This ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2′ Alternate Ending Will Leave You Scratching Your Head

Financially and critically, 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' was one of the larger disappointments of the summer. Messy and disjointed, it never seemed to find exactly what kind of movie it wanted to be. It's no secret that the film was plagued by reshoots and last-minute rewrites, which would account for many of the problems, and it also explains the existence of this alternate ending, which is bound to make most Spider-Man fans scratch their heads and say "Whaaaaaaaat?!"

Spoilers for 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' in three ... two ... one ...

Of course, the film ends with Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker defeating Electro and the Green Goblin, but losing Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy in the process. After mourning, he listens to his departed girlfriend's graduation speech, grows inspired and straps on the costume again to go save New York City from the Rhino.

But the other ending? Oh, boy.

The original ending (via Movies.com) finds Peter at the cemetery, only to be visited by his father, who supposedly died in a plane crash after getting embroiled in a bizarre conspiracy. Peter has the exact reaction you'd expect (he's pissed the heck off), but the two of them ultimately reconcile, have a big hug and Daddy Parker gives his son the "with great power comes great responsibility" speech that used to belong to the late Uncle Ben.

Again: whaaaaaat?!

Spidey purists will undoubtedly have a lot to complain about with this ending. How is Richard Parker alive? Why did they give him, an absentee father, the great speech that helped define Peter's relationship with his dead uncle? Movie fans will also find plenty wrong here: it's slow, dour, convenient and one bummer of a way to end a summer superhero movie.

As Sony prepares to adjust their approach to 'The Amazing Spider-Man 3' with a two-year delay, this alternate ending actually reminds us that it could have been worse. We can complain all we want about 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' and its myriad problems, but at least the finished cut didn't feature a dead man coming back to life to give a stirring speech to the son he abandoned. Woof.