Two days after the massive meeting at the Marvel Comics headquarters, Donovan Blackwood invited his two new partners to his home.
Stan Lee and Kevin Feige flew to Los Angeles on the Blackwood family's private jet. They were picked up at the airport and driven straight to the massive Blackwood Mansion in Beverly Hills.
Kevin looked out the window of the luxury car. He was completely amazed by the wealth of the neighborhood. He was just a young producer, and now he was riding in a billionaire's car. Stan Lee just smiled, enjoying the comfortable ride. He had been around Hollywood money before, but there was something different about the Blackwood family. They didn't just talk about making movies. They actually got things done.
When the car arrived at the gates, Donovan was waiting for them at the front doors. He was wearing comfortable gray sweatpants and a simple white t-shirt. He didn't look like a rich CEO. He looked like a normal teenager on his day off.
"Welcome to California, gentlemen," Donovan smiled, shaking their hands warmly. "Come on inside. I have something very important to show you."
Donovan led the two men through the massive, beautiful house. They walked past the elegant living room and went down a long, quiet hallway. They stopped in front of a heavy, metal door. It looked like the door to a bank vault. Donovan typed a long code into the digital keypad. The heavy door clicked and opened slowly.
"My family thinks I just use this room to play video games," Donovan said as he reached inside and turned on the lights. "But this is where I do my real work."
Stan and Kevin stepped inside the room. They completely froze in their tracks.
It wasn't a game room at all. It was a massive "War Room." The walls were completely covered in whiteboards, corkboards, and thousands of sticky notes. There were long, connected timelines drawn in different colored markers. There were beautiful concept art drawings of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and the X-Men pinned everywhere.
It looked exactly like the mind of a mad genius. It was the entire blueprint for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, mapped out year by year.
"Mother of God..." Kevin Feige whispered. He took his baseball cap off, staring at the walls. He walked slowly toward the main board, looking at a timeline that stretched ten years into the future. "Donovan... you didn't just plan Phase One. You planned the next decade of movies."
"If we want to build an empire, we need a map," Donovan replied calmly. He walked over to a large, wooden table in the center of the room. "But today, we are not looking at the next ten years. Today, we focus on day one. Come here, guys."
Stan and Kevin walked over to the table. On top of it were dozens of drawings and notes specifically about Spider-Man. They sat down on the comfortable chairs. Kevin immediately pulled out a thick notebook and a pen, ready to work.
"Alright," Stan Lee smiled, leaning forward. He felt twenty years younger just looking at all the creative energy in this room. "You are playing Peter Parker. I think it's perfect casting. You have the right look. But let's talk about the character. Other studios always want to make him a cool action hero right away. But that's wrong."
"I agree completely," Donovan nodded, listening intently to the legendary creator. "How do you see him, Stan? Tell me your vision."
"Peter has to be real," Stan explained, his hands gesturing passionately as he spoke. "He is a classic, sincere kid. He is a nerd. He is a little awkward, he has a pure heart, and he struggles. He has to struggle to pay rent, struggle with girls, struggle with bullies at school. When he is Peter, he is completely grounded. He carries the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. He is the boy with bad luck but a good heart."
"Exactly," Kevin added, writing it down quickly. "A hero the audience can relate to. He isn't a billionaire like Tony Stark or an alien like Thor. He is just a kid from Queens."
"That's my Peter," Donovan smiled. "I want the audience to feel his pain and his struggles. But when he puts on the mask, everything changes. The mask gives him ultimate confidence. Spider-Man shouldn't fight like a heavy brawler. He is a spider. I want his fighting style to be completely acrobatic. Fast, flexible, bouncing off walls like an Olympic gymnast. He should be extremely agile, almost impossible to hit."
"Yes!" Kevin agreed, his eyes lighting up. "A lot of wire-work and practical flips. We can use unique camera angles to follow his movements. It will make the action scenes feel completely different from any other movie."
"But what about his personality in the suit?" Stan asked. "Some directors want him to be dark and brooding like Batman."
