Spider-Man's greatest moments: From the upside down kiss to the Civil War airport fight

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Harry Fletcher5 July 2019

Film fans’ Spidey senses are tingling once again this week, with Peter Parker swinging into cinemas with Spider-Man: Far From Home.

It’s the ninth film since director Sam Raimi first brought the webslinger to the big screen in 2002 with the brilliant Spider-Man, setting a new bar for superhero origin stories.

Three different actors have taken on the role of Spider-Man in that time, all leaving their mark with very different incarnations of the character. Whether fans prefer the relatability and inner-struggle portrayed by Tobey Maguire, the hipster reboots with Andrew Garfield or the boundless energy of current star Tom Holland, there’s something for every superhero fan to take away.

From the sublime to the ridiculous – yes, we're thinking of that unforgivable dancing and emo-makeover from the chaotic Spider-Man 3 – there have been unforgettable moments that have united all superhero fans behind the classic character.

For this list, we’re focusing on the Spider-Man movies, and while the character first appeared in the made-for-television films and animations of the 70s, we’re choosing from the cinematic releases from 2002 onwards – the films which introduced entire new generations of fans to the web-slinger.

These are our pick of Spider-Man’s greatest on screen moments.

8. Peter Parker gets his powers – Spider-Man

Anyone who’s ever left their contact lenses in overnight, only to wake up and momentarily believe they’ve regained the power of perfect sight will empathise with this memorable scene from the first Spider-Man. After being bitten by a ‘super spider’ on a school field trip, Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker wakes to find that his short-sightedness has gone, and he’s transformed from a skinny loner into a gym-honed jock. Suddenly, he’s ready to take on the world – there’s also some rudimentary early 00s CGI to enjoy during the transformation too. It’s low-key, sure, but it’s the moment the character of Spider-Man begins to reveal himself for the very first time.

7. Peter asks out Gwen - Amazing Spider-Man

Marc Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man movies might not have been to everyone’s tastes – in truth, the (500) Days of Summer filmmaker’s indie sensibilities didn’t always translate effectively. But for the films’ pitfalls, they had something invaluable – two terrific lead actors with a perfectly natural, spontaneous chemistry.

The on-screen relationship between Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacey was by far the most compelling thing about the two movies – never better expressed than in the memorable ‘asking out’ scene. This lovely, endearing moment sees Peter pluck up the courage to ask Gwen Stacey at school – even if he struggled to find the right words.

“So you wanna… just, I don’t know… or we could do something else?” he stutters, while Gwen smiles – and accepts.

It says so much with so little, and the whole scene crackles with the nuances of a believable indie romance, rather than a hulking great superhero blockbuster. The CGI carnage that ensued around Manhattan in the rest of the movie would’ve had no emotional grounding if it weren’t for intimate moments like this one.

6. Spidey-Sense - Spider-Man

Catching food on a tray, in the grand scheme of a blockbuster superhero movie, might not seem like the most incredible thing ever. However, there’s one factor that elevates this memorable scene from 2002’s Spider-Man to make it one of the most impressive in the Spider-Man movies – it was done for real.

There was no CGI jiggery-pokery used in the sequence, in which Peter Parker catches both Mary Jane and her lunch with his lightning reflexes after she slips over. As effects artist and head of the VFX team John Dykstra explained, the sequence was captured by Maguire over the course of an exhaustive 16-hour day of shooting.

“This next gag here, where he catches all this stuff, he actually did that. Pretty good. Take 156,” Dykstra said. It’s impressive stuff, even for Spider-Man.

5. The ferry rescue – Homecoming

After making such a good first impression in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland’s indefatigable Spider-Man went from strength to strength with his first solo outing, Homecoming. With Zendaya as MJ and a top villain in the form of Michael Keaton’s Falcon bolstering an impressive cast, the right ingredients were all there, and it proved one of the most impressive MCU offerings in recent years.

The highlight, though, was the ferry rescue sequence, in which Spidey saves the travellers aboard the Staten Island Ferry. After it’s sliced in half by a malfunctioning weapon, Parker does everything in his power to pull the two halves together and stop it sinking. After muscling the craft back into place – with a little help from Iron Man of course – the innocent travellers are saved from the brink of disaster. In a film packed with strong performances and memorable moments, not least the rug-pulling twist of Vulture's identity, this was the clear high point.

4. Cable car rescue - Spider-Man

Spidey is faced with the ultimate dilemma in one of the most thrilling moments from 2002’s Spider-Man – save a cable car packed with terrified school children, or save the woman he loves. It’s the choice Parker faces when Willem Dafeo’s snarling Green Goblin drops both to their doom from the Brooklyn Bridge. After weighing up his options, he darts to save Mary Jane, before grabbing hold of falling car just in the nick of time. After holding them both just long enough to ensure their safety – and thanks to the plucky folks of New York distracting the Goblin, he manages to save the day. It’s the kind of classic, timeless superhero fare that will always appeal to comic book fans.

3. Upside down kiss - Spider-Man

It’s fair to say that love stories in superhero movies can feel a little unconvincing from time to time – if we have one criticism of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, it’s the wasteful handling of love interest Rachel Dawes. However, the strength of the love story in Spider-Man was realised perfectly thanks to Raimi’s direction, as well as the performances of Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.

After saving Dunst’s Mary Jane from a gang of attackers in the pouring New York rain – not for the first time – Spider Man hangs upside down, telling her: “You have a knack for getting in trouble.”

“You have a knack for saving my life,” she replies, setting the scene for one of the most famous on-screen kisses of all time. Forget million dollar action blockbusters, this is more like something out of a Richard Curtis film – Spider-Man is just a boy with superhuman capabilities, swinging in front of a girl, asking her to love him.

2. Stopping the train – Spider-Man 2

Some of the best gurning in any superhero movie is done in this, the grand finale to Spider-Man 2 – regarded by many as the strongest Spidey film to date.

While most of the film is preoccupied with our hero’s turbulent inner crisis, weighing up whether Spider-Man and Peter Parker can co-exist, the epic final sequence certainly delivers on action. The scene sees Spider-Man push himself to his very physical limits to save a runaway subway train, spreading himself across its front as it hurtles through downtown Manhattan. It marks one of Maguire’s most impressive physical performances. His mask falls off during the scene, but the moment the grateful passengers pass it back to him and vow to protect his identity remains one of the most touching in the Raimi trilogy.

1. Airport fight – Captain America Civil War

When the third incarnation of Spider-Man in the space of eight years was announced back in 2015, there were plenty of sceptics. It’s easy to forget now, given the success of Tom Holland in the MCU, but the decision to cast the fresh-faced actor – just 19 at the time – as Peter Parker didn’t leave many film fans inspired. However, Captain America: Civil War quickly cast off any doubts people had.

Holland shone throughout the movie, matching Robert Downey Jr for charisma, but it was the climactic airport fight scene where we really got to see Holland’s potential.

Though the showdown between Team Cap and Team Iron Man is packed with some of the best action in the entire MCU, Holland’s Spidey manages to steal the limelight in his first appearance in the franchise. While Iron Man urges him to ‘keep his distance’ from the action, Spider-Man shows he’s already up to speed in the combat stakes, taking on Bucky and Falcon. His wise-cracking is great throughout too. Even when fighting Bucky, he can’t hide his inner fan-boy, saying: “You have a metal arm? That is awesome, dude!” It was the sign of the MCU’s latest star being born.

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