With Sam Raimi’s new Marvel movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hitting theaters this week, many of his fans are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the original Spider-Man. Released in theaters in 2002, the first live-action Spider-Man movie introduced Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker alongside Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson. For many fans, it’s hard to believe that it’s already been two decades since that movie was released, even if Raimi has since directed two sequels before making his recent return to Marvel with Doctor Strange 2.
“Happy 20th anniversary to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man!” one happy fan writes on Twitter. “This film had a profound effect on me as child. Cementing my love of Spider-Man, introducing me to the world of acting and filmmaking and established Sam Raimi as one of my all time heroes.”
“Happy 20th anniversary to Spider-Man! If it wasn’t for this movie, I wouldn’t have ever got into comics or movies or anything like that. I owe it all to this movie, and to the legend Sam Raimi,” says another fan.
Another tweet reads, “20 years ago, before I was even born, the movies that mean the most to me came out. The movies that have inspired us to hold on just a second longer. Happy 20th birthday to the greatest film trilogy, Sam Raimi’s one and only: SPIDER-MAN.”
And another fan tweeted, “Happy 20th anniversary to the first live action Spider-Man movie. I remember as a kid loving the trailer. I got hooked to see it. My dad took me to see the film three times. That’s how passionate I was.”
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Characters Returned in No Way Home
Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures
Written by David Koepp and directed by Sam Raimi, Spider-Man was released in theaters on May 3, 2002. The film picks up with Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) getting bitten by a radioactive spider and developing spider-like superpowers while pursuing a relationship with his crush, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). The film also featured James Franco as Harry Osborn with Willem Dafoe as his father, Harry Osborn, aka the Green Goblin. J. K. Simmons also starred as the one and only J. Jonah Jameson.
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Verse lives on through the MCU, which brought back several characters from the original Spider-Man trilogy. That includes Dafoe as Green Goblin and Maguire as Peter Parker, while Simmons played the MCU’s version of J. Jonah Jameson as well. The excitement over seeing Maguire back in the suit has sparked new interest in many fans for seeing Raimi finally make Spider-Man 4, but there are currently no plans for that to happen anytime soon.
For now, fans are looking back at that first Spidey film and how it helped changed the landscape of superhero movies when it was released in 2002. You can join in on the celebration on social media, and you can see some additional tribute posts for the film below.
