Spider-Man (2002)
Released in 2002 Spider-Man was the first movie in the Spider-Man franchise. It is said to be a faithful adaptation of the comic book origins. The main characters are Peter Parker, played by Tobey Maguire, and the Green Goblin, which Willem Dafoe plays. The origin of Peter’s powers depicted in the film is pretty faithful to the storyline that was presented in Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Amazing Fantasy #15 Spider-Man comic. Another very relevant character which is J. Jonah Jameso, that J.K. Simmons plays. Jonah is a journalist and is hated but also loved because of his journalistic crusade against the amazing web-slinger. In correlation with the comics, Jameson is relentless in influencing the media to be against Spider-Man. Eventually, the Green Goblin blasts through Jameson’s office later in the movie, which is similar to the comic ‘The Night of the Goblin’ (Peter Parker: Spider-Man Vol 1 #75). The Green Goblin incapacitates Spider-Man using some knockout gas. He uses a similar gas to weaken Spider-Man in Peter Parker: Spider-Man Vol 1 #75. The final fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin in the abandoned building is based on their first showdown from Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #122.
Spider-Man 2 (2007)
Spider-Man 2 was released in 2007 and had a new character/villain known as Doctor Octopus. Doctor Octopus, who is played by Alfred Molina, had a mission to harness the power of the sun. He was experimenting, but it all went wrong, and the mechanical arms fused to his body. After the whole experiment goes wrong, he wakes up in the hospital with mechanical arms. He slaughters all the staff that are in there but he doesn’t know that the arms are fused to his body at that moment. This exact scene is from the comic Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1 #14. Another scene involving Doctor Octopus based on the comics is when he was leaving the hospital and walking onto the road and almost got hit by a car, but the only reason it didn’t hit him was that his mechanical arms lifted the vehicle into the air and that’s from the comic called Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1 #20. Peter ends up having his first battle against Doctor Octopus while he is with his Aunt May at the back same as in the comic Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #3. The Comic of Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #135, ends on a cliffhanger where Henry (who is the Green Goblin’s son) is going to the Green Goblin costume to avenge his father, same as in the movie where we see him become the Green Goblin in Spider-man 3.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Spider-Man 3 was released in 2007 and the plot for this movie was with Peter’s old friend Harry seeking revenge and turning into The Green Goblin but he also has to deal with 2 other new supervillains. The first new supervillain is Sandman who is played by Thomas Haden Church. The first fight Spider-Man has with Sandman has several visual references to the comic Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #4. With this fight, Spider-Man tried to punch Sandman in the stomach when he first met him, only for his fist to go straight through his torso. With their first encounter, Sandman was making a very clean getaway which also happens in the comics as well. As for the other villain, Venom. Venom is played by Topher Grace. In both the movie as well as the comic Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #300, a guy named Eddie who is extremely depressed goes to a church to seek refuge and ask God for help. The Symbiote, which is what Venom is, until he latches onto a person that is suitable for it, ends up descending upon Eddie and attaches itself to his body. Venom ends up terrorizing M.J. in her apartment same as in the Comic Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #299, which prompts Spider-Man to go confront him. When they end up fighting, Venom binds Spider-Man with his webbing and proceeds to tear off his mask and this scene is also from the Comic Spider-Man Adventures Vol 1 #10. Spider-Man ends up defeating Venom using sound and getting it to loosen its grip on Eddie, the same as he did when he first fought him in Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #300. Peter then uses one of Henry’s Green Goblin grenades to destroy the Symbiote which in the comics the Symbiote is vulnerable to fire. At the end of the movie, Harry’s final line in the movie is the same thing as in the comic Spectacular Spider-Man Vol 1 #200, which is “You’re my best friend.”
Although there are numerous Spider-Man movies these 3 are the top movies that are closely related to the comics. The other movies show some similarities, but these show the most and are practically from the comics. These films bring Spider-Man to life, showcasing his struggles and moral choices as a hero. With a mix of humor, and emotion, they resonate with fans and capture the character’s legacy, appealing to both new viewers and longtime fans.
