How to Watch Spider-Man: A Guide to All Superhero Movies

What was before 2002?

Spider-Man is thousands of comics, nine cartoons and dozens of video games. The number of undocumented appearances of the hero in films, TV shows and on various paraphernalia is incalculable. Even in the official world of Marvel, Spider-Man has dozens of cameo roles in comics about other characters, and Spider-Man himself has many alternative versions.

What should every superhero have? Of course, superpowers, dangerous enemies and love that you have to save from time to time. Over the long history (the first comic series The Amazing Spider-Man was launched in 1963), at least 60 villains managed to fight the Spider. With love, everything is no less confusing: Peter Parker was romantically linked with a dozen girls.

Spider-Man on the screen was remembered by the Russian viewer primarily for the animated series that aired from 1994 to 1998. It was in him that most of us first saw the Green Goblin, Venom, Doctor Octopus or Mysterio, as well as Peter Parker's girls: Mary Jane Watson and Felicia Hardy.

The early Spider-Man films are difficult to watch - none of them received serious awards or public love, they were distinguished by both weak drama and low-quality special effects. The true story of Spider-Man on the big screen began with a 2002 film directed by Sam Raimi.

What was the Sam Raimi trilogy like?

Performer of the role of Peter Parker: Tobey Maguire.
Peter Parker's girlfriend: Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst).
Spider-Man's enemies: Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, New Goblin, Sandman, Venom.

The narrative in the films of the original trilogy may seem too naive and peaceful over the years, happy ends too “Hollywood”, but who cares when the whole world with bated breath for the first time watched the flights of Spider-Man on the big screen?

The cast of the franchise can be called stellar: the main roles were played by Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe and James Franco, who at that time had not yet completely discredited himself with roles in dubious comedies.

Some coincidences seemed perfect at all: J. K. Simmons very organically got used to the role of Jay John Jameson - editor-in-chief of The Daily Bugle. Tobey Maguire did a great job in the role of loser Peter Parker, but did not seem convincing enough in the moments where the protagonist had to show the toughness and brashness of the Spider-Man captured by the symbiote.

The main drawback of Raimi's films for Spider-Man fans is the all too obvious gap between Peter Parker and his superhero alter ego.

Peter's weaknesses, like Spider's strengths, are exaggerated in the films of the first trilogy. The beauty of the original story is that Peter is who he is, even when wearing leotards. Raimi showed the classic story of the sample of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

All three films in the franchise have received positive reviews from critics and love from viewers. Despite significant discrepancies from the original comic book plot and excessive melodrama, Sam Raimi's trilogy is pleasant to revisit even 10 years after its completion.

Spiderman

Year: 2002.
IMDb: 7, 3.
What do you remember: the kiss of Spider-Man and Mary Jane and the first appearance of the Spider on the screen.

The film adaptations of Spider-Man combine the key moments set by the comics: the bite of a radioactive spider and the death of Uncle Ben. Sam Raimi's 2002 film was no exception, which opened the trilogy, which is still called the original.

In this film, Peter begins to build a relationship with Mary Jane Watson, fights petty criminals and enters into a confrontation with the Green Goblin - Norman Osborn, who is also the father of Parker's best friend. The final battle between Goblin and Spider-Man takes place on the bridge, where Peter is faced with a choice: to save his beloved or a cable car full of kids. Spoilers: everyone survives except Norman Osborn, Peter Parker and Mary Jane are happy in a relationship, Peter's friend Harry Osborn vows to avenge Spider-Man for his deceased father.

Spiderman 2

Year: 2004.
IMDb: 7, 3.
What do you remember: A scene with a train stopping heading for a cliff and Spider-Man as a pizza delivery man.

The second film of the original trilogy begins with a description of Peter Parker's problems: he is fired from his job, Mary Jane has left him and is going to marry a respected astronaut, and another failed experiment led to the birth of a new villain. This time it is Doctor Octopus - the monster that took possession of the body of the scientist Otto Octavius.

