Sam Raimi, director of the original Spider-Man trilogy, has shared his reaction to Spider-Man: No Way Home, revealing that the experience was "refreshing" for him. Spider-Man: No Way Home is Marvel's latest box office smash hit, currently sitting in sixth place among the highest-grossing movies of all time. After the promotional run saw the film's star, Tom Holland, bombarded with questions and theories as to whether any previous Peter Parkers could be making a cameo within the film, fans were beyond delighted to see Spider-Man alums Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield arrive just in time to help Holland's Parker save the universe from a multiversal collapse.

While Maguire and Garfield's returns may have been the worst kept secret in Marvel history, the reappearance of a number of classic Spidey villains was actually the film's main focus. Early trailers sent the internet into a spin after they confirmed that Alfred Molina's Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin would return to wreak havoc in a whole new universe. Both Molina's Doc Ock and Dafoe's Goblin originated from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films, which saw Maguire star as the "original" Peter Parker. With the first of Raimi's trilogy having released back in 2002, the films hold a significant amount of nostalgia for audiences, with many feeling as though this original trilogy remains the truest to the comic-book Spider-Man they have come to know and love.

Related: Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man: No Way Home Ending Was Sadder Than Holland's

Now, Raimi has shared his reaction to Spider-Man: No Way Home and revealed how it felt to see the characters that he created back on the big screen once again. Speaking to Variety, the beloved director shared that the film was "so much fun" and revealed that it was "delightful" to see Molina and Dafoe return to their roles. Raimi also praised Maguire's performance, before revealing that the entire experience was "refreshing" for him. Check out Raimi's full quote below.

It was so much fun, I love ‘No Way Home’ and the audience I was with went crazy. It was delightful to watch Alfred play his role, and Willem Dafoe, just seeing these guys take it to the next level. And Tobey was awesome as always. The best word I can say is it was refreshing for me.

Doc Ock gets an Iron Man upgrade in Spider-Man No Way Home

Despite the "classic" status that Raimi's Spider-Man films have established over the years, the director's upcoming MCU directorial debut with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will mark his return to comic-book films after almost 15 years. Raimi was originally signed on for a fourth Spider-Man film that would have continued Maguire's storyline; however, this was abandoned back in 2010, with the film's writer James Vanderbilt recently revealing that the film had a complete script ready to go before its cancellation. Following the success of No Way Home, fans are now rallying for a continuation on from Raimi's original trilogy, as well as calling for Andrew Garfield to return for The Amazing Spider-Man 3, another Spider-Man follow-up that was ultimately canned by Sony.

Raimi's involvement with the Marvel Cinematic Universe means that it's incredibly likely that he was aware of the plans for Spider-Man: No Way Home's triple Spidey reveal before seeing the film's final cut, but it's still nonetheless exciting to hear his support for the film. To hear that the director found it "refreshing" to see his characters back on screen is certainly touching, as the hype that has surrounded these characters' return is largely to thank for Spider-Man: No Way Home's success at the box office, as well as the mystery that surrounded the film's events in the early days of its release. As for now, audiences only have a few more months to wait to see what Raimi will bring to the MCU when his Doctor Strange sequel finally hits the big screen.

Next: How Sam Raimi's Unmade Thor Movie Would Have Changed The MCU

Source: Variety

Key Release Dates