom.
The studio likely decided to use the runtime ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2to set up those future villain-focused films, as the finished film not only includes Green Goblin, Electro, and Rhino but also Alistair Smythe and Felicia Hardy as well as teases for Doc Ock and Vulture. Woodley’s scenes as Mary Jane was likely cut to make room for more villains as that was the future Sony had planned forThe Amazing Spider-Manfranchise before it fizzled out.
