The Bully Maguire meme sweeping the internet inserts Tobey Maguire from Spider-Man 3 into various clips from unrelated films from franchises such as Star Wars and the MCU. While Maguire's weird dance moves have been good for a laugh, Star Wars fans have answered it with their own dancing meme: Uncle Luke.
Uploaded by a user who goes by LEYW on Reddit, the Uncle Luke fan edit shows a dancing Luke Skywalker, portrayed by Mark Hamill, taking on Kylo Ren during the climax of The Last Jedi. Like Bully Maguire, Uncle Luke overcomes his enemy through the sheer power of trolling, irritating his opponents while remaining ahead in battle.
The Uncle Luke clip opens up with Kylo Ren commanding his fleet of AT-ATs to attack a youthful Skywalker, who is able to withstand the bombardment, while singing and dancing to "When You Wish Upon A Star." After the first barrage of laser fire subsides, an older Skywalker appears and withstands another round of blasts, while changing up his movements to the tune of a jazz-infused hip-hop beat.
Fans have also edited Bully Maguire into this scene, as Peter Parker pulls off some hysterical dance moves to James Brown's "People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul." During the clip Parker eggs Kylo Ren on by stating "You're trash, Ben," referencing the character's birth name, Ben Solo.
Bully Maguire was initially known as Emo Peter Parker, a name fans coined to poke fun at the symbiote-infected Spider-Man's altered appearance and behavior in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3. Typically, Peter Parker is known for his nerdy clothing and shy demeanor, but Emo Peter Parker sported side-cut bangs, an assortment of dark clothing and a penchant for dancing in public. The first popular use of the alternative name Bully Maguire appeared in video edits created by YouTuber Aldo Jones in 2018, but the term gained increased traction this September following the release of several Avengers: Endgame remixes.
Unlike Bully Maguire, the clips with Uncle Luke use a couple of lesser-known moments from Hamill's career. His younger appearance is from a Season 4 episode of The Muppet Show focusing on Star Wars that was recorded in 1980. Meanwhile, the older dancing Hamill is from a promotional clip for GQ's 2017 Men of The Year Awards. These moments from Hamill's career highlight what people love about the actor, including his humility, positive response to fans and appreciation for Star Wars, the series that launched his career.
While Bully Maguire's longevity as a meme is definitely admirable, Uncle Luke's goofiness is more charming thanks to Hamill's lovable attitude. It'll be interesting to see if these characters are remixed into new scenes from the Star Wars franchise, or perhaps it's time for Uncle Luke to hyperdrive into the world of the MCU. Either way, Uncle Luke is a worthy successor to Bully Maguire.