Warning: contains spoilers for Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30!
The Sam Raimi Spider-Man films are beloved by Marvel fans, but they occasionally show their age, and Miles Morales points out one particular incident in a recent issue of Miles Morales: Spider-Man. Beginning in 2002, the trilogy was the first iteration of Spider-Man's adventures on the silver screen and is still fondly remembered, even after two reboots by Sony Pictures (2012's The Amazing Spider-Man series starring Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland's Spider-Man series taking place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe). But in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30, written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Kemp Powers and Jeff Loveness with art by Sara Pichelli and colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, the creative team can't resist poking fun at a certain infamous scene involving Spider-Man and the Green Goblin.
Miles Morales has recently ended his own Clone Saga, and after the stress of fighting three evil doppelgängers, he more than deserves a break. Thus, Spider-Man appears on Sunday Night Live (a lawyer-friendly version of Saturday Night Live), fights the real Vulture during a sketch, and throws out the first pitch at the Brooklyn game. He even tangles with the villain Frog-Man - but not without the residents of New York City chiming in.
As Miles and Frog-Man square off in a busy New York street, multiple hot dog vendors shout line at the villain that would be quite familiar to viewers of Raimi's 2002 Spider-Man film. "You mess with Spidey, you mess with New York!" says one, followed by others quickly adding to the cacophony. Miles and Frog-Man eventually decide to take a break and resume the fight in New Jersey. The original line was a hokey moment for some, but it was written in the wake of a terrible tragedy.
In the 2002 Spider-Man film, the sequence in which the Green Goblin was pelted with objects from angry New Yorkers on the Queensboro Bridge was a late addition to the shooting schedule. The 9/11 terrorist attacks perpetrated by Al-Qaeda were fresh in the minds of New Yorkers, and the city was unified in the wake of the devastation. Director Sam Raimi realized that Spider-Man is as much of a New York icon as the buildings upon which he swings, and inserted a moment in which New Yorkers come together to stand up for their hero.
Almost twenty years have passed since Sam Raimi's original film, but 2002's Spider-Man still resonates with many. The choices made came from a place of love for the character and for love for the superhero genre in general. Miles Morales may be the new iteration of the character, but Sam Raimi's Spider-Man won't easily be replaced.