Fans of the “Spider-Man” comic books know that Gwen Stacy, not Mary-Jane Watson was the first love of Peter Parker’s life. However, for the popular movie franchise, director Sam Raimi reversed how Peter met two of the most significant women in his life, introducing audiences to Mary Jane Watson first. (Raimi even toyed with fans, paying homage to the pivotal “Death of Gwen Stacy” plot line in the final act of “Spider-Man.”)

Movie fans will finally meet Gwen Stacy this week with the opening of “Spider-Man 3.” For the role, Raimi chose Bryce Dallas Howard.

Howard recently stated that she liked the way her character was introduced to the film series, even if it means being “the other woman” for Mary Jane in the popular film franchise.

“The character of Gwen Stacy initially in the comic book was Peter Parker’s first love,” Howard said in an interview in Beverly Hills, Calif., last week. “She was around in the mid to late ’60s, early ’70s, and therefore I really wanted to be true to this character. I didn’t want to just come in in the third film as some kind of man-stealing, homewrecking tart, you know what I mean? This is Gwen Stacy.”

“I was glad that … the way that the relationship was is that she was friends with Peter Parker”, she said. “And there was a closeness there, and, unintentionally, she created some tension in their romance.”

In the comics and movies, Gwen Stacy is a blonde and Mary Jane Watson is a red-head. Ironically for the women playing them on the big-screen, Howard is a red-head who had to go blonde for her role, and Kirsten Dunst is a blonde who had to go to a red-head for the film.

Should the film series continues, Howard has said she would love to continue in the role of Gwen Stacy.