| Peter Parker | |
|---|---|
| Sam Raimi'sSpider-Manand Marvel Cinematic Universe character | |
 Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker / Spider-Man inSpider-Man 3 (2007) | |
| First appearance | Spider-Man (2002) |
| Last appearance | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)[1] |
| Based on | |
| Adapted by | |
| Portrayed by | Tobey Maguire |
| Voiced by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Spider-Man |
| Nicknames |
|
| Species | Human mutate |
| Occupation |
|
| Affiliation | Daily Bugle |
| Weapon | Organic webbing |
| Family |
|
| Significantother | Mary Jane Watson |
| Origin | Queens, New York City, U.S. |
Peter Benjamin Parker, also known by hisalter egoSpider-Man, is asuperhero portrayed byTobey Maguire, based on theMarvel Comicscharacter of the same name. He is theprotagonist ofSam Raimi'sSpider-Man (2002) as well as its sequels,Spider-Man 2 (2004) andSpider-Man 3 (2007). Maguire also voiced the character in the trilogy's tie-in video games. He reprised his role as a supporting character in the MCU filmSpider-Man: No Way Home (2021), appearing as an older version of himself alongside his two successors' versions of the character. To distinguish himself from the two other versions of himself, he is nicknamed "Peter-Two" by them, referred to by Marvel's official website as theFriendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and in the film's script as "Raimi-Verse Peter" and "Raimi-Verse Spider-Man" (in honor of Sam Raimi).[3][4][5]
The narrative of Raimi's trilogy focuses on Peter's origins as Spider-Man. Adopting the mantle after the death of his uncle Ben Parker in a robbery, he becomes an icon to the people ofNew York City, but his duty as a superhero proves physically and emotionally taxing and often clashes with desires in his personal life, causing the decline of his college performance, a strained relationship with his childhood best friendHarry Osborn (due to Spider-Man inadvertently causingHarry's father's death) and a turbulent, often unfeasible relationship withMary Jane Watson, Parker's childhood crush. Additionally, he struggles in his employment, particularly as a freelance photographer for theDaily Bugle where he is frequently libelled with defamatory articles by the snarky and abrasive editor-in-chiefJ. Jonah Jameson, who despises Spider-Man. Parker's secret life leads to encounters with varioussuperhuman criminals such asGreen Goblin andDoctor Octopus, whose actions threaten the peace and lives of civilians in New York City.
Maguire was cast as the character in 2000[6] following his screen test, being Raimi's first choice for the role after impressing inThe Cider House Rules (1999). Maguire began his physical training for Spider-Man, and even sought to learn the typical movements of spiders in his spare time.[7] Costume designerJames Acheson began forming several concepts for Spider-Man's suit designs and claimed that the suit left Maguire feeling claustrophobic, preferring only to wear the suit if a scene did not require him to put on the mask.[8] Maguire's portrayal of the character has received praise from critics and fans alike, including fromAndrew Garfield andTom Holland, his successors in the role. Raimi's trilogy and Maguire's portrayal of Spider-Man are credited with contributing to the rise of superhero films in the 2000s. A number of video game adaptations were attributed to the character from Raimi's trilogy, alongsidean animated series that was designed to be set within the same continuity.
