When Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man movie came out in 2002, fans were unsure of what to expect. Sam Raimi is an excellent director, but superhero movies were still gaining traction. Audiences weren’t sure whether they would get something more like Blade, something more like X-Men, or something entirely new. When the movies started airing, it became clear Raimi’s Spider-Man was the latter.
The entire trilogy, though it finished in 2007, is still talked about to this day. With actors from the original trilogy now in talks to appear in the MCU alongside the two new iterations of Peter Parker from the silver screen since then, many fans are reflecting on just how good Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man really was.
10 Spider-Man, The Wrestler
When Peter Parker, as portrayed by Tobey Maguire in Sam Raimi’s trilogy, is still learning the ropes of his abilities, he tries out a few different options. One of those options for his powers is attempting to become a wrestler. In secret, Peter Parker makes himself a wrestling costume — little does he know, it’s a prototype for his Spider-Man suit — and tries to make money as a wrestler.
Of course, sadly, this kick starts a chain of events that will eventually end in the death of Peter’s Uncle Ben, played by Cliff Robertson. Peter blames himself for his death, and takes his advice to heart: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
9 The Madness Of The Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is arguably the main villain of the Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, but he is also a legacy character. Willem Dafoe kicks the character off as Norman Osborn in Spider-Man. The CEO of Oscorp turns into the madman, the Green Goblin.
He neglects his own son, Harry Osborn, in favor of mentoring Peter Parker instead. As Norman, he’s all about Peter; as the Green Goblin, he becomes all about Spider-Man, too. Willem Dafoe’s performance as the Green Goblin, in which he insisted on wearing the huge and heavy costume that came with it, truly elevates the character to the next level.
8 Harry Osborn’s Arc
Another shining performance in Spider-Man is James Franco as Harry Osborn. Not only that, but he’s an important character throughout the trilogy, and even takes up the mantle of his father’s supervillain, the Green Goblin. In Spider-Man, Harry swears he’s going to get revenge on Spider-Man for killing his dad. All the while, he leans on Peter, the only family he says he has left; little does he know, Peter is Spider-Man. In Spider-Man 2, Harry finds out that Peter is Spider-Man, experiencing an ultimate betrayal.
His father appears to him in a vision and begs for Harry to avenge him. By Spider-Man 3, Harry learns the truth of his father’s death, and he reconciles with Peter just in time to die. Tragic, but well-executed in the films overall.
7 Otto Octavius To Doc Ock
When Doctor Otto Octavius, played by Alfred Molina, is first introduced in Spider-Man 2, audiences immediately knew the character was in the right hands. Dr. Octavius is something of a friend and a mentor to Peter Parker, as he has not yet become a supervillain. However, at the beginning of the movie, Doctor Octavius uses huge robot tentacles that attach to his body to handle dangerous materials.
When his fusion reactor destabilizes during a public performance, he chooses not to stop, and the reactor explodes and kills his beloved wife. Alfred Molina absolutely nails the performance of a traumatized man so devastated by his own mistakes that he turns into a madman. His transformation from Doctor Octavius to Doctor Octopus, or Doc Ock, the supervillain, is beyond impressive.
6 Peter Parker Figures It Out
The second movie in the Spider-Man trilogy, Spider-Man 2, doesn’t just feature a wonderful performance by Alfred Molina. This is the film where Peter Parker really starts figuring things out. Partway through the movie, Peter comes to the realization that he’s not balancing his life as Spider-Man well with his life as Peter Parker. He abandons the role of Spider-Man, only to realize that isn’t quite right, either.
Peter may go through a horrible time, but this movie has a clear and well-written arc where Peter is able to manage both halves of his life. This arc is arguably what makes this movie so good that fans still reflect on it as one of the best superhero movies of all time.
5 The New Yorkers Protecting Spider-Man’s Identity
If Spider-Man 2 is the best superhero movie of all time, then there is one specific moment in this movie that might just be the best moment in all of superhero cinema. When Spider-Man is fighting Doc Ock, the cephalopod supervillain sabotages a New York City subway train, abandoning it to Spider-Man’s scrambling attempts to save it.
The train is moving too fast, it’s too huge, but Spider-Man still manages to stop the train and save everybody on board — though he loses consciousness. Though Peter lost his mask in the process, the passengers on the train catch him when he passes out, passing him back through the train until he’s safe. They promise they will never tell anyone his identity. This moment reminds fans why superheroes do what they do, and reminded Peter of exactly the same.
4 The Romance Between Peter And M.J.
M.J., also known as Mary Jane Watson, is always the love of Peter Parker’s life. Other characters like Gwen Stacy are wonderful, but when someone mentions Peter Parker, M.J. is always the partner people think of first. He certainly loves her, and she loves him deeply in return. In Spider-Man 2, she is with somebody else, briefly, which is part of what leads to Peter abandoning Spider-Man.
When Peter gets his life together, M.J., played by Kirsten Dunst, actually abandons her fiance at the altar to run to Peter instead, still in her wedding dress. Audiences still fondly remember the shot of M.J. arriving in Peter’s apartment in her dress.
3 The Frankenstein’s Monster Of Sandman
Spider-Man 3 may not be reflected upon kindly, but few can say that the movie isn’t fun. Thomas Haden Church’s performance as Flint Marko, also known as the villain Sandman, felt somewhat out of place in a movie that didn’t seem to have space for him, but he really did nail the role anyways. His Sandman is more of a Frankenstein’s Monster — somebody who audiences feel bad for, rather than outright fear. He only steals money to take care of his sick kid, and he gets accidentally turned into the Sandman. He regrets killing Uncle Ben, and Peter even forgives him before he dies. This storyline was not bad in an otherwise relatively messy movie.
2 Funny Peter Parker In Spider-Man 3
People may mock the way that Peter Parker acts in Spider-Man 3 after the Venom symbiote takes over his body but, love him or hate him, nobody can deny that fans are still talking about him. When Venom takes over Peter’s body, it turns him into something of a jerk. More than that, he thinks he’s much cooler than he is, and has an entire memorable sequence where he dances down the street. Ultimately, his jerk streak is ended and he removes the symbiote from his body. His corruption may end, but these moments will live on in fans’ memories eternally.
1 The Existence Of Tobey Maguire
Few can deny that Tobey Maguire was pretty much perfect casting for an adult Peter Parker. Tobey perfectly encapsulated Peter as he was written in the Sam Raimi trilogy, and it was almost impossible to recast when it came time to do so. The next time Peter Parker came on the silver screen, he was significantly younger, played by Andrew Garfield. Still later, and still younger, came Tom Holland, portraying the youngest Peter Parker in these three trilogies. H
owever, it seems that all three may be appearing on screen together in the new Spider-Man entry into the MCU. Fans who still love Tobey from the Sam Raimi trilogy eagerly await seeing his Peter Parker once again.