One of Marvel Comics’ most iconic heroes is Spider-Man who has existed beyond the pages and had his fair share of adventures in the media. Whether it's in live-action, animation or through video games, the beloved web-slinger has captured the hearts of millions across the world. When it comes to the big screen in the modern era, Spider-Man has been played by three talented actors in their own respective franchise. The first incarnation was through director Sam Raimi’s trilogy from 2002 to 2007 with Tobey Maguire portraying the friendly neighborhood hero.
It has been over 12 years since the last Raimi Spider-Man film, and there are plenty of amazing moments that we still get nostalgic over to this day. Despite there being plenty to choose from, these are the ten best moments from Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.
M.J. Learns Peter's Secret (Spider-Man 2)
One of the ongoing stories in the trilogy was the romance between Peter and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), bringing in one of the iconic aspects in Spidey mythology. In the 2004 installment, the relationship between the two had to go through quite the struggle.
After having turned her away in the first movie, Peter is forced to deal with M.J.’s new relationship with John Jameson (Daniel Gilles) in Spider-Man 2. As M.J. gets kidnapped by Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Peter goes to save her and stop Otto. During the showdown, M.J. finally learns that Peter is Spider-Man as she witnesses him without his mask.
Sandman's Birth (Spider-Man 3)
While Spider-Man 3 was the controversial one out of the three films, it still came with its handful of powerful scenes. One of them was seeing Flint Marco (Thomas Haden Church) become his villainous comic counterpart, Sandman. After he accidentally falls into an experiment that involves a particle accelerator, his life is forever changed.
Being gifted with sand abilities, the scene where we see him trying to come to grips with what has happened is visually stunning and compelling. It’s one of the more “quiet” moments in the film where they dedicate the right amount of time for Flint to discover what has happened to him.
Final Battle Against Green Goblin (Spider-Man 1)
In Spider-Man 1, Peter is put up against the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) a.k.a. Norman Osborn, father of Peter’s best friend Harry (James Franco.) While they have plenty of moments together in the film, it’s the final battle between the two that stands out the most. As Norman now knows that Peter is Spider-Man, the two men duke it out in an abandoned building as Green Goblin goes at him with everything he's got.
For a minute, Peter is almost defeated but gets filled with rage after Goblin rambles about how he is going to kill M.J. and gets the strength to take the villain down. As Peter is about to throw the last punch, Norman reveals himself and begs him for forgiveness. But Norman is just stalling to position his glider to kill Peter from behind. As he does it, Peter’s Spider-Sense warns him as he dodges it only to see Norman be impaled by it.
Gaining His Powers (Spider-Man 1)
Every hero’s origin story always includes exciting moments. That includes gaining their super-powers which was a big part in Spider-Man 1. From the moment he got bitten by the radioactive spider that would change his life forever, we see Peter having to adjust to his new gifts.
The day after he got bitten is where we get some of the more comedic moments. One part is where he has to go to school where things get messy. From learning that he can produce web to fighting his bully Flash Thompson (Joe Manganiello), it’s one of the funniest moments in the whole movie.
Spider-Wrestling (Spider-Man 1)
While he wasn’t the Spider-Man we all know and love, Peter used his powers in a not-so heroic way. Wanting to impress M.J. with a car (of all things), Peter enters an underground fighting tournament where we get to see him in his proto-Spidey costume.
Not being prepared for it being a cage match, Peter takes on Bone-Saw, played by the late wrestling legend Randy Savage. This battle is absolutely hilarious as we get to see Peter be sassy and witty with Bone-Saw which is one of Spider-Man’s character traits. Eventually, he takes him down and wins the fight.
Harry's Sacrifice (Spider-Man 3)
After discovering that Peter was there the night Norman died, Harry’s arc takes a big leap in the third film. The two best friends have several big scenes through the movie, but nothing beats them finally teaming up against Sandman and Venom at the end.
However, Venom does get the upper hand at one point with Spider-Man and is about to kill him. But Harry sacrifices himself to save Peter from being impaled by his own glider. His final scene, later on, is utterly heartbreaking as Peter and M.J. sit with Harry before he tragically passes away.
Battling the Symbiote Suit (Spider-Man 3)
While the Symbiote storyline had its ups and many downs in Spider-Man 3, we do get a solid scene with Peter taking on the suit. After realizing that the suit is changing him for the worse, Peter tries to get rid of it, but that’s easier said than done.
But he accidentally gets the church’s bell tower to go off which is the symbiote’s greatest weakness. However, as one man gets rid of it, the symbiote becomes another man’s gift when it finds Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) who then becomes Venom.
Regaining His Powers (Spider-Man 2)
In Spider-Man 2, one of our hero’s biggest struggles is his powers fizzling before they disappear temporarily. It even includes Peter throwing away his suit, paying homage to the famous comic panel from Spider-Man: No More! storyline back in 1987. For a while there, Peter believed he was now able to live a normal life, but destiny had other plans in store for him.
During a moment between him and M.J, Doctor Octopus shows up to demand that Peter finds Spider-Man for him before kidnapping M.J. As the woman he is in love with is taken away, Peter gains his powers back finally.
J. Jonah Jameson Suits Up (Spider-Man 2)
To this day, J.K. Simmons’ portrayal of J. Jonah Jameson is one of the most beloved aspects of this franchise. From his spot-on performance as the loud Daily Bugle publisher, Jameson brought some incredible comedic moments in all three films, with some serious ones too. However, in the Spider-Man 2.1 extended cut, we get his greatest moment.
After Peter had thrown in the towel, Jameson gets a hold of the Spider-Man costume. While it’s beyond us why the theatrical cut didn’t include this outstanding moment, Jameson actually puts on the suit and pretends to be Spider-Man. After all the hatred he had shown Spider-Man, seeing our hero’s biggest critic put on his suit and pretending to web-sling is golden comedy.
Stopping the Train (Spider-Man 2)
As many amazing moments as Raimi’s franchise had, only one can be number one. That award goes, without a doubt, to the iconic scene when Spider-Man has to save a speeding train after Doctor Octopus destroys the controls. Despite it being over 15 years ago, that scene holds up to this day.
Seeing Peter’s amazing actions with his spider-web and using his full strength to stop the train is one of the greatest superhero moments of all time. From the amazing score, the production that went into this scene as well as the beautiful moment with the passengers promising to not reveal Spider-Man’s secret after seeing him unmasked, is unforgettable.