David Koepp is the originalscreenwriter of the character outside of many attempted scripts to bring to life aSpider-Manfilm.[9] Maguire was cast as Peter in July 2000,[10] having been Raimi's primary choice for the role after he sawThe Cider House Rules.[11] The studio was initially hesitant to cast some actors, asLeonardo DiCaprio,Freddie Prinze Jr.,Jude Law,Zach Braff,Chris O'Donnell,Chris Klein,Wes Bentley andHeath Ledger,[12][13] whileJake Gyllenhaal (who almost replaced Maguire from his injuries, and later cast asMysterio inSpider-Man: Far From Home) was considered for the role in the second film,[14] who did not seem to fit the ranks of "adrenaline-pumping, tail-kicking titans,"[10] but Maguire managed to impress studio executives with his audition. The actor was signed for a deal in the range of $3 to $4 million with higher salary options for two sequels.[10] Maguire was trained by a physical trainer, a yoga instructor, a martial arts expert, and a climbing expert, taking several months to improve his physique.[15]
Following the success of the first film, 2003 saw disparaging scenes between lead actor Tobey Maguire and the executives of distributor companySony, as Maguire was close to being released from his contract following a dispute between the pair. Maguire had finished filming a now multi nominatedOscar production in the form ofSeabiscuit, and had complained of the physical strain during his last two films. Sony executives believed that this was merely "part of Maguire's negotiating tactics", as a last attempt to bargain for a more lucrative paycheck, a statement quickly dismissed by Maguire's publicist.[16] His role was offered to Gyllenhaal, but Maguire was able to secure the role with the help of his then-girlfriendJennifer Meyer’s fatherRonald Meyer. Maguire later admitted that his behavior toward the situation—thinking the studio would make accommodations for him—was “inappropriate” and that he had learned his lesson.[17]
Remaining a constant in all the rewrites was the "organic web shooter" idea from the Cameron "scriptment."[18] Raimi felt he would stretch the audience'ssuspension of disbelief too far to have Peter invent mechanical web shooters.[15]
Following the release of the third installment of the series, and its subsequent success at the box office, the now billion-dollar franchise had been put into disarray, after director Sam Raimi had become unhappy with the script of his plannedSpider-Man 4, leaving the movie to fall past its projected May 2011 release date. Further details were released after a statement made by Raimi explaining "the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job". Later reports confirmed that both Maguire and Raimi had left their respective roles. Sony proceeded with a reboot of the series titledThe Amazing Spider-Man, starringAndrew Garfield asPeter Parker. The reboot was released in the United States on July 3, 2012.[19][20][21][22]
In December 2017,Phil Lord and Christopher Miller said that an adult Peter Parker / Spider-Man would appear in the 2018 animated feature filmSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as a mentor toMiles Morales.[23] In February 2019, Maguire was confirmed to have been considered to be cast to reprise his role from the Sam RaimiSpider-Man trilogy, but the idea was dropped so as not to confuse the audience with the concept of the "Spider-Verse", withJake Johnson cast in his place in April 2018;[24] despite this, references throughout the film and an archival recording ofCliff Robertson asUncle Ben fromSpider-Man 2 are used to indicate Johnson's portrayal of Parker to still be the similar incarnation as Maguire's.[25]
Following the release ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, after Garfield was allegedly let go of the role of Spider-Man according to documents released in the aftermath of the 2014Sony Pictures hack,[26] leaked information from the hack indicated Sony to have previously been in talks withSam Raimi to have him directSpider-Man vs. The Amazing Spider-Man, amultiversalcrossover film featuring Garfield's Spider-Man encounterTobey Maguire's Spider-Man (with Maguire reprising his role), as well as a new film trilogy starring Maguire (following Garfield's firing) as a middle-aged Spider-Man;[27][28] and to also be in talks withMarvel Studios about integrating arebooted version of Spider-Man into theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), beginning withCaptain America: Civil War (2016), a deal was reached in early 2015 between the two studios to make the latter official, effectively cancellingThe Amazing Spider-Man franchise.[29]
Despite both reboots of the Spider-Man film series, Maguire reprises his role inSpider-Man: No Way Home (2021), a film set in the MCU, appearing alongside Garfield's iteration of the character as asupporting character to thenew MCU iteration of Spider-Man played byTom Holland.[30] It was reported in 2020 that Maguire would reprise his role as his version of Peter Parker alongside the other cinematic iterations of the character in the third MCU Spider-Man film;[31] however, these reports were never confirmed bySony orMarvel Studios and publicly denied by both Holland and Garfield several times prior to the film's release.[32][33]