"Never," Donovan shook his head firmly. "Spider-Man talks. He never shuts his mouth. But I want to give it a specific purpose. He doesn't just joke because he is scared. He jokes because it is a tactical advantage."
"A tactical advantage?" Kevin asked, curious.
"Yes. He mocks the villains. He acts arrogant to annoy them," Donovan grinned. "He uses his humor to make them angry so they make stupid mistakes. He throws them off balance with his words while he jumps circles around them. It's psychological warfare, but funny."
"That is brilliant," Stan laughed loudly, slapping his hand on the table. "He pisses them off to win the fight! It shows his intelligence in combat. He uses their anger against them."
Kevin looked up from his notes. "Speaking of intelligence, we need to establish his powers. A few years ago, when another studio tried to write a Spider-Man script, they wanted him to shoot webs organically from his wrists. Like a weird biological mutation."
Stan Lee made a disgusted face. "Absolutely not! I hate that idea. Peter Parker is a science whiz. He is a genius! If he just gets all his powers for free from a spider bite, it doesn't show his brain. He has to build mechanical web-shooters. It proves he is smart."
"I am one hundred percent with you, Stan," Donovan confirmed. "We are going to show a really cool montage in the movie. Peter steals chemical materials from his high school science lab. He builds his own mechanical web-shooters and creates the web fluid in his bedroom. It proves he is a scientist first, and a superhero second."
"Perfect," Kevin said, tapping his pen on the table. "So, we have the perfect Peter Parker and the most agile Spider-Man. Mechanical shooters are a go. Now, we need the plot. Who is the villain for the first movie? We need someone with a personal connection to Peter."
"We go back to the beginning," Stan suggested, looking at Donovan. "We give them his greatest enemy right from the start."
Donovan walked over to the whiteboard and grabbed a black marker. He wrote a name on the board in big letters: Norman Osborn / The Green Goblin.
"Norman," Kevin realized, his eyes widening. "The billionaire CEO of Oscorp Industries. He is also the father of Peter's best friend, Harry Osborn."
"Exactly," Donovan nodded. "Norman actually likes Peter more than his own son because Peter is a genius. He acts like a mentor to Peter. They talk about science. Norman wishes Peter was his real son. Which makes the eventual battle deeply personal and tragic."
"And the Goblin is terrifying," Stan added. "Norman tests a military performance serum on himself to save his company. It makes him incredibly strong, but it shatters his mind completely. He develops a split personality."
"Spider-Man is agile and funny, but the Goblin is brutal, psychotic, and sadistic. It is the perfect contrast," Donovan explained. "And I already have an actor in mind for Norman. I want Willem Dafoe."
Kevin Feige's jaw dropped slightly. "Willem Dafoe? He has the perfect face for it. His intensity is off the charts. His voice alone is scary. I'll get him on the phone tomorrow."
"Good," Stan Lee said, crossing his arms with a satisfied smile. "We have the hero. We have the origin. We have the Green Goblin. But every good Spider-Man story needs romance. The fans always want to see the love story."
Donovan smiled. He pointed to a sticky note on the board that said: GWEN STACY.
"Gwen," Stan Lee whispered. A soft, nostalgic look appeared in his eyes. He remembered writing those early comic books. "The first true love."
"Wait, not Mary Jane?" Kevin asked, a little surprised. "Mary Jane is the most famous."
"Mary Jane comes later. She is the endgame," Donovan explained. "But we are doing the original, classic story. Peter's first real love was Gwen Stacy. And Gwen is perfect for this movie because she is an intellectual equal to Peter. She is a top science student. She isn't just a girl who screams and waits to be rescued. She is smart."
"I like that," Kevin nodded slowly, seeing the vision. "Modern audiences want female characters who actually do things. If she is a science student, she can help Peter figure things out."
"Exactly," Donovan said. "And her father is Captain George Stacy of the New York Police Department. So, the police are hunting Spider-Man, and Peter is secretly dating the police captain's daughter. It creates massive tension and drama."
Stan Lee clapped his hands together. "Oh, the drama! It's classic Marvel! Peter Parker can never catch a break. I love it, kid. It's a beautiful, tragic, perfect setup."
