After seeing Spider-Man make a stellar appearance in the most recent Civil War movie, safe to say many people are feeling extremely confident that the new star they cast, Tom Holland, can breathe some of the nerdy-yet-charismatic charm into the character that he has been sorely lacking in on-screen adaptations thus far.
Tobey Maguire had the innocent look but just didn’t quite have the swagger to counter that geekiness. Andrew Garfield was better at balancing the smarmy with the geeky, but sometimes he came across as very smackable. But Tom Holland’s one scene with Tony Stark in Civil War truly captured the awkward essence of Peter Parker more perfectly than anyone who came before him. His fight scenes (though sparse) in Civil War were also a badass site to behold.
This got us thinking about what the best Spider-Man scenes are from all the movies that have come out so far. With 5 Spider-Man movies already out there, there are actually quite a lot of cool moments to pick from that show the webhead at his best, even if those movies didn’t have long shelf lives.
Here, submitted for your approval, are the top 10 Spider-Man movie scenes, presented in no particular order. Hopefully, I will be rewriting this list once Homecoming drops and I will have a crapload of awesome new Spider-Man scenes to add. Keep your fingers crossed, kids.
Okay, excelsior!
The Best SpiderMan Movie Scenes
1. Peter Gets His Powers
Although when we watch the first Spider-Man movie now, it has aged a bit, when it first came out it was one of the best comic book movies up to that point. Tobey Maguire definitely had the sheepishness we all knew and loved from Peter in the comics, and seeing his origin story play out very similar to the origin we all knew was a great way to introduce the cinematic world to the force that is Spider-Man. Oddly enough, he seems to imply being a Spider-Man makes his penis bigger, too. I am not versed enough in Spider penises to be able to validate or deny that fact.
This was also the time fans noticed that they had chosen to go with ‘organic web shooters’ as opposed to personal inventions Peter came up with. You will later see this retconned, so don’t get too attached to the idea.
2. Sandman Face-Off
No, I am not talking about Spider-Man fighting Sandman in the third movie. I am specifically talking about how Spider-Man loses his shit in said fight and ends up holding Sandman’s face against a moving train, which proceeds to rip half his face off.
Granted, when Spidey did it, dude was only sand. Still though, the hatred and rage and violence it would take to actually perform that move is scary to even think about. And what if Sandman came back in his human form halfway through that? That would been some messy shit.
Who knew Spidey had that kind of madness in him? Well, they did say the black suit brought that out of him, so it makes sense in context (even if that “bad” suit idea was underused and should have been in its own movie).
3. Green Goblin Spiderman Fight
It was a great moment to see these two baddies battle on-screen and the way the fight ended is one of the most epic deaths from a comic book movie EVER. Killed by his own evil device.
What made the scene so perfect for audiences is we knew the dichotomy of the relationship between the two while unmasked, which added so much to the actual fight. It was also nice to see Spidey do all he could to try to talk the dude out of it but at the end of the day, Green Goblin got what was coming to him, literally.
4. Crappy Wrestling Suit
Fans of the comic know Peter became the Crimson Spider as his wrestling name and he wrestled in an outfit that hinted at what would become his actual Spiderman costume. It is an integral moments in Spider-Man’s life because he was trying to find a place and use for his powers and it was also the exact same match that led Spidey to let the thief escape and later shoot his Uncle Ben.
So really, the wrestling match is really Spider-Man’s TRUE birth, though a little too late to save his own uncle. Also, 1000 extra credibility points for having Bruce Campbell as the announcer. Brilliant.
5. Upside-Down Kiss
Okay, okay. I know it is cheesy, but it also very quickly became a very iconic image that would go on to be associated with all comic book movies to come. It was a moment that showed us the more vulnerable balance between Spider-Man and Mary Jane’s love, and even more than that, it is a nicely paced romantic scene for a movie about a guy who fights crime in spider tights.
Funny side note, they had to do the take like 25 times and Tobey Maguire almost drown because water kept pouring directly up his nose. Still, props to Sam Raimi for making an iconic romance shot inside a nerd movie. rarely do those two worlds gel this well.
