This week, our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man returns in one of the most anticipated films of 2021; NO WAY HOME. The 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), made in association with Sony Pictures, promises to assemble characters from previous live-action versions of the web-slinger that have been seen on the big screen. With that in mind, it is necessary to brush-up on the somewhat complicated and up-and-down history of the character in cinema. His history can be broken down into three eras; The Raimi Era, The Garfield Era, and the MCU Era.
The Raimi Era (2002-2007)
After decades of legal wrangling and stops-and-starts (including an unproduced James Cameron version, and Sony Pictures buying up the rights from Marvel), Spidey finally came to the movies in May of 2002 with Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN. Tobey Maguire donned the mask of Peter Parker, and he was joined by love-interest Mary Jane (Kristen Stewart), best-friend Harry (James Franco), and super-villain Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). The film was highly praised by critics and fans, was a top box-office earner, and helped to re-ignite the superhero genre in film. Over time it has become a pop culture entry thanks to an upside-down kiss, and capitalizing on the theme of with great power comes great responsibility.
As good as SPIDER-MAN was, it was bested by its own sequel in 2004 with SPIDER-MAN 2. Maguire and Dunst returned, and this time did battle with Doctor Octopus, as played by Alfred Molina. SPIDER-MAN 2 set a new high standard for superhero films, and to this day is considered to be one of the best superhero films of all time.
Unfortunately for Spidey, the webbing gave way in SPIDER-MAN 3 (2004). Sam Raimi, returning as director for the third time, battled with parent company Sony Pictures over scripting and which villains to include, and we got a messy, unbalanced movie considered to be the worst in the franchise. Bad guys in this one included New Goblin (Franco), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and Venom (Topher Grace). The bad-to-mixed reviews would put an end to this era of Spider-Man.
The Garfield Era (2012-2014)
In 2012, Spider-Man went through his first reboot when Sony decided to scrub the continuity of the Raimi Era and start all over. Andrew Garfield took on the role of Peter Parker, and he was joined by love-interest Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). The first film, called THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, brought in the Lizard (Rhys Ifans) as the villain, and opened to mixed reviews thanks to a convoluted story-line and an overall joyless affair. However, the chemistry between Garfield and Stone was excellent and lit up the screen.
It was hoped that the dull and who-cares plot of the first film would be pushed to the background of the sequel, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 in 2014…but it wasn’t to be as they instead went in deeper. The film was another snoozer, despite the inclusion of bad guys Electro (Jamie Foxx), Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan), and Rhino (Paul Giamatti).
The MCU Era (2016-Present)
After a decade of making lousy Spider-Man movies, Sony Pictures finally came to their senses and agreed with Marvel Studios to include the character in the ever-growing MCU. The new Spidey, as played by Tom Holland, would steal the show in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR in 2016. He would then appear in two solo films; HOMECOMING (2017), and FAR FROM HOME (2019). He would also fight alongside the mighty Avengers in INFINITY WAR (2018), and ENDGAME (2019). When he was on his own, he was joined by love-interest MJ (Zendaya), and would do battle with Vulture (Michael Keaton), and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhall). Both of the solo films would be met with critical acclaim and box office success.
And that brings us to today. NO WAY HOME picks up right after the events of his second solo film, FAR FROM HOME…which ended with Mysterio revealing Spider-Man’s identity to the world. With his life out of whack, Peter seeks the help of Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who casts a spell intended to make the world forget Spider-Man’s true identity. The spell goes awry, and villains and heroes (from previous Spidey films), arrive here in our universe.
And the rest will be history.
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SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME opens in full December 17th, with limited showings on the 16th.
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