Over the past few days more footage for both The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man has been released, and between the two, a MARVELous summer is surely in store. (See what I did there?!? Stop looking at me like that! It was punny!)

First up was The Avengers with a new commercial during the Super Bowl that brought us a lot of new footage.  We still don’t get a clear shot at who is working with Loki, but there are numerous theories floating around out there.

Next up is The Amazing Spider-Man which shows just how far off book the new movie is going … and it’s pretty darn far. Peter finishing The Lizard formula? His father having worked at Oscorp?  Why do they constantly insist on messing around with these origin stories is beyond me, but here we go yet again.

The Avengers hits theaters on May 4, and The Amazing Spider-Man on July 3.  (And both are based on comics from Marvel if you didn’t get my earlier joke …)

Columbia Pictures has released the official synopsis for The Amazing Spider-Man, and … yeah, it isn’t good news.

Not only did we not need a reboot of the Spider-Man series this soon, but we especially didn’t need it if it means they’re going to play with all sorts of aspects of the character’s past.

One of the world’s most popular characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in “The Amazing Spider-Man.” Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia Pictures, which will open in theaters everywhere in 3D on July 3, 2012.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance  leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

His parents left him? (yes, there is one version of the comics where it turned out they were spies) A briefcase? Connors worked with his dad at Oscorp?

There are times where some changes to the core story work (i.e. X-Men First Class didn’t make me cringe in terror for the most part), but some of these “tweaks” are just outrageously wrong.  His parents, the origin of Dr. Connors and so on just make me already completely turned off to this latest installment of the film series.

Come on, Hollywood.  The comics have years and years of history, that have worked on, why can’t you just pick a part that works and leave it mostly alone?

Columbia Pictures has officially announced that the next Spider-Man movie will be officially named The Amazing Spider-Man.

While we had all been working under the assumption of Spider-Man 4 as we had nothing else to call it, the official name finally was announced today, and the only surprising thing about it is that The Amazing Spider-Man wasn’t used before now.  Although the character made his debut in Amazing Fantasy, when he split off into his own book it was called The Amazing Spider-Man (followed then by Peter Park, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man and many others).  So, the fact they took this long to use that no-brainer title is truly the most amazing thing about this.

The July 3^rd, 2012 date we already knew for the release, and while we had seen one battle weary pic of Andrew Garfield in the suit, they also decided to release one with the costume in fine shape for today’s announcement.  (click the link for a much larger view)  Still not in love with some of the changes, and why did they bring back the mechanical web shooters when no one had a problem with the organic ones in the other three movies?

Either way, things for this film are definitely taking shape.