Compounding the picture is the betrayal of his best friend: Harry Osborn colludes with a deranged scientist, promising to provide him with tritium for experiments in exchange for Spider-Man. To facilitate the search for his father's killer, Osborn gives Octavius a tip: Peter Parker will help find the Spider. The octopus kidnaps Mary Jane in front of Peter, informing him that he will be waiting for Spider-Man.

Having managed to save the passengers of the train tending to the cliff, the Spider loses consciousness, which Doctor Octopus uses. He brings the hero's body to Harry Osborn and takes the tritium. Harry learns that his best friend is hiding under the guise of an object of revenge, and lets him go to the final battle in the laboratory of Dr. Octavius. Having failed to win the fight, Spider-Man tries to appeal to morality and the remnants of sanity in the once brilliant scientist. Attempts are paying off: Doctor Octopus drowns his installation and successfully self-destructs.

The film ends with a seed for the final part of the trilogy: Harry Osborn finds his father's secret laboratory in the house. It becomes clear - most likely, he will again blow the roof and his desire to take revenge on the Spider will flare up with renewed vigor in the next film. And Mary Jane, of course, runs away from the wedding and returns to Parker.

Spider-Man 3: The Enemy in Reflection

Year: 2007.
IMDb: 6, 2.
What do you remember: Peter Parker's hooligan bangs and the first two-on-two battle in the trilogy.

The beginning of the final part of the trilogy is going well for the hero Tobey Maguire: New Yorkers praise Spider-Man, and Peter Parker prepares to propose to Mary Jane. The level of well-being is proportional to the problems that the hero will face during the film: not only did Harry Osborn learn his father's equipment and become a full-fledged enemy of the Spider, but also Uncle Ben's killer escaped from prison, simultaneously turning into a new supervillain - the Sandman.

It feels like 90% of Peter Parker's problems are concentrated in this film. His costume is captured by black mucus of alien origin, under her power, the Spider becomes stronger and much more aggressive. The bad behavior imposed by the symbiote, an accidental kiss with Gwen Stacy, and Harry, who hurried in advance, led to Peter's separation from Mary Jane. Realizing the catastrophic consequences of actions performed in the power of the symbiote, Peter decides to get rid of the suit. The symbiote leaves Spider, but takes possession of Eddie Brock, a photographer who lost his job because of Peter Parker.

After becoming Venom, Eddie joins forces with Sandman and attacks Spider-Man. The spider is clearly losing the fight, but Harry comes to the rescue, learning that Peter did not actually kill his father. As a result of his injuries, Harry dies. The film ends with a happy ending with a note of sadness: Peter and Mary Jane are back together, but their friend is no longer with them.

What do you remember about Mark Webb's dilogy?

Performer of the role of Peter Parker: Andrew Garfield.
Peter Parker's girlfriend: Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone).
Spider-Man's enemies: Lizard, Electro, Reno, Green Goblin, Gustav Firs.

The Mark Webb Dilogy was planned as a four-film series, but after the release of two parts, Sony and Marvel decided to restart the franchise, removing the director and the previous cast.

Andrew Garfield perfectly coped with the role of the new Peter Parker, organically fit into the superhero alter ego of the character. Many people compared Webb's dilogy with the previous franchise, but there were quite a few differences: Parker's passion was Gwen Stacy performed by Emma Stone, and Spider regained a sense of humor (which fans of the animated series of 1994 liked).

Many were wary of Webb's dilogy. This happens when it comes to something dearly loved and that the film and cast team can easily spoil if they themselves are not saturated with such love. Fortunately, the people who worked on The Amazing Spider-Man really loved their job and were respectful of the canons set by the comics. In the film adaptation of Spider-Man, the noir element returned, Peter began to release cobwebs from cartridges, and Gwen Stacy died tragically at the end of the second part.

The new Spiderman

Year: 2012.
IMDb: 7, 0.
What do you remember: Spider's jokes about enemies and Andrew Garfield's basketball tricks.

The first film in the franchise begins with a traditional twist: the bite of a spider and the death of Uncle Ben. In addition, we learn about Peter Parker's crush on Gwen Stacy and get acquainted with the next element of the canon scenario: little Peter's farewell to his parents.

