22 Years Ago, Spider-Man Set Up An Annoying Mistake Tom Holland's Spidey Must Avoid Repeating

A significant moment in Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s respective characterizations occurs at the end of 2002’s Spider-Man, and it arguably should not be repeated by Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in his next MCU film. There have been three modern live-action iterations of Spider-Man with a combined eight solo films thus far, but the first two Spider-Man movies by Sam Raimi arguably embody the source material the most. 2002’s Spider-Man distills the Spider-Man characters and mythos to their most essential elements, providing viewers with the most accurate adaptation of Spider-Man’s most important story: his origin.

2002’s Spider-Man faithfully adapts Peter Parker’s Amazing Fantasy debut, and by respecting what serves as the thesis of Spider-Man’s character, the film and its sequels and spinoff materials provide the best possible bedrock for Tobey Maguire’s iteration of Spider-Man. The movie also includes arguably the best adaptation of Spider-Man’s greatest villain – the Green Goblin – and wisely chose to characterize and position Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson as the franchise’s co-lead alongside Peter Parker himself. Unfortunately, some viewers might take issue with the way Spider-Man 2 continues Peter and Mary Jane’s respective characterizations, given how the first film ended.

Spider-Man 2002's Ending Explained

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Peter Parker’s Spider-Man origin is effectively complete roughly halfway through the 2002 film, with Peter having learned the tragic lesson that “with great power comes great responsibility” upon indirectly and inadvertently causing his Uncle’s death by not using his newfound powers responsibly. With Peter Parker having created and embraced the Spider-Man persona, the film then continues to develop his growing romance with Mary Jane and his deadly clashes with the Green Goblin, culminating in a final confrontation on the Queensboro Bridge that ends with Green Goblin’s death. At Norman Osborn’s funeral, Mary Jane reveals her romantic feelings for Peter Parker.

Raimi Spider-Man spinoff materials, such as the novel and video game adaptations, establish that the Raimi universe includes far more Marvel superheroes and Spider-Man villains than what the films themselves show.

Despite his own love for Mary Jane, Peter lies to her, claiming that he only sees her as a friend. Peter made this heartbreaking decision, of course, because he believed that keeping Mary Jane at a certain distance would also protect her from his enemies, should another discover his secret identity. Given how close the Green Goblin came to killing Mary Jane and Peter’s continued mourning of Uncle Ben, the choice makes sense, yet Spider-Man 2 would later show the realistic outcome of such a decision – which some viewers may have taken issue with.

Spider-Man 2002's Ending Was Undone Quickly

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While 2002’s Spider-Man perfectly portrays the most important elements of the Spider-Man characters and lore, 2004’s Spider-Man 2 delves into both the naturalism and dramatic potential of them to an even deeper degree. Spider-Man 2 thoughtfully explores the humanity of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson – and how their otherwise ordinary lives are impacted by both Peter’s outlandish heroic escapades and their respective choices from the first film. This, naturally, includes Peter’s deep regret over his lie to Mary Jane at Norman Osborn’s funeral and his subsequent pining for her.

Peter Parker’s double life as Spider-Man constantly worsens his relationships with his friends, family, and co-workers, and Mary Jane – who privately retains her feelings for Peter – rushes into an engagement with another man, trying to force herself to move on from him. Spider-Man 2 is popularly regarded as one of the superhero genre’s best movies, but some viewers might object to the opening scene of the film immediately undoing the finale of its predecessor. This is understandable, even though Peter regretting his decision is the most realistic outcome of the 2002 film.

Spider-Man 4 Has To Avoid Repeating Raimi's Sequel Mistake

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2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home puts Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in a comparable position to Maguire’s Spider-Man at the end of his first film. After Doctor Strange patched up a broken multiverse by removing everyone’s memory of Peter Parker in the main MCU timeline, Peter visits MJ’s workplace – initially planning to reintroduce himself to her and rekindle their relationship. In a tragic twist, Peter sees MJ safe and happy – leading him to choose simply to leave as a stranger, believing that she would be better off without being entangled in his double life again.

This gives Tom Holland’s next Spider-Man film an opportunity to not take the same route as the Raimi Spider-Man sequel. Spider-Man 2’s undoing of its predecessor’s ending – while perhaps unsatisfying for some – kept Peter and Mary Jane’s characterizations consistent by doing so. The next MCU Spider-Man film, on the other hand, can and perhaps should maintain the emotional impact of No Way Home by not having Peter Parker and MJ rebuild their relationship. Moreover, with MJ likely attending college outside of New York City and her memories of Peter Parker gone, undoing No Way Home’s ending would be difficult to justify.

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review Your changes have been saved My List My Favorite Movies My Watchlist Success! 8.9/10 Spider-Man Spider-Man is the first film in Sam Raimi's trilogy starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker. Released in 2002, the film introduced superhero fans to a live-action Norman Osborn, played by Willem Dafoe, who is transformed into his villainous alter ego, Green Goblin, after being forced out of Oscorp Industries. At the same time, Peter Parker is grappling with his newfound abilities as the iconic wall-crawler. Where to Watch stream rent buy Not available Not available Not available *Availability in US

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review Your changes have been saved My List My Favorite Movies My Watchlist Success! 8.4/10 Spider-Man 2 After defeating the Green Goblin, Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man struggles with self-doubt in both his superhero career and his personal life. But when Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus threatens Peter Parker's loved ones, the web-crawler must stay true to his heroic purpose and don the mask once again in this second installment of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. Where to Watch stream rent buy Not available Not available Not available *Availability in US

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review Your changes have been saved My List My Favorite Movies My Watchlist Success! 53 8.7/10 Spider-Man: No Way Home For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the trials and tribulations of being a superhero. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) when his identity becomes a problem for the ones he loves. Unfortunately, when the spell goes wrong, Spider-Man will now have to face off with villains such as Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) as Peter finally comes to terms that he can't run from being Spider-Man. Supported by his close friends and help from an unexpected place (or multiverse), Spider-Man will go toe-to-toe with some of the most legendary foes in his storied history. Where to Watch stream rent buy Not available Not available Not available *Availability in US

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