18 Brilliant Details In "The Amazing Spider-Man" Movies That Shouldn’t Go Unnoticed

    The devil is in the details.

    Anthony Orlando
    by Anthony Orlando

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man films were divisive, to say the least, but you have to give the filmmakers props for their attention to detail.

    Spider-Man looking down from a rooftop in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    Both films placed so many Easter eggs and hidden details into their films that they effectively set up the grand cinematic universe that Sony tried to create. In recognition of what could've been, let's take a look at 18 Brilliant Details in The Amazing Spider-Man Movies.

    WARNING: 🚨SPOILERS🚨 AHEAD!!!

    18. Peter's Ringtone

    Peter holding his ringing cell phone when Gwen is calling in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via youtube.com

    This one is pretty obvious. In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter's phone repeatedly rings to the tune of the classic Spider-Man theme song from his show in the '60s. Spider-Man filmmakers have always found a way to squeeze this iconic theme song into their films, but this was a hilarious and clever way to utilize it in Garfield's film.

    17. Rhino's Underwear

    Alexei with pants pulled down by Spider-Man's webs, revealing underwear with rhinos on it, in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    Paul Giamatti's Rhino really does love rhinos. So much so, that when Peter captures and pants the guy at the beginning of the second film, viewers can see that he has rhinos on his underwear. No wonder he decided to use a rhino-shaped mech suit at the end of the film.

    16. Electro's Cake

    Max Dillon looking down on a green and yellow cake in his fridge in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    Before Max Dillon becomes the supervillain Electro, he can be seen at his home getting a birthday cake for himself from his fridge. Fans of Electro will recognize the green and yellow frosting as a reference to the villain's costume in the comics. Though audiences instead got to see his bright-blue design in the film, it's a nice callback to his comic book origins.

    15. The Wrestling Ring

    Peter having fallen into an empty wrestling ring in "The Amazing Spider-Man"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    On the first night of his hunt for Uncle Ben's killer, Peter takes on a group of thugs and ends up crashing through a rooftop. He falls into an empty wrestling ring, which is a reference to Spidey's origins as a masked wrestler before becoming the crime fighter we all know and love. While the film deviates from the source material in terms of Peter's origins, it's still nice to see the filmmakers acknowledge his roots.

    14. The Rear Window Poster

    Peter sitting on the floor of his room, looking through his father's leather bag, in "The Amazing Spider-Man"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    Fans of Alfred Hitchcock might recognize the Rear Window poster hanging in Peter's room. While it may just seem like a nice decoration, this classic film very much reflects Peter's own journey to hunt down his uncle's killer. The way Spider-Man looks down on the city from his perch and takes pictures of the criminals he pursues is very similar to the protagonist's behavior in Hitchcock's film.

    13. Don't Forget the Eggs

    A list of Peter's emails, include two from J. Jonah Jameson and one from Aunt May, in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    A running gag in Garfield's first film is that his character kept forgetting to buy eggs for his Aunt May. Given his hectic life as Spider-Man, Peter forgets to pick them up until after defeating the Lizard at the end of the film. This joke continues into the next film with another email from May on Peter's computer titled, "Don't forget to pick up eggs!"

    12. Dr. Kafka

    Dr. Kafka looking at Electro in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    When Electro is imprisoned and studied at Ravencroft Institute, he is met by Dr. Kafka, the stereotypical German scientist played by Marton Csokas. This minor film character is actually a very important one in the comics, as Kafka was the one who founded Ravencroft and occasionally works alongside Spider-Man. Kafka was also a woman in the comics, and quite the opposite of the mad scientist torturing Electro for his experiments.

    11. Alistair Smythe

    Alistair Smythe talking to Max Dillon in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    Some of you might've been surprised to see Ryan from The Office appear as Electro's boss. However, B.J. Novak's Alistair Smythe is an even greater character than you might've realized. In the comics, Smythe developed a hatred for Spider-Man after his father, Spencer, died following his attempts to hunt down the web-slinger with his army of robotic Spider-Slayers. If The Amazing Spider-Man film series had continued, audiences probably would've seen Smythe become the iconic villain and serve as one of Spidey's adversaries onscreen.