The Spider's enemy this time is the Lizard - the result of Dr. Curt Connors' failed experiment to regrow a lost hand. There is also an emphasis on Peter's confrontation with George Stacy, the police captain and Gwen's father.

The action of the film is less naive and more realistic than in the epic of Sam Raimi.

Parker really has to think: he's designing and upgrading a Spider-Man suit, creating launchers for throwing webs.

The enemy does not find him himself: Peter has to calculate his location.

The adaptations of Mark Webb do not end with classic happy ends: the Lizard is defeated, but George Stacy dies, and Peter breaks up with Gwen (although at the end of the film it becomes clear that they will still be together). The traditional Marvel Easter egg is the post-credits scene. It shows Kurt Connors' conversation with Gustav Fers: A gentleman asks a scientist if he told Parker the truth about his father.

The new Spiderman. High voltage

Year: 2014.
IMDb: 6, 7.
What do you remember: The Spider-Man suffering from the common cold and the tragic death of Gwen Stacy.

The first enemy of Peter was Alexey Sitsevich, who was trying to hijack the OsCorp van with plutonium. Attentive fans of Spider-Man immediately recognized him as a criminal, who would later turn into another monster - Reno.

The main rival of the Spider in the second part of the dilogy was the OsCorp Electrician Max Dillon, who fell into a container with genetically modified electric eels.

One of the key characters in the franchise, Harry Osborn, appears. This time, he does not even try to seem like a positive hero: becoming the head of OsCorp after the death of his father, he is rude to employees and has an unhealthy interest in the company's dubious developments. Upon learning that he is sick, he asks Peter Parker to get him the blood of Spider-Man.

Peter's refusal leads to the fact that Osborn finally flies out of the reels: removed from the management of OsCorp, he enters into a coalition with Electro and gains access to the secret developments of the company. Harry injects himself with a serum with spider venom, not knowing that for most people it is fatal (except for the blood relatives of Richard Parker), finds the armor and glider of the Green Goblin.

Gwen helps Spider win the final battle with Electro, but then the Green Goblin appears, harboring hatred for Peter. Spider-Man wins the battle, but fails to save Gwen.

What to expect from the new Spider-Man: Homecoming movie?

The premiere of the new film adaptation of Spider-Man will take place on July 6. The future is uncertain, but something about the upcoming film is already known.

The role of Peter Parker went to British actor Tom Holland. At the time of filming, Tom was only 20 years old: it is noticeable that the Spiders are getting younger with each franchise.

Holland previously played Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. It is noteworthy that the experience of a gymnast and hip-hop dancer helped the actor perform many of the most difficult tricks on his own, as told by the journalists of KinoPoisk.

Spider-Man's relationship with the heroes of the Marvel Universe will become closer. This is evidenced by the frequent mentions of "The Avengers" in the trailers of the film and the presence of Robert Downey Jr. in it. Obviously, the relaunch of Spider-Man is driven by Marvel's desire to pool its superhero capital, and what benefits this will bear is yet to be seen.

The main antagonist of Homecoming will be the Vulture. Michael Keaton will play the role of Adrian Tooms, the first creator of the Flying Villain costume. Also, judging by the cast of the film, in the new "Spider-Man" may appear Shocker performed by Bokim Woodbine.

"Coming Home" will be directed by the young American director John Watts. Subsequent films can hardly be counted among the "Watts franchise": other directors are assigned to future films. It is also unknown whether there will be a separate epic dedicated to Spider-Man - after all, Marvel is trying very hard to integrate Spider into their universe, not trying to give him the first roles.

The new Avengers, where Spider is expected to appear in a cameo role, is slated to premiere in 2018. In the same year, the next solo film dedicated to Spider-Man is scheduled to be released - "Venom". This time, the villain captured by the symbiote will be played by Tom Hardy, and Ruben Fleischer, best known for his work on the film "Welcome to Zombieland", has already been appointed director. The expected rating of Venom is R, which hints that we will be shown an adult and rather dark film adaptation of Spider-Man.

Also in the fall of 2018, the release of the "female" spin-off of "Spider-Man" under the working title Silver & Black is scheduled. Silver and Black refer to the two Marvel heroines: Silver Sable and Black Cat.