Spider-Man is turning into a gift that keeps on giving: With a brand-new installment featuring a teenage superhero at the heart of its plot, younger audiences are also becoming aware of Hollywood's favorite superhero.
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What happens when Spider-Man's identity is revealed
Spider-Man returns to the silver screen for the final superhero film in a trilogy from the Marvel universe, titled "No Way Home." Actor Tom Holland again plays the masked crusader.
Tom Holland is now one of Hollywood's favorite superheros. His first depiction of Peter Parker hit US theaters in July 2017. Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios were excited to welcome the British actor in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."
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Taking Spider-Man under his wing
Robert Downey Jr. was also part of that movie's star-studded cast. Having played a superhero himself, Downey Jr. joined that Spider-Man installment playing the role of a mentor to Peter Parker: the one and only Tony Stark.
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Attack of the Elementals
In the second film of the three-part series "Far From home," Spider-Man battles the Elementals, creatures of fire, water, stone and air which haunt London and other European cities. Spider-Man is supposed to battle them with the help of a task force. Just as in the previous film "Homecoming," Holland plays the title hero in the sequel, directed by Tom Watts.
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Now, there's 'No Way Home'
In the third film of the Spider-Man trilogy starring Holland, Spider-Man, whose identity was revealed for the first time in the history of the comic, seeks advice from Doctor Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. The wizard from the "Avengers" films turns back the wheel of time, but with dire consequences. The new film was released in the US and in Europe in mid-December 2021.
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How it all started
Dating back to the 1960s as a comic book, Spider-Man first hit cinemas in 2002. Tobey Maguire played the role of Peter Parker in that first installment, with his arachnid abilities not only impressing the audience, but also his love interest, played by Kirsten Dunst.
The first Spider-Man movie did extremely well at box offices around the world, prompting a sequel in next to no time. "Spider-Man 2" hit cinemas two years later, and was also a success at the Academy Awards, where it won an Oscar for best visual effects.
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One, two, three...
The commercial success of the franchise led to a third film in 2007. "Spider-Man 3" went above and beyond expectations with its impressive special effects, including its skillful use of CGI effects. It grossed nearly $900 million (€800 million) at the box office.
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Spider-Man reloaded
Despite the huge success of the "Spider-Man" franchise, the producers decided to stop developing a fourth film. Instead, they reinvented Peter Parker as "The Amazing Spider-Man" and decided on Andrew Garfield to play the role, with Marc Webb as director. Emma Stone was cast as his love interest, and the movie hit theaters in 2012.
Image: 2012 Sony Pictures Releasing GmbH
Part of the Marvel universe
The sequel, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro" in 2014 turned out to be somewhat of a flop, forcing Hollywood to take a different approach to the whole Peter Parker saga. The release of "The First Avenger: Civil War" in 2016 featured Spider-Man as one of many superheroes populating the Marvel universe — but only for about 10 minutes in total, much to the dismay of his fans.
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Tobey Maguire was born in 1975. Andrew Garfield was born in 1983. Tom Holland was born in 1996.
What do these three actors of different generations all have in common? They've all played Spider-Man - Hollywood's favorite superhero in recent years.
However, their versions of the arachnoid Peter Parker appear to be getting younger and younger: Maguire played a 27-year-old Spider-Man when he first assumed the role. Garfield played a 29-year-old, but one that had only aged two years since Maguire's depiction on the silver screen - while a whole decade had flashed by in real life.
Not a place for arachnophobia: Spider-Man has fascinated generations of moviegoersImage: picture-alliance/dpa
Forever young
Tom Holland is only 21 years old, as is playing a 15-year-old Spider-Boy. It would appear that Hollywood is hoping to appeal to a younger audience with each new installment of the superhero franchise. Each generation of moviegoers does, after all, want to have their own superhero.
But it's also a question of profit, with Hollywood studios realizing that there's big money in tapping into the allowances of its young audience.
Spider-Man isn't alone in this bid to attract younger viewers to narratives that have been around since the 1960s. He's up against some stiff girl-power competition with "Wonder Woman," which has already been in theaters for several weeks.
Regardless of which superhero wins the battle of the summer, Spider-Man is bound to return to cinemas in two years: Holland has signed a contract for several installments of the superhero saga. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" opens in US cinemas on July 7.
