Oh, what a tangled web she would weave for Spidey

Kirsten Dunst wants Spider-Man dead.

Asked how she would end the series, the actress who plays Mary Jane Watson (Peter Parker/Spidey’s girlfriend) in “Spider-Man 2” says the hero, not the girl, should shuffle off this mortal coil.

“It would actually be really interesting if Spider-Man died, I think,” Dunst says. “Because, why doesn’t the superhero ever die? It would be so sad and beautiful if Mary Jane was alone and pregnant and he died. She could give birth to a spider baby and carry on the series.”

Dunst, who is under contract for a third film along with co-star Tobey Maguire, has vowed not to do a fourth.

“Don’t wear out a good thing,” she says.

But she still hopes Mary Jane survives the next movie, because “that’s kind of an obvious way to go: ‘We have to end it, so let’s just kill her.’ “

It’s not like Dunst, 22, needs a third “Spider-Man” movie to build her fame. After the first film, which grossed more than $400 million, she became one of the most sought-after young actresses in Hollywood.

Other things changed from the first film to the second.

“I got to have my own hair and makeup person, my own person doing my wardrobe,” Dunst says. “I had much more perks in this one, so that was fun to have a little posse because I’ve never had that before.”

She also was less eager to hang from wires for the movie’s multiple stunts.

“The first one, they could take advantage, because I was so eager, and I was like, ‘I’ll do it!’ ” she says. “On this one, (I said) ‘When you really don’t have to use me, please don’t,’ because it’s just things where my hair would cover my face anyway and … if Tobey’s not doing it, why do I have to do it?”

Dunst had collected some impressive credits before “Spider-Man.” As a child, she appeared opposite Tom Cruise in “Interview With the Vampire” (1994), and later was lauded for her performance in “The Virgin Suicides,” a tale of suburban dysfunction directed by Sofia Coppola.

Dunst made an even bigger impression as a vivacious cheerleader in “Bring It On,” a wholesome image she quickly dismantled by playing a wild teen in “Crazy/Beautiful.” But so far, her screen highlight is the now famous upside-down kiss from “Spider-Man.”

The sequel revisits the moment, but doesn’t try to re-create it. “You can’t top that kiss, and we didn’t try,” she says.

And there aren’t that many reasons for Peter and Mary Jane to kiss this time around. Their relationship is strained, and she starts going out with someone else.

“I’ve grown up, of course Mary Jane has grown up,” Dunst says, “and I think that’s reflected in the movie, and you see that she’s very much more mature than Peter. He’s kind of stayed juvenile because he doesn’t really have any social life.”

Dunst likes that her character is in control: “In this movie, she decides for them, which I’m really happy about. She’s the one pushing him to do things. And it’s usually the man in movies that … pushes the woman.”

And while Mary Jane is memorable, Dunst — who will next appear in the romantic comedy “Wimbledon” in the fall — doesn’t feel trapped in the role.

“Because I’ve changed, my character’s going to change and I feel like it’s evolved, and I don’t feel stuck at all,” she says.

The birthday bunch

Actress Katherine Helmond (“Who’s the Boss,” “Soap”) is 70. Actress Shirley Knight is 68. Musician Robbie Robertson is 61. Singer Huey Lewis is 54. Actress Edie Falco (“The Sopranos”) is 41. Rapper RZA is 35. Rapper Bizarre (D12) is 26.