6. Willem Dafoe
I put Dafoe up there with Nicolas Cage for insane actors who want nothing more than to be able to play insane. For that reason alone, even though he was SO over-the-top as Green Goblin, the guy genuinely seemed to be having fun having arguments in the mirror and making scary voices that it was hard not to have fun watching him do those exact things.
More films need Willem Dafoe acting batshit insane every ten minutes to keep them interesting. For real. You cannot think of top 10 Spider-Man movie scenes and NOT think of Dafoe. That’s just not right. Extra points to Spidey for killing the freak with his own hoverboard.
Oh, the irony.
7. Seeing Through Spider-Man’s Eyes
If there is ONE thing the amazing Spider-Man movies (with Andrew Garfield) did better than the originals was the amazing moments they let us see through Spider-Man’s eyes while he swung through the city. It was a simple enough move directionally, but to see it in action was dope.
And even as cool as it was, the director used the effect minimally and to great desired results. Kinda makes me hope we get a Spider-Man VR game at some point. Can’t even fathom how unreal that would be to experience.
8. The Train Stop
Of all the scenes from Spider-Man movies, this one from the second movie may be my very favorite. Why? Because for the first time, a comic book movie showed us how spectators who were saved by said hero would act had they seen him sans mask. Whereas we imagine a bunch of people taking out their cell phones and ruining Peter Parker’s life, they instead keep his identity secret while pulling him onto the train to ensure HE stays alive.
It shows you the balance between people and superheroes. All movies imply that we need them. But Spider-Man 2 was quick to point out that it is actually a symbiotic relationship between heroes and citizens. One could not exist without the other. That is a powerful paradigm, and it was nice to see it represented.
Mind you, we all know one of the people on that train would have taken a pic and called TMZ to sell the story, but we can still pretend otherwise. Glass half-full type of thinking, you know?
9. The WHOLE Second Movie
Do I sit here and talk about how human and flawed Doctor Octopus was? Do I mention how the relationship with Mary Jane felt more genuine in this movie? Maybe the perfection of the special effects, or how the pacing is ultimately perfect, building to an almost Shakespearean climax where even winners are losers?
The reality is, I could talk about all those things and I still wouldn’t be done praising Spider-Man 2. In many ways, outside of the Dark Knight movies, the second Spider-Man movie is pitch-perfect. Still, just like with the games, the second Spidey movie is the best, hands down. Of Course, then part 3 came along and took a steaming dump on what the former two movies had tried so hard to build.
*Sigh
10. Dr. Oc/Spidey Bank Fight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyOdcfyo7_M
As much as like to see our favorite comic characters live in their day-to-day lives in these films, we also tend to want to see some ass-kicking action. Moments when the heroes get to shine with larger than life antics.
The bank robbery fight between Spider-Man and Doc Oc is one of those “comic brought to life” moments, and the fight is visceral and intense, with neither super-powered contender holding back. It is one of the best moments in the series for showing just what Spidey can do when needed. It is a high-octane battle between two overpowered mutants and you kind of just feel like a fly on the wall watching this two giants go at it, hoping you don’t get squashed in the process.
11. Stan Lee’s Deaf Cameo
Granted, he has headphones on so they imply he wouldn’t hear the two massive beasts tearing up his library, but I would like to think he knew they were they and just knew better than to fuck with them.
Either way, it is a given that Stan Lee will appear in your Marvel movie, and outside of the strip club DJ in Deadpool, deaf librarian might be Stan’s best performance to date.
12. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone’s Genuine Chemistry
Maybe it was because the two were dating when the films get made. Maybe it is just the fact that Emma Stone is everyone’s sweetheart right now. Hell, it may have been a perfect storm of ALL THOSE THINGS, but unlike Mary Jane and Parker in the first 3 movies, these two had some genuine chemistry and oddly enough, they were one of the best aspects of the movie.
They had a love that genuinely felt real and that is because they were actually in love while making it.
Awwwwwww.
They’ve broken up since, though. Life is funny like that.
