Since the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans have been reminiscing about the classics, i.e., Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. Many Spider-Man fans grew up watching those original movies with Tobey Maguire as their only Spider-Man, creating a lot of debate today about which Spider-Man is the best.
Even if the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies weren't quite up to par compared to what was to come in the MCU Spider-Man movies, they still hold a special nostalgic value to the fans who grew up watching them, and they undoubtedly inspired some of the best memes from any of the franchises.
Rent?
All fans of the classic Spider-Man movies will remember Mr. Ditkovitch. He might have been one of the weirdest extras in the movies, but he became an iconic meme for the fan base, and many were hoping he'd make a cameo in No Way Home.
For those who don't remember, Mr. Ditkovitch was Peter's landlord, notorious for showing up at random moments to ask Peter for his rent. Since Peter didn't have the money, he would constantly try to avoid Mr. Ditkovitch, making it an even more humorous moment when Ditkovitch showed up. Fans have been creating memes in which Ditkovitch shows up in the most bizarre scenarios, even Tom Holland's Spider-Man, and asks for rent.
The Casual Hot Dog
The Hot Dog meme is simple: Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker casually eats a hot dog as a common bystander. The straightforward but slightly offbeat image has fueled ironically dark yet hilarious memes.
The Hot Dog meme is based on Spider-Man 2, where Peter no longer wants to be Spider-Man. He sees a police chase that he would usually assist in as Spider-Man but instead casually bites into a hot dog instead. The scene is meant to point out how he's happy not to have the responsibility, but it does portray a level of sadistic humor, which is why it is used in memes equally as messed up.
The Train
This train scene in the film was meant to be a dramatic moment where Spider-Man is unmasked for the first time and uses all his power to save the people on the train, but it became more of a meme than anything else because of the faces Maguire makes.
Even though it was meant to be a heartwarming and intense moment when Peter, after coming back from giving up the responsibility as Spider-Man, jumps back into using his powers to save people, it turned into a slightly more humorous moment than intended due to Maguire's faces. Fans use this moment to meme just about anything with strenuous activity and playfully teasing Tobey. Even if it was a little corny, it remains one of the best scenes in Raimi's Spider-Man franchise.
"I'm Something Of A Scientist Myself"
Fans can't deny that Norman Osborn, aka the Green Goblin, was one the best villains in the original Spider-Man films and even in No Way Home. Willem Dafoe did a fantastic job portraying the two sides of Osborn and delivering his lines in the most meme-able manner possible.
This particular line from him is funny because it goes against his personality completely. He pretends to have some humility when he's arrogant and so prideful in reality. However, it was such an iconic quote that he even brought it back in No Way Home. Now anything relatively similar or connected to science is the perfect scenario to pin this line to.
"My Back!"
This is another great and memorable moment from the original films that is again referenced in the new movie. Peter has physically hurt his back, but the memes use it more symbolic and metaphorical, making it a completely new, hilarious moment.
After overcoming his mental block, Peter attempts to use his powers against him for the first time and falls onto some parked cars. His exclamation, "I'm back," quickly became, "My back!" Fans use this moment to reference Tobey Maguire's success in the films, stating he carried the franchise, as well as for any other mentions of 'carrying.' This was another memorable moment that was referenced in No Way Home when Andrew's Spider-Man offers to crack his back for him.
"I Have Nothing Left... Except Spider-Man"
Much like his on-screen father, Harry Osborn became a meme-able and quotable character due to constant complaining, whining, and overly dramatic lines throughout the films. Fans somehow take this particular whiny line to voice their own love of Spider-Man.
Most of Harry's lines in the films have him complaining about something or being way over the top with his dramatics, which is perhaps why they were constantly telling each other, "don't tell, Harry." Either way, his quotes are great content for memes, which funnily enough become positive remarks and praise for Spider-Man.
"Pizza Time"
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies manage to harness cartoonish humor that no other Spider-Man movies had, which was also helped by Maguire's ability to portray that perfect dorky and awkward character.
There was nothing quite humorous and corny as seeing Spider-Man be a regular guy trying to have a normal job like everyone else. This scene, in particular, had particularly cartoon-like humor to it, making one simple line more humorous and awkward than it should be. The line has become one of the biggest memes for the franchise and even turned into a comedic song with Songify.
"You Can't Do This To Me!"
Unlike his other line, this one perfectly portrays his character, revealing how arrogant and surprised he is that people wouldn't appreciate his talent. This is just another great overly-dramatic moment from Norman that fuels the best memes there.
It's not that Willem Dafoe's acting is bad. In fact, the complete opposite. His acting is so great that it makes this scene 10x more awkward. He's getting kicked out of his own company, and the board members stare at him so blank-faced as he yells out these iconic quotes. The line depicts to a tee just how unfathomable he believes the situation is, which makes it more entertaining and quotable.
"They Love Me"
Peter was the ultimate dork and awkward person. When he gets his Spider-Man abilities, he gains newfound confidence in himself. He delivers this line at a parade in honor of him as crowds of people cheer for him, and it was entirely out of character for him, making it more hilarious than anything else.
Even with his abilities, Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man is honestly not one of the most charismatic and swaggish Spider-Men. He was always a little awkward and pleasantly humble, which is why the line, "They love me," came out so cringy and laughable. However, it did become great content for all sorts of memes and fits right in with the beloved Bully Maguire content.
Bully Maguire
The best memes to come out of the trilogy were straight out of the third movie. This is the Bully Maguire meme. Spider-Man 3 was definitely not one of the best of the franchise and is seen as a bit of a joke to the whole fandom, but Tobey Maguire's "edgy" Peter Parker from the film has become an iconic figure.
Fans are taking the cringey dance sequence and bully lines from the movie and putting them into all sorts of different content, making Bully Maguire insult and dance-battle anyone meme creators can imagine. Even though the behavior and quotes are horrible in the movie, they are so out of place and uncharacteristic for Maguire that they became hilarious in meme form.