    10. Time of Death

    A giant clock set at 1:21 in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    Gwen infamously met her end during Peter's battle with Harry Osborn (Green Goblin) when she fell to her death inside a clock tower. But when her body hits the ground, the broken clock stops at 1:21. This actually references Amazing Spider-Man Issue #121, which was the one where Gwen Stacy died. 

    9. Venom and Morbius References

    Harry looking through his father's secret files on a computer touch screen in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    In a scene from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Harry Osborn is seen looking through his father's secret files on his computer. Among the list of files shown on his computer screen are two titled, "Dr. Morbius File" and "Venom Storage 7-U." The film is clearly referencing the two Spider-Man villains, Venom and Morbius, who both currently have their own films in Sony's Spider-Man Universe.

    8. Black Cat

    Felicia Hardy in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    Felicity Jones starred in the second film as Harry's secretary, Felicia. While this might've seemed like a throwaway role, her character was actually Felicia Hardy, who would eventually become the Black Cat. In the comics, she was a cat burglar who ended up having an on-and-off relationship with Spider-Man. This character's appearance on the big screen is long overdue, and it's a shame she never got to don her masked personality. Hopefully, audiences will get to see Jones again as the Black Cat as the multiverse expands in the MCU.

    7. Time

    A close-up shot of Richard Parker's watch in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    Time is an important theme repeatedly emphasized in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, as it is meant to establish a sense of impending doom for its characters. This is particularly the case with Gwen Stacy's heartbreaking death, which takes place inside a clock tower. The film even begins with the camera zooming out from Richard Parker's watch, who dies only a few minutes later.

    6. The Donald Glover Poster

    Peter hanging upside down from the wall in his room with a notebook in "The Amazing Spider-Man"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, you can see a poster of Donald Glover as Troy Barnes in Community hanging on the wall in Peter's room. Glover famously petitioned to play Miles Morales, after wearing a Spider-Man shirt on the show. 

    5. J. Jonah Jameson

    A shot of Peter sending a photo of himself as Spider-Man to J. Jonah Jameson in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    Unfortunately, fans did not get to see the legendary J. Jonah Jameson appear in Marc Webb's Spider-Man films. However, there is a scene in the second film in which Peter sends a picture of Spider-Man to the owner of the Daily Bugle, with the camera showing two other emails that have been sent to him by Jonah himself. Clearly, Peter had already begun working at the Daily Bugle and has made a living sending photos of himself to the Ultimate Spider-Hater.

    4. The Spider-Symbol on Peter's Skateboard

    Peter's Spider-Man symbol flashing over his skateboard on the train in "The Amazing Spider-Man"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    You really have to watch out for this one. When Peter is sleeping on the subway in the first film, his powers are shown to have begun manifesting. This change is indicated through the multiple images flashing onscreen for just a split second. One of them includes his Spider-Man symbol appearing on the back of his skateboard. It's a clever way to foreshadow Peter's future as the iconic web-slinger.

    3. The Itsy Bitsy Spider

    Spider-Man swinging through a power grid with Electro flying past him in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    In Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man film, Green Goblin mockingly sang the song, "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," as he was battling the web-slinger. Electro did the same thing in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 during his final battle, flying around a power grid and setting off the tones for the song as he thrashes Spidey around.

    2. Gwen's Outfit

    Gwen Stacy falling down inside a clock tower in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    Going back to Gwen Stacy's death, it's worth mentioning that the outfit she wears is the exact same one she wore when she died in the comics. The filmmakers clearly had a passion to adapt "The Night Gwen Stacy Died." While the rest of the film had issues, Peter's battle with Harry and Gwen's untimely death were both executed to cinematic perfection.

    1. Teasing the Sinister Six

    The Gentleman walking down a hall with Doctor Octopus's tentacles and Vulture's wings on display in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Sony / Via YouTube

    In an attempt to cash in on the cinematic universe trend kicked off by The Avengers, Sony planted the seeds for The Amazing Spider-Man to kick off a whole new world of characters that would lead to a battle with the Sinister Six. This crossover is hinted at in the second film when Gustav Fiers (the Gentleman) walks down a hallway lined with weapons used by Spidey's greatest villains, including Doctor Octopus's tentacles and Vulture's wings. Even though Marc Webb's films had many glaring issues, it still would've been amazing to see Spider-Man battle all these villains onscreen. At least we still got No Way Home.

    Do you agree with this list? Were there any other hidden details that I missed? Please let me know in the comments section below.