"Okay, the story is rock solid," Kevin said, flipping to a new page in his notebook. He looked at the massive timelines on the walls. "Now, let's talk about the world-building. Donovan, you mentioned putting Easter eggs in the movie to show that other heroes exist. If we want a connected Marvel Cinematic Universe, we need subtle nods. Things that prove the world is alive, without confusing the normal audience."
"Exactly," Donovan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "We don't need giant explosions or forced cameos to prove other heroes exist. We use the environment. We use the city of New York."
"Give me examples," Kevin said, ready to write.
"First, the skyline," Donovan explained, painting the picture with his hands. "When Peter is testing his web-shooters on a rooftop at night, the camera pans across the city. Right in the middle, we clearly see a massive building with a glowing blue '4' on the roof."
"The Baxter Building," Kevin wrote it down quickly. "The Fantastic Four are already established."
"Yes," Donovan nodded. "And later, during a wide shot of the city during the day, we show Stark Tower. But it's not just a building. If the audience looks closely in the background, they will see a red and gold blur flying through the sky and landing on the landing pad of Stark Tower."
"Iron Man!" Stan Lee smiled proudly. "We actually show him flying in the background? The fans will go absolutely crazy for that."
"They will pause the movie just to see him," Kevin laughed. "It's perfect. What else?"
"We also need street-level heroes," Donovan added. "Peter works for the Daily Bugle, taking pictures for J. Jonah Jameson. In one scene, Jameson is yelling at his editors. On his desk, we clearly see the front page of another newspaper. The headline says: 'Devil of Hell's Kitchen Strikes Again!'"
"Daredevil," Stan laughed excitedly. "It costs zero dollars to print a fake newspaper, but it builds the universe instantly."
"And finally," Donovan smirked, "Peter is chasing a criminal through a dark alley. The camera pans down to the street, and we see a long, smoking line of hellfire left on the asphalt. It is shaped exactly like a motorcycle tire track."
"Ghost Rider!" Kevin shook his head in absolute amazement. "We don't even show his face. Just the magic fire left behind. It tells the audience that the supernatural side of Marvel is real, too."
"We plant the seeds now, so we can harvest them in the future," Donovan said confidently. "We make the fans trust us."
Kevin closed his notebook and looked at Donovan. His eyes were wide with pure adrenaline. He had never been this excited to work on a movie in his entire life. The planning was meticulous.
"Donovan, this is gold," Kevin said seriously. "The script is going to be legendary. We have the emotion of the classic comics, the modern acrobatic action, and the foundation for a whole universe. When do we start the production?"
Donovan looked at the large calendar hanging on the wall of the War Room. It was currently the end of August in the year 2000.
"Kevin, you are in charge of casting. Find me the perfect Gwen Stacy, the perfect Harry Osborn, and secure Willem Dafoe for the Goblin," Donovan commanded. "I want the contracts signed in the next few weeks."
"Consider it done," Kevin nodded sharply. "I will start making calls the second I leave this house."
"My visual effects team at Rogue Entertainment will start designing the Goblin glider, the Oscorp technology, and the mechanical web-shooters tonight," Donovan said. "We will spend the entire month of September building the physical sets, locking the final script, and finalizing the costumes."
Donovan stood up from the table. Stan and Kevin stood up with him. The energy in the room was electric.
"We start filming the first week of October," Donovan announced, his dark eyes filled with absolute determination.
"And when do we release the movie?" Kevin asked. "Summer of 2001?"
"No," Donovan shook his head. "Summer is too crowded. We want to own the box office. We release the movie in December 2001. Right before the holidays. It will be the biggest family event of the year. Kids will be asking for Spider-Man toys for Christmas."
Stan Lee reached out and put a hand on Donovan's shoulder. The old creator looked at the young teenager with absolute respect.
"I've waited my whole life to see these characters treated with this much respect," Stan said softly. "You are going to make history, kid. You are going to change the world."
Donovan smiled, looking around his War Room at the timelines, the drawings, and the sticky notes. The plans were set. The timeline was locked. The actors were about to be called. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was officially moving forward.
It was time to put on the mask.