With the very likely possibility of Marvel rebooting Spider-Man’s franchise after the disappointing critical and box office reception of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, here are five ways to make the series better than before.

5) No tedious love stories

No doubt romance is a big part of Spider-Man’s charm, but in movie form it seems the only time it seemed to work was in The Amazing Spider-Man and a few moments in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Aside from that, all we have seen happen is Peter and his girlfriends going back and forth on whether or not they should be together and while this is fine at first, it gets old really fast. What’s needed is a love story that shows the couple doing actual relationship stuff, rather than mess around for two hours or more just to end up with a result many already expect.

4) Have a young Peter Parker

While Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were both great as Peter Parker, it was still incredibly obvious that both of them were young adults rather than teenagers. If the script calls for Peter to be in high school, then an age appropriate actor should be cast, one that will breathe new life into an overlooked aspect of the films.

3) Fewer mad scientist villains

One major thing that sets Spider-Man apart from other heroes is the gallery of villians to choose from. Many of these villains are unique and interesting but it seems that the films only feature those born from science experiments: Goblin, Doc Ock, Sandman, Lizard and Electro. All of these villains have good qualities but the problem with using these scientifically created bad guys is that it begins to feel repetitive and unoriginal. Why not use villains such as The Shocker, Mysterio or Hobgoblin, ones that do use technology but have motivations and origins different enough to present a new challenge for Spidey to face.

2) Have an overarching threat

Most of the time comic book movies utilize a new villain for each film, but why not keep audiences interested in the series as a whole and have some sort of villain in the shadows, pulling the strings until Spider-Man and that villain face off against each other.

1) Cross-over with other Marvel characters

When The Avengers was released, most Marvel fans asked the same question: “Where the heck is Spider-Man?” With the recent news of Sony and Marvel negotiating to incorporate Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this has given many fans hope that we will be able to see what most have wanted. Not only will it garner more popularity for the character once again, but it will also lead into many unique and interesting stories and interactions. Who wouldn’t want to see Tony Stark and Peter Parker have a geeky conversation about science? Sony and Marvel please let these things happen for the sake of a timeless character’s future films.