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AlthoughSpider-Man's suit wound up being faithful to theSpider-Mancomics, many designs were made. One concept that costume designerJames Acheson became fond of was the idea of having a red emblem over a black costume. Another, which would eventually lead to the final product, featured an enlarged logo on the chest and red stripes going down the sides of the legs.[34] To create Spider-Man's costume, Maguire was fitted for the skintight suit, being covered with layers of substance to create the suit's shape.[35] It was designed as a single piece, including the mask. A hard shell was worn underneath the mask to make the shape of the head look better and to keep the mask tight while keeping the wearer comfortable. For scenes where he would take off his mask, an alternate suit where the mask was a separate piece was made. The webbing, which accented the costume, was cut by computer. The mask's eye-lenses were designed to have a mirror look.[36] Dykstra said the biggest difficulty of creating Spider-Man was that as the character was masked, it immediately lost a lot of characterization. Without the context of eyes or mouth, a lot of body language had to be put in so that there would be emotional content. Raimi wanted to convey the essence of Spider-Man as being "the transition that occurs between him being a young man going through puberty and being a superhero." Dykstra said his crew of animators had never reached such a level of sophistication until giving subtle hints of making Spider-Man feel like a human being.[37] When two studio executives were shown shots of the computer-generated character, they believed it was actually Maguire performing stunts.[34]
Costume designer James Acheson made numerous subtle changes to Spider-Man's costume inSpider-Man 2, although keeping the design relatively the same. The colors were made richer and bolder. The spider emblem was given more elegant lines and enlarged, the eye-lenses were somewhat smaller, and the muscle suit underneath was made into pieces, to give a better sense of movement. The helmet Maguire wore under his mask was also improved, with better movement for the false jaw and magnetic eyepieces, which were easier to remove.[38]
InSpider-Man 3, Peter has two variations of his suit: his traditional one and one colored in black that forms due to analien symbiote bonding to him. The symbiote suit worn in the comics by Spider-Man was a plain black affair with a large white spider on the front and back. Initially, the design for the symbiote suit for the film was made of latex and looked more faithful to the one in the comics, but it was rejected by the producers. The final design was changed for the film to become a black version of Spider-Man's traditional costume, complete with webbingmotif. It also had a slightly different spider symbol. As a consequence of this, the suitTopher Grace wore as Venom also bore the webbing motif; as producerGrant Curtis noted, "it's the Spider-Man suit, but twisted and mangled in its own right."[39] Additionally, the motif gave a sense of life to the symbiote, giving it the appearance of gripping onto the character's body.[40]
"The most important thing Peter right now has to learn is that this whole concept of him as the avenger or him as the hero, he wears this red and blue outfit, with each criminal he brings to justice he's trying to pay down this debt of guilt he feels about the death ofUncle Ben. He considers himself a hero and a sinless person versus these villains that he nabs. We felt it would be a great thing for him to learn a little less black and white view of life and that he's not above these people."
The first film characterizes Peter Parker as an intelligent, bookish, and level-headed yet lonely and isolated teenager, focusing on his personality as a shy and bashful outsider before he gains his powers and subsequent struggles of deciding between using his newfound abilities for personal gain or for the betterment of others. By overcoming these struggles, Peter uses his abilities to help people after his uncle Ben is killed by a robber during a robbery, for which Peter was indirectly responsible. Inspired by Ben's last words, Peter is motivated to use his super-human abilities for a more noble cause under the persona of a masked vigilante: "Spider-Man".[42] However, even after taking up the persona of Spider-Man, Peter still retains his socially-inept, awkward and dorky, yet endearingly good-hearted nature, and develops a sarcastic and witty sense of humor in his Spider-Man guise. Peter deals with all his personal struggles, all while wrestling with his feelings for his childhood crush and close friendMary Jane Watson and handling his close relationship with his best friendHarry Osborn.
