“Spider-Man” (2002) is about the soft-spoken high school kid Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), who develops spider powers and learns that “with great power comes great responsibility.”
The film proved that superheroes could be appreciated by critics and became the first film to gross over $100 million during its opening weekend in the United States. It reignited the genre after flops like “Batman & Robin” (1997).
Director Sam Raimi's trilogy (2002-2007) paved the way for a 25-year superhero wave. It was thanks in part to Raimi that Marvel was able to launch its cinematic universe with "Iron Man" (2008) and that Christopher Nolan was able to make the "Dark Knight" trilogy.
Emo dance and "finger guns"
Raimi's 2004 "Spider-Man 2" is still considered by many critics to be the best superhero movie ever. Here, Spider-Man stops a runaway subway train and tries to find the balance between his relationship with Mary-Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and his role as a masked hero.
However, Spider-Man 3 (2007) is considered one of the worst films in the franchise, despite grossing more money than its predecessors. The film was mocked for
where Peter Parker “emo dances” and does “finger guns.”North Korea hacked Sony
After that, director Marc Webb (whose name means web) took the helm of a reboot, dubbed "The Amazing Spider-Man", with Andrew Garfield in the title role.
The two “Amazing” films (2012-2014) received negative reviews, and the second was a financial disappointment for Sony. When North Korea hacked the film company (which owns the film rights to Spider-Man) in 2014, sensitive emails were leaked in which Sony CEO Amy Pascal expressed strong concerns about the film series. Shortly afterwards, a collaboration with Marvel Studios began to weave Spider-Man into its larger film universe.
Tom Holland became Marvel's new Spider-Man - getting three solo films of his own but also supporting roles in "Avengers" and "Captain America".
In “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021), a so-called “multiverse” allows Spider-Man actors Maguire, Garfield, and Holland to meet. It is a reference to the classic meme where three animated Spider-Man versions point at each other, taken from the 1967 TV series “Spider-Man.”
The scene was appreciated, but it also illustrated how tangled the Spider's web had become. Some fans were starting to get tired.
Maybe “Brand New Day” - where the whole world has forgotten Spider-Man - can serve as a much-needed fresh start.
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" premieres in theaters on July 29.
Spider-Man was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko and debuted in Marvel's comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962, and became so popular that he got his own magazine the following year.
Teenage boy Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically modified spider and gains superhuman strength, speed, spider-sense, agility and the ability to climb walls. Unlike many previous superheroes, Parker was a teenager with everyday problems - bullying, studying and love - while also carrying the responsibilities of being a hero. Something that quickly made him one of Marvel's most beloved heroes.
In 25 years, Spider-Man has appeared in 14 films and been portrayed by many different actors.
"Spider-Man" (2002) - Tobey Maguire
"Spider-Man 2" (2004) - Tobey Maguire
"Spider-Man 3" (2007) - Tobey Maguire
"The Amazing Spider-Man" (2012) - Andrew Garfield
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (2014) - Andrew Garfield
"Captain America: Civil War" (2016) - Tom Holland
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017) - Tom Holland
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (2018) - Miles Morales (voice: Shameik Moore)
"Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) - Tom Holland
"Avengers: Endgame" (2019) - Tom Holland
"Spider-Man: Far From Home" (2019) - Tom Holland
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021) - Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" (2023) - Miles Morales (voice: Shameik Moore)
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" (2026) - Tom Holland
The "Spider-Man" films have collectively grossed tens of billions of kronor in cinemas worldwide and are some of the most successful superhero films of all time.
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
In 2018, not only the actors were changed, but also the hero behind the mask. From Peter Parker to Miles Morales, a black teenager from Brooklyn. The comic-book aesthetic and advanced animation were awarded an Oscar. The sequel “Across the Spider-Verse” was also a box-office success.
Sony's Spider-Man universe
After the success of the "Spider-Man" films, Sony wanted to build its own film universe, but since Marvel Studios had started using Spider-Man, Sony instead focused on supporting characters and villains that it still had the film rights to. For example, "Venom", "Madame Web" and "Morbius". The idea was that the characters would eventually be able to face Spider-Man, but plans changed after a weak reception for several of the titles and the universe was effectively closed after "Kraven the Hunter" (2024).