13. Spidey Kills Gwen Stacy
I will admit, when Mary Jane fell in the first movie I thought that was all they would be doing with the “Spider-Man broke Gwen’s neck by saving her” storyline from the comics. Come the second film in the second series, I found out I was wrong.
This time it was America’s sweetheart, Emma Stone, and she was dropped by Goblin just like in the comic. And just like in comic, Spider-Man races to save her and brings her to such an abrupt stop with his webbing he kills her. I thought it took massive balls to put one of the most upsetting moments in comic history into their films, and ultimately applauded them for being brave enough to stick with it. Not everyone who reads comics is kids, and the same can be said for comic movies. Twas a very sad moment in an otherwise light-hearted series, which is perhaps what makes the moment stand out so much.
It was a strong tonal change from the rest of the film but also finally showed us some true consequences that can potentially come to those who choose that life. With great power DOES come great responsibility, and this was the moment Peter learned that harder than any other.
14. Spidey Getting Some “Tail”
No, I am not referring to Spider-Man banging Mary Jane or Gwen Stacy. I am talking about the scene in the first Spider-Man reboot with Andrew Garfield that featured him fighting the Lizard in the school. If you recall (from both science AND the movie) Lizards can lose a tail and regrow it later. So when Spider-Man gets Lizard’s tail, he thinks it a good thing.
Though that good feeling is surely fleeting, as most are for most of us as well. It was just a nice little detail to put into the movie. It is nice when movies about science get science right. And even though the Lizard was CG, it was still the first time we had seen that Spider-Man villain on the big screen and it definitely had some cool moments (even if they DIDN’T need to retread Parker’s origin for the 19th time).
15. A Hint at The Sinister Six
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7f_imJk3NQ
While the last Spider-Man that came out was the nail in the coffin, it hinted at some very cool things for Spider-Man fans (even though we know we won’t see it now). One of those little easter eggs was the fact that it was very much implied in that film that Spidey would be facing off against his rogue’s gallery of villains in a future film, the Sinister Six.
For those uninitiated, the Sinister Six consists of 6 of Spider-Man’s strongest villains, all joining forces to bring him down. The team consists of Doctor Octopus, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, Sandman, and Vulture. As a Spider-Man fan I cannot tell you how long I have waited to see the Kraven’s Last Hunt story adapted to film, and just admitting he was a part of that universe was a good enough easter egg to keep me drooling.
Sadly, we will never see that come to fruition as this particular series was squashed to go in an all-new direction.
Dishonorable Mentions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0N7VIJBMkE
Venom Was Wickedly Mishandled and Miscast
GROSS miscasting and underuse of Venom in part 3. Current Hollywood rumors point to the fact that Sony is planning on making an R-Rated, stand-alone, Venom movie. A sort of Sci Fi/horror flick aimed more at adults than teens.
I will believe it when I see it.
But yes, they have to fix this. Venom needed to be handled with utmost respect, which was NOT the case with Raimi’s third Spider-Man movie. Blegh. Such a shame because Venom is one of Spidey’s fans favorite bad guy and his visage leads me to believe he could work great on film if they gave the character the time it deserved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu2IlAKu4po
That F*cking Dance Scene
I am sorry to bring this up and melt your eyeballs with it, but if there is ONE THING that needs to be stricken from this series, it is the AWFUL dance scene in the third movie of the original trilogy. Pretty sure that dance was the last thing Tobey Maguire EVER DID as an actor (and with good reason. It is so embarrassingly bad it is literally painful to watch, and may have ended his career).
It is to the point where that scene was SO BAD, you hear about it more than you do any other scene from any other Spider-Man movie. Perhaps it was just Sam Raimi trolling people, I can’t be sure. Regardless, Peter Parker should NEVER wear guyliner or dance. Never! Just no. All the no’s in the world, frankly.
So what is YOUR favorite Spider-Man moment? Take to our comments and let us know!
Spider-Man’s Most Memorable Villains
Main image by Roger Murmann from Eppertshausen, Deutschland (DSC_0234) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
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