InSpider-Man 2, directorSam Raimi felt that the film had to thematically explore Peter's internal conflict with his personal wants against his responsibility, the positives and negatives of his chosen path, and how he ultimately decides that he can be happy as a heroic figure.[38][43] Raimi stated the story was partly influenced bySuperman II, which also explored the titular hero giving up his responsibilities.[44] The sequel's story is mainly taken from the comic book seriesThe Amazing Spider-Man No. 50, "Spider-Man No More!"[38] According to Raimi, Peter Parker's story is about "a life out of balance". Peter is caught between a life where he tries to help people and atone for his uncle's death with his Spider-Man alter-ego and another where he tries to balance his studies, occupation as a photographer and his relationship with his family and friends. Peter acknowledges that he cannot be with Mary Jane without endangering her, due to his Spider-Man alter-ego; fearing that if his enemies would ever find out about his true identity, they would target his loved ones. As a result, Peter distances himself from Mary Jane, but eventually rekindles his relationship with her after she finds out about his dual life, and struggles he has faced.[45]
InSpider-Man 3, Raimi intended to further develop Peter's character with the planned film focusing on Peter learning that he is not a sinless vigilante and that there can also be humanity in those he considers criminals, especially as theVenom symbiote brings out the darker aspects of Peter's personality upon bonding with him.[41] Raimi himself quoted: "The most important thing Peter right now has to learn is that this whole concept of him as the avenger or him as the hero, he wears this red and blue outfit, with each criminal he brings to justice he's trying to pay down this debt of guilt he feels about the death of Uncle Ben. He considers himself a hero and a sinless person versus these villains that he nabs. We felt it would be a great thing for him to learn a little less black and white view of life and that he's not above these people."[41] Raimi based his ideas out of the original comic books.[38][43][45]
Peter is introduced as an 18-year-old shy, bespectacled outsider atMidtown High School in New York City with a longtime crush on his neighborMary Jane Watson, during the year 2002. Prior to a school field trip toColumbia University, Peter meets up with his best friendHarry Osborn, who introduces him to his fatherNorman, the CEO ofOscorp whom Peter idolizes. As Peter, Harry, Mary Jane, and their classmates tour a genetics laboratory at the university, Mary Jane notes one of 15genetically modified super-spiders in an exhibit missing. The spider in question drops onto Peter as he takes a picture of MJ for the school newspaper and bites him. Peter falls ill upon returning home and passes out in his room.
The next morning, Peter finds he is no longernear-sighted and that his body is now at peak physical condition. He also discovers he has developed spider-like superpowers, which allow him to avoid injury during a confrontation with rival and bullyFlash Thompson, Mary Jane's ex-boyfriend, and Peter knocks Flash out with one punch, though he later apologizes to Mary Jane for the confrontation. After noticing Flash's new car, Peter considers impressing Mary Jane with his own car. Brushing off hisUncle Ben's advice that "with great power comes great responsibility", he enters an undergroundwrestling tournament to raise the money and wins his first match, but the promoter cheats him of his earnings. When a robber suddenly robs the promoter's office, Peter retaliates against the promoter by allowing the robber to escape. Moments later, he discovers Ben was carjacked and killed with a pistol. Enraged, Peter pursues and confronts the carjacker, only to realize it was the robber he let escape. After Peter disarms him, the carjacker attempts to flee but dies after falling out a window.
Upon graduating, Peter, finally taking Ben's words to heart out of guilt, begins using his abilities to fight crime, donning a costume and the persona ofSpider-Man. This does not impressJ. Jonah Jameson, publisher of theDaily Bugle newspaper, and he begins a smear campaign against the wall-crawler. Jameson hires Peter as a freelance photographer, as Peter is the only person providing clear images of Spider-Man. Peter moves into an apartment with Harry paid for by Norman upon starting college. He keeps his identity as Spider-Man secret from Harry, who likewise keeps his dating relationship with Mary Jane, who had broken up with Flash, a secret from Peter until she reveals it to him.
Peter is assigned by Jameson to take pictures at the World Unity Fair, which Mary Jane and Harry attend together with the Oscorp board of directors. Suddenly, theGreen Goblin, who is actually Norman with a crazed second personality, attacks the fair and assassinates the board of directors, endangering Mary Jane and Harry. Peter changes into his Spider-Man suit, saving several civilians from the Goblin and defeats him, before rescuing Mary Jane after she falls from a balcony. The Goblin takes note of Spider-Man and proposes a truce to work together. When Spider-Man later refuses, the two fight in a burning building, leaving Spider-Man with a cut on his arm, though he does defeat his enemy again before making his escape.
DuringThanksgiving dinner with Peter, hisAunt May, Mary Jane, and Harry, Norman notices the cut on Peter's arm and deduces his secret identity as Spider-Man. He later attacks and hospitalizes May in an attempt to "attack [Peter]'s heart". While visiting Peter and May at the hospital, Mary Jane admits to Peter she is infatuated with Spider-Man, who saved her once again from thugs in an alley, and she asks Peter if Spider-Man had ever asked about her. As Peter indirectly reveals his feelings for her, Harry walks in on the two as they are holding hands. Devastated, Harry confides in his father that Mary Jane loves Peter, inadvertently revealing Spider-Man's true weakness. The Goblin kidnaps MJ and holds her and aRoosevelt Island Tramway car full of children hostage along theQueensboro Bridge, forcing Spider-Man to choose whom to save before dropping them. Peter saves both with assistance from a tugboat as the Goblin is jeered by the civilians who side with Spider-Man.
