Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 didn’t just swing into theaters in 2004, but cemented itself as one of the best superhero movies ever made. Twenty-one years later, it remains a masterclass in balancing spectacle with deeply human storytelling. Rewatching it now, I can’t help but hope that Tom Holland’s upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day borrows from the same playbook.
Raimi’s film wasn’t just about supervillains and web-slinging—it was about Peter Parker as a person: broke, exhausted, guilty, and barely keeping his life together. That emotional core, combined with thrilling, easy-to-follow action and a layered villain, is what makes Spider-Man 2 not only one of the best Spider-Man movies, but as Roger Ebert praised, “heroically human.” It’s a quality the MCU sometimes overlooks, and one Holland’s next outing could greatly benefit from.
Real Dramatic Conflict Keeps Us Invested
One reason Toby Maguire’s second outing as the web-slinger works so well even 21 years later is that Peter’s problems feel crushingly real. He’s failing his classes, broke beyond belief, dodging his landlord, and spiraling under the weight of guilt over Uncle Ben’s death. His best friend secretly hates him, and his love life with Mary Jane is a constant reminder of what he’s denied himself.
It’s no wonder he temporarily loses his powers, a bit that, in retrospect, is a bit played out and doesn’t totally work, but Raimi cleverly makes it a psychological problem born of stress and doubt. That’s adult storytelling in the middle of a comic book movie. For Holland’s Spidey 4, grounding Peter in these kinds of struggles, financial instability, fractured friendships, and guilt would give audiences more than just another multiverse showdown. It would give us something deeply human. And based on how we find Pete at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, all signs are pointing to the upcoming Marvel movie heading in this direction.
Action Scenes Should Be Thrilling But Clear
Rewatching Raimi’s set pieces is a reminder of how good superhero action can look when it’s not drowning in CGI blur. Even a pizza delivery sequence brims with energy because Raimi knows how to move a camera. Then, of course, there’s the iconic train fight with Doctor Octopus—an all-timer not just for its spectacle, but because we can clearly follow every punch, every swing, and every desperate attempt to stop disaster.
Too often, new superhero movies favor frenetic editing and weightless CGI. Holland’s Brand New Day could stand out by embracing action that’s clean, visible, and suspenseful in the Raimi tradition. Let us feel every swing.
A Villain With Depth
Finally, there’s Doctor Octopus. Alfred Molina doesn’t just play a bad guy; he plays a man undone by grief, pride, and hubris. He’s sympathetic and terrifying all at once, and is a villain who reflects Peter’s fears about failure and responsibility.
Holland’s web-head needs that same kind of nemesis: someone compelling enough to challenge him emotionally, not just physically. A well-crafted villain could make Brand New Day as memorable as Raimi’s sequel.
Rewatching Spider-Man 2 reminded me that the best superhero movies aren’t only about spectacle, they’re about humanity. Raimi understood that Peter Parker’s mess of a personal life was as essential to the story as his battles in costume. If Tom Holland’s next adventure as the friendly neighborhood hero follows that example, then the next chapter could deliver not just another MCU flick, but a genuinely great Spider-Man story. You can revisit Spider-Man 2 or all of the Spider-Man movies in order, with a Disney+ subscription.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits the 2026 movie schedule on July 31.
