The bright California sun hit the windshield of Donovan's car as he drove through the main gates of Marvel Studios. It was mid-October of the year 2000. The trip to London was over, the vacations were done, and it was officially time to get to work.
Donovan parked his car and walked confidently toward the casting building. He was wearing a simple hoodie, a vintage t-shirt, and jeans.
Inside the main casting room, Kevin Feige was pacing back and forth, holding a clipboard. When he saw Donovan walk in, a massive smile appeared on his tired face.
"Donovan! You made it," Kevin greeted him, shaking his hand. "The sets for the Parker apartment are finished, and Willem Dafoe officially signed his contract for Norman Osborn yesterday. Everything is moving perfectly."
"Great job, Kevin," Donovan smiled, taking a seat at the reading table. "What's on the schedule for today?"
"Chemistry reads," Kevin replied, looking at his clipboard. "We need our female lead. We have the finalists for Gwen Stacy waiting outside. Whenever you are ready, we can start."
Donovan nodded. "I'm ready."
He didn't need to do vocal warmups. He didn't need ten minutes to get into character. Donovan simply closed his eyes.
It took exactly one second.
Using his overpowered acting ability, Donovan didn't just *pretend* to be the character; he completely absorbed him. He gained absolutely everything. Peter Parker's habits, his scientific intellect, his photography skills, his nervous charm, and his exact personality downloaded into Donovan's body instantly.
When he opened his eyes, the confident, billionaire CEO was completely gone.
His posture shifted naturally. He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes darting around the room with the highly observant, thoughtful look of a teenager who prefers to go unnoticed. He absentmindedly reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, a classic Peter Parker habit.
He was Peter. A perfect blend of a sweet, earnest kid from Queens and a slightly awkward, witty outcast.
Kevin Feige watched the shift happen. It was so fast, so flawless, that it always left him speechless. It wasn't forced at all; Donovan simply *became* a different human being.
"Okay, Peter," Kevin said, smiling in absolute awe. "Let's skip right to the final candidate. She's completely unknown, actually. A true discovery. She just flew in from Pennsylvania."
Peter nodded, his eyes scanning the room like he was calculating the lighting for a photograph. "Sure. Bring her in."
The heavy door opened.
Walking into the room was a young girl wearing a neat skirt, a dark sweater, and a headband holding back her bright blonde hair. She had incredibly expressive, large eyes that made her look like a classic John Romita Sr. comic book drawing brought to life. She was only fifteen years old, giving her a genuine, youthful innocence that couldn't be faked.
It was Amanda Seyfried.
Inside his mind, Donovan was impressed. He didn't know her, but her look was absolutely perfect. But *Peter Parker* didn't see an aspiring actress. Peter saw Gwen Stacy: the smartest girl in school, the girl he had a massive crush on, and the one he had just awkwardly defended from Flash Thompson.
Peter offered a small, sincere smile, looking down at the table for a split second before meeting her eyes again.
Amanda sat down across from him. Despite her youth, she perfectly captured the confident, intellectual, and caring tone of Gwen. She didn't even look at the script.
Kevin Feige leaned forward in his chair. "Alright, guys. Let's run the bleachers scene. Action."
They started reading the original script. It immediately stopped feeling like an audition and started feeling like a real, natural conversation between two actual teenagers.
Amanda looked at him, a soft, genuine smile on her face. "I thought that was great what you did."
Peter rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit shy but charming. "It was stupid... but it was great."
Amanda leaned forward slightly, her big eyes inspecting imaginary bruises on his face with real concern. "You should go to... the nurse. You might have a concussion."
Peter looked at her, his mind clearly racing, trying to act cool. "What's your name?"
Amanda raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk appearing on her lips. "You don't know my name?"
"No, I know your name," Peter corrected himself quickly, his voice cracking just a tiny bit with nervous sincerity.
"I want to know if you know *your* name," Amanda challenged playfully.
Peter blinked, looking around for a second before looking right back at her. "Peter. Parker. Peter Parker." He let out a small, awkward breath. "Okay. Okay, good."
Amanda smiled, her eyes completely locked onto his. "I'd still go to the nurse though."
Peter leaned in just a fraction of an inch, mesmerized. "You're Gwen, right?"
"Gwen Stacy," Amanda replied softly.
They held eye contact for three full seconds. The chemistry was magnetic, undeniable, and full of raw, innocent teenage emotion. The scene ended naturally.
Kevin Feige dropped his pen on the table and let out a loud breath. "Wow. That... that was incredible. The timing, the awkwardness, the charm... it was perfect. You two look like you stepped right out of a high school yearbook."
Amanda immediately dropped the Gwen persona. She let out a huge sigh of relief, a bright, nervous smile taking over her face as she looked at Kevin.
In the exact same moment, Donovan dropped Peter. His posture straightened, the quiet teenager vanished instantly, and the sharp, confident smile of Donovan Blackwood returned to his face.
Donovan looked at the young actress with genuine respect. "You didn't even look at the script. What's your name?"
"Amanda. Amanda Seyfried," she said, her voice shaking just a little bit now that she was talking to the most powerful teenager in Hollywood. "I memorized the whole scene on the flight here. I really wanted this."
"Well, you earned it," Kevin laughed, clapping his hands. "You beat out hundreds of girls, Amanda. You were incredible."
Donovan nodded. She had the perfect look, the perfect attitude, and their chemistry on camera was undeniably brilliant.
"Welcome to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Amanda," Donovan smiled proudly. "You are our Gwen Stacy."
Amanda covered her mouth with her hands, tears of pure joy welling up in her large eyes as she cheered happily.
"Alright," Kevin announced, grabbing his clipboard. "We have Peter, we have Gwen, and we have Norman Osborn. The sets are built, the crew is hired, and the suits are ready."
Donovan looked at the Spider-Man concept art hanging on the wall. The preparation was officially over.
"We start filming next week," Donovan said, his dark eyes filled with absolute determination. "Let's make history."