The Goblin grabs Peter, throws him into an abandoned building, and brutally beats him. When Goblin boasts about how he will later kill Mary Jane, an enraged Peter overpowers Goblin. Norman, however, reveals himself to Peter by taking off his helmet, much to the shock of Peter. Norman begs for mercy, trying to reason that his Goblin personality made him commit crime, but is still under the control of the Goblin, who directs the jet glider to stab Peter. Continuing his act, he asks Peter to embrace him but Peter refuses. Furious, Goblin sends his glider at him, but warned by his spider-sense, Peter dodges the attack, and the glider fatally impales Norman and Goblin instead. With his dying breath, Norman asks Peter not to reveal his identity as the Green Goblin to Harry and then dies. Peter returns Norman's body to the Osborn house and hides the Goblin's suit and equipment, but Harry arrives to find him standing over his father's body. Harry seizes a gun, intent on shooting Spider-Man, but he escapes.
At Norman's funeral, Harry swears vengeance toward Spider-Man, whom he deems responsible for his father's death, and asserts that Peter is all the family he has left. Mary Jane confesses to Peter she is in love with him. Peter, however, feels he must protect her from the unwanted attention of his enemies, so he hides his true feelings and tells Mary Jane that they can only be friends. As Peter leaves the funeral, he recalls Ben's words and accepts his responsibility as Spider-Man.
Two years later (2004), Peter struggles to maintain his personal life while serving as Spider-Man, getting fired from a second job he takes as apizza delivery boy while also struggling with his studies at Columbia University and finances. He is also growing distant from his two friends, Harry and Mary Jane, who have found success as the new CEO of Oscorp and aBroadway actress, respectively, and discovers Aunt May is facingforeclosure of her home after his surprise birthday party.
Harry introduces Peter to his idolDr. Otto Octavius, whose research Oscorp is funding, prior to a demonstration of Octavius' work onfusion power. During the demonstration, Octavius dons a harness with four robotic arms andartificial intelligence. Despite a successful start, the demonstration becomes unstable. Octavius ignores Harry's demands to shut it off while Peter dons his suit to unplug it, but not before the resulting explosion kills Octavius' wife and assistant Rosalie and fuses the harness to his spine, also destroying the inhibitor chip that keeps Octavius in control of the arms.
As Peter and May go to a bank to argue against her foreclosure, Octavius, now increasingly influenced by the arms and dubbed "Doctor Octopus" or "Doc Ock" by Jameson, robs the bank in an attempt to finance a second attempt at his experiment. Peter dons his suit again and takes on Doc Ock as he holds May hostage. Spider-Man manages to rescue May despite letting Doc Ock flee with the money. After discovering that Mary Jane is getting engaged to Jameson's sonJohn and getting into a fight with a drunken Harry during a party, Peter suffers an emotional breakdown over his inability to balance his life, losing his powers as a result. He decides to give up being Spider-Man after consulting with a doctor, throwing away his suit, which a garbage man discovers and delivers to Jameson.
Peter begins to succeed in his studies and turn his life around, beginning to mend his friendship with Mary Jane. He also reveals to Aunt May his role in inadvertently causing Uncle Ben's death, though May forgives him after initial shock. While Peter helps May move out of her home, she advises him about the hope Spider-Man gives to the people in spite of the sacrifices he must make. This encourages Peter to attempt a comeback as Spider-Man due toincreased crime in New York, though his powers remain lost.
Octavius visits Harry and threatens him to give him the isotopetritium. Harry agrees in exchange for Spider-Man, and tells Octavius to seek Peter, who Harry believes is friends with Spider-Man, but tells Octavius not to harm him. As Mary Jane invites Peter to a café to discuss whether or not he loves her, Octavius locates Peter, tells him to find Spider-Man, and captures Mary Jane. Her endangerment leads to Peter's powers returning. As Jameson admits that he was wrong about Spider-Man, Peter steals his suit back from theBugle (which causes Jameson to immediately recant his statements) and goes after Octavius. As Peter battles Octavius, they fall onto aNew York City Subway train. Octavius sabotages the controls and leaves Peter to save the passengers, which he does at a great physical toll. When he faints from exhaustion, the grateful passengers save him from falling and bring him into the train, seeing his unmasked face but promising to keep their knowledge hidden. They unsuccessfully try to protect him when Octavius returns to capture Peter, whom Octavius delivers to Harry.
