"It's much easier for audiences to empathize with Spider-Man's point of view, obviously, but at the heart of the conflict, there are three characters who are driving the narrative forward," Webb said. "There's the Lizard, who wants to wants to create a world without weakness and doesn't want to be an outcast; there's Capt. Stacy, who's all about law and order; and there's Peter Parker, who initially motivated by vengeance. His crime-fighting is incidental in the first half of the movie. He's trying to satisfy some dark part of his soul."

The turning point for Peter in film, though, is when the Lizard goes on a path of destruction on a bridge, where his victims whether intended or incidental, are mercilessly trapped. Struggling to save innocent victims, Peter discovers he has a responsibility.

"Spider-Man realizes that while they're all motivated by their own truths, he finds compassion," Webb said. "And truth without compassion is not a virtue."