When the first Spider-Man movie was announced, the public was excited to see an adaptation of the popular and misunderstood Marvel hero, that is everyone except Peter Parker himself. In the Ultimate Marvel universe, their version of the groundbreaking 2002 superhero film deeply upset the hero especially since it was being made without his permission nor was he seeing any royalties for the use of his likeness. After interrupting filming and making his displeasure known to the film's creators, the situation becomes an amalgamation of Spider-Man 2 when Doctor Octopus arrives, causing Peter to begrudgingly defend everyone involved from his old enemy's wrath.
In this universe created to exist outside of the mainstream Marvel continuity where characters could be reimagined within a modern context, Peter Parker's joy about having Aunt May on vacation ends when he sees an interview announcing the upcoming "Spider-Man" film. Unable to even escape the news at school when his classmate Kenny lands a role in the film, Peter decides to do something. Meanwhile, Peter's old enemy Otto Octavius serves his prison sentence separated from his infamous metal harness and arms following the Ultimate Six storyline. He learns from an overzealous prison guard about the upcoming Spider-Man movie but also that it was optioned from a story using his likeness written by his ex-wife Roselita, now a consultant on the film.
In Ultimate Spider-Man #54 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, Spider-Man interrupts filming to tell everyone off, not realizing the cameras have continued to film him and his unmatched coordination and abilities. When he asks how can they make a movie without his permission, the Ultimate version of producer Avid Arad and director Sam Raimi explain that they don't need it. "You're a public figure. You're in the public domain." says Arad with Raimi adding in that they got the rights from Roselita and Norman Osborn's half-sister. When Peter refuses to help the movie without getting paid, Arad makes the offer that they'll pay him if Spider-Man reveals his secret identity and agrees to sell them his story. Peter gets even more upset when he realizes they've been filming him the entire time, telling everyone off as he swings away.
Whether they'd want to admit it, Peter Parker and Otto Octavius are in the same boat, feeling betrayed that companies or individuals are profiting off their likeness without their approval or discussion of compensation. While Doc Ock's issue is about the insult done to his already tarnished reputation, Peter's annoyance about permission, specifically compensation brings to mind the current battle over the rights to Marvel characters like Spider-Man himself. The reality that companies like Disney or Marvel make millions on MCU movies while the creators responsible for those characters get thanked but see a pittance of the profits is part of an ongoing discussion that's been going on for years. The entire scenario leaves this Peter Parker in a no-win situation and to make matters worse, he has to swallow his pride when the escaped Doctor Octopus appears onset; fighting a villain who wants to destroy something that Peter subconsciously wants to fail.
While Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus fight, the cameras secretly record much of the battle while Raimi, Arad, and the movie's star Tobey Maguire hide from the superhero carnage. Although Peter is defeated, kidnapped, tortured, and later defeats Octavius, the entire situation leaves a bad taste in his mouth. When the Spider-Man movie is released, it earns millions of dollars and rave reviews for its unique mix of reality and fantasy. While fans are eager to see Spider-Man fight Doctor Octopus with Alfred Molina reprising the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Ultimate Spider-Man was understandably bitter about being so broke he couldn't even afford a ticket to his own movie.