After giving Octavius the tritium, Harry prepares to kill Spider-Man, only to be shocked to see Peter under the mask. Peter convinces Harry to direct him to Octavius' lair, as bigger things are at stake. As Peter arrives at the doctor's waterfront laboratory and attempts to rescue Mary Jane discreetly, Octavius discovers him, and they battle as the nuclear reaction swells and starts threatening the city. Peter ultimately subdues Octavius, reveals his identity, and persuades Octavius to let his dream go for the greater good. A redeemed Octavius commands the tentacles to obey him, and gives his life to destroy the experiment.[c] Mary Jane sees Peter's true identity and feelings, which he says is why they cannot be together. Peter returns Mary Jane to John and leaves. However, Mary Jane leaves John at the altar during their wedding and runs to Peter's apartment, declaring she is willing to accept any risks that come with being in a relationship with Peter. The two finally become a couple, and Mary Jane sees Peter off as he swings into action as Spider-Man to assist emergency services.
A year and a half later (2005), Peter finally finds stability and success in both his personal life and exploits as Spider-Man. He and Mary Jane are happily dating, and after attending her performance in a new play, he spends time with her atCentral Park. A meteor lands nearby and agoo-like alien symbiote oozes out and attaches itself to Peter'smoped. After sending Mary Jane home, he talks to Aunt May, who gives him the engagement ring given to her by Uncle Ben, about proposing to Mary Jane. On his way home, Peter is ambushed by Harry, who has utilized his father's equipment and Goblin serum and intends on avenging Norman's death, despite Peter mentioning the truth of Norman's demise. An aerial chase ensues, resulting in Harry getting knocked out cold when Peter sets a trap for him. Having sufferedamnesia and forgotten his vendetta against Spider-Man, Harry wakes up in the emergency room, re-embracing Peter and Mary Jane as his best friends.
Mary Jane is upset by a negative review of her performance, and Peter unsuccessfully tries to relate to her using his experience as Spider-Man. She later neglects to inform him when she loses her role in the play. At work at theDaily Bugle, Peter finds that a rival freelance photographer,Eddie Brock, has also begun taking pictures of Spider-Man and Jameson pits the two photographers against each other for a staff job. He later finds out about a ceremony in which Spider-Man would be given thekey to the city for rescuingGwen Stacy, the daughter ofNYPD commissionerGeorge Stacy and also Peter's college lab partner. Peter, who dons his suit and persona for the ceremony, basks in the crowd's cheers and gives Gwen an upside-down kiss reminiscent of his first kiss with Mary Jane. This upsets Mary Jane, leading to an argument with Peter, who postpones his plans to propose to her.
Peter also encountersFlint Marko, also known as "Sandman". Upon discovering that Marko was the one who fatally shot Ben, not the carjacker as previously believed, Peter develops a vendetta against Marko and upon falling asleep while listening to police radio, the symbiote oozes out from Peter's closet and bonds with his suit, turning it black. Empowered by the new suit's abilities and with his anger amplified, Peter dons it while confronting Marko in the subway tunnels, leading to Marko's apparent demise when a deluge of water reduces him to mud. When Peter tells May about Marko's apparent death at Spider-Man's hands, she is not amused and warns him about the adverse effects of revenge.
Meanwhile, Harry regains his memory and vendetta after experiencing a flood of emotions triggered by spending time with Mary Jane. Experiencing another vision of his father, who entices him to attack Peter's heart, Harry forces Mary Jane into breaking up with Peter and claiming she had "fallen in love with someone else". Harry claims to Peter he is the "other guy", enraging Peter, who later confronts Harry at his penthouse wearing the black suit underneath. The former friends engage in a brutal fistfight and Peter emerges on top, bullying Harry by mocking his relationship with his father. Harry throws a pumpkin bomb at Peter in a last-ditch attack, but Peter effortlessly throws the bomb back at Harry's face and leaves.
Peter thwarts an attempt by Eddie to claim the job at theBugle, leading to Brock's dismissal and subsequent falling out with Gwen, whom he was dating at the time. Peter then gains the staff job with his own picture of Spider-Man, and under influence from the symbiote, begins to act more arrogantly. He takes Gwen to a jazz club where Mary Jane had taken up work and interrupts her performance with his own dance routine. Gwen catches onto Peter's true intentions and leaves, and the resulting fight with the club's bouncers results in Peter inadvertently hitting Mary Jane when she intervenes. Coming to his senses after he sees a horrified Mary Jane, Peter leaves and gets rid of the symbiote suit by utilizing church bells to stun the symbiote. The symbiote falls onto and bonds with Brock, who, unbeknownst to Peter, is at the church praying forGod to kill him. This creates a new enemy, Venom, as Brock now knows Spider-Man's secret identity.
After May visits Peter encouraging him not to give up on Mary Jane, Venom and Sandman join forces against Spider-Man, kidnapping Mary Jane and dangling her from a skyscraper construction site to get Peter's attention. Peter pleads with Harry to help him, but a broken-spirited Harry, whose face was disfigured from the bomb, declines. Peter encounters Venom in his regular suit and tries to free Mary Jane but is ambushed by Sandman. As Peter is savagely beaten by Sandman, Harry, having discovered the truth of his father's death, arrives in his New Goblin persona to aid his old friend. Peter and Harry form a formidable tandem, defeating Sandman and rescuing Mary Jane, but face difficulty in subduing Venom, who attempts to impale Peter with Harry's glider, but Harry takes the blade for Peter, much to the latter's horror. Remembering the symbiote's weakness to sound, Peter weakens Venom by creating sonic frequencies and pulls Eddie out from the symbiote, preparing to destroy it with a bomb, but Eddie jumps back to the symbiote and is killed with it when the bomb explodes.
Marko re-emerges behind Peter and explains that Ben's death was an accident rooted in a desperate attempt to save his terminally-ill daughter's life, and that this accident has haunted him since. Recognizing his own mistakes and believing that Marko is being truthful, Peter forgives Marko and allows him to escape. He swings down to a mortally-wounded Harry, who is tended to by Mary Jane. Peter expresses remorse for hurting Harry but Harry forgives him and they reaffirm their friendship before Harry dies from his injuries. Peter and Mary Jane cry over Harry's death. Peter and Mary Jane attend Harry's funeral with several others and later begin to repair their relationship.
19 years after Harry's death, Peter (dubbed "Peter-Two" during the events of the film) is accidentally transported toEarth-616 due toDoctor Strange's interrupted attempt to cast a spell to restore the secret identity of that universe'sPeter Parker (dubbed "Peter-One") after it was exposed byMysterio.[d] Unbeknownst to Peter, Norman, Octavius,[c] and Marko were also transported to this universe, among other villains from another universe. While there, Peter findsanother alternate version of himself transported from another universe (dubbed "Peter-Three"), who helps him console Peter-One after the death of his Aunt May at the hands of Norman's Goblin persona. Peter mentions that he lost Uncle Ben and regretted pursuing the man he thought killed him, warning Peter-One that killing the Goblin will not help him cope with May's death, but Peter-One was averse to listening.
The three Spider-Men work on cures for each of their villains. While working on the cures, Peter mentions to Peter-Three that his relationship with Mary Jane became complicated due to his double identity but they eventually made it work after a long time. After creating the cures, they lure the villains towards theStatue of Liberty. During the skirmish, they fight Marko, as well asMax Dillon and an alternate version ofCurt Connors who had turned into a monstrous Lizard (from Peter-Three's universe). Peter cures Marko and happily reunites with an already-cured Octavius, who steps in to help the three Peters. Peter later witnesses an enraged Peter-One attempting to kill the Goblin, but stops him from doing so. The Goblin stabs Peter in the back as the alternate Peters give Norman the anti-serum, curing him of crazed Goblin persona for good. After all of the villains are defeated and cured, Peter says goodbye to his alternate selves, as he, Peter-Three, and the villains are returned to their home universes.[e]
This version of Peter appears in the comicsSpider-Man 3: Movie Prequel andSpider-Man 3: The Black, the latter of which expands the birth of Venom after Peter rejects the symbiote.
Although he does not physically appear, this version of Parker is referenced in the Marvel Comics eventSpider-Verse which featured many interpretations of the character from many different media. Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man is mentioned as resembling "the guy fromSeabiscuit", a film which Maguire also stars in.[46]
"What made Maguire's Spidey so great, though, wasn't how he portrayed the soaring superhero, but rather the humanity and downright dorkiness that was his Peter Parker, the ['man'] half of Spider-Man.
Maguire's portrayal of the character has received a largely positive critical reception. The actor's performance and portrayal of Spider-Man, along with Sam Raimi's characterization of the character, was subject to much of the praise towards Sam Raimi'sSpider-Man film trilogy; being cited as true to theSpider-Man mythos as through capturing the socially-inept, endearingly awkward and nerdy aspects of the character's personality, along with his underlying humanity, internal conflicts, relatability and struggles with his dual alter-ego and his normal life, praising the well-rounded, character-driven and faithful take on the titular character.The Hollywood Reporter placed Maguire's portrayal of Spider-Man as the tenth greatestsuperhero film portrayal of all time.[59]Entertainment Weekly placed him as the tenth coolest hero of all time.[60] Andrew Garfield, his successor to the role, has described Maguire as "my Spider-Man hero".[61][62]
Nick Philpott ofComic Book Resources placed Maguire's version as the fourth best take on Spider-Man, this being lower than bothAndrew Garfield's andTom Holland's take on theweb-slinger, opining that he has the effect of the comic book version despite being too old for the role of the character.[63]The Hollywood Reporter thought Maguire's portrayal of Spider-Man had less wit than his comicbook counterpart, but still praised him for his sincere, depthful portrayal of the more flawed, human side of the character.[59] Several have shown polarized responses to the character when he is possessed by theVenomsymbiote inSpider-Man 3, particularly a scene in which he dances in the street.[64] The possessed Peter has been nicknamed "Emo Peter" or "Bully Maguire" by fans and his scenes have become a popularinternet meme.[65][66] Raimi remarked, "I'm glad people find it funny! We wanted it to be fun."[67]
Eminem's song "Tobey" featuringBig Sean andBabyTron is in reference to Spider-Man.[68] The first line of the song directly mentions the character.[69]
| Year | Film | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Spider-Man | 2002 Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Drama/Action Adventure | Won | [70][71] |
| Choice Movie Chemistry[f] | Nominated | ||||
| Choice Movie Liplock[g] | Won | ||||
| 2003 | 2003 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male Butt Kicker | Nominated | ||
| 2003 MTV Movie Awards | Best Male Performance | Nominated | [74] | ||
| Best Kiss[h] | Won | ||||
| Best Fight[i] | Nominated | ||||
| 29th Saturn Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | |||
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 (video game) | 2004 Spike Video Game Awards | Best Performance by a Human Male | Nominated | |
| 2005 | Spider-Man 2 | 10th Empire Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | |
| 2005 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Movie Actor | Won | |||
| 31st People's Choice Awards | Favorite On-Screen Match-Up[j] | Nominated | |||
| 31st Saturn Awards | Best Actor | Won | |||
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | 1st National Movie Awards | Best Performance by a Male | Nominated | |
| 2007 Scream Awards | Best Superhero | Won | |||
| 2007 Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Action Adventure | Nominated | [85][86] | ||
| Choice Movie: Liplock[k] | Nominated | ||||
| Choice Movie: Dance | Nominated | ||||
| Choice Movie: Rumble[l] | Nominated | ||||
| 2008 | 2008 MTV Movie Awards | Best Fight[m] | Nominated | ||
| 34th People's Choice Awards | Favorite On Screen Match-Up[n] | Nominated | |||
| 2022 | Spider-Man: No Way Home | 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Team[o] | Nominated | [89] |
Maguire's appearance inNo Way Home was met with a highly positive reception from both fans and critics. Subsequently, a fan campaign using thehashtag #MakeRaimiSpiderMan4 began onTwitter advocating for Sony to produce a fourth film in theSpider-Man series, with Maguire and Dunst reprising their roles along with Sam Raimi directing.[90]
Of the four writers Columbia lists as contributors to the final 'Spider-Man' script, three — Cameron, Scott Rosenberg and Alvin Sargent — voluntarily ceded sole credit to the fourth, Koepp.
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