Spider-Man (2002)

 

On a school trip, high school senior Peter Parker visits a Columbia University genetics laboratory with his friend Harry Osborn and his crush Mary Jane Watson. There, a genetically engineered "super-spider" bites him and he falls ill after returning home. Meanwhile, Harry's scientist father Norman Osborn, founder and owner of Oscorp, tries to secure an important military contract. He experiments on himself with an unstable performance-enhancing chemical and goes insane, killing his assistant.

The next day, Peter finds he is no longer near-sighted and has developed spider-like abilities. He can also shoot webs out of his wrists and has quick reflexes, superhuman speed and strength, and a heightened ability to sense danger. Brushing off his Uncle Ben's advice that "with great power comes great responsibility", Peter considers impressing Mary Jane with a car. He enters an underground wrestling tournament to win the money for it and wins his first match against Bonesaw McGraw, but the promoter cheats him out of his earnings. When a burglar robs the promoter's office, Peter allows him to escape in retaliation. Moments later, he discovers Ben was carjacked and killed by a robber with a handgun. Peter pursues the carjacker, only to realize it was the robber he let escape. The carjacker flees but dies after falling out a window. Meanwhile, a crazed Norman interrupts a military experiment by Oscorp's corporate rival Quest Aerospace and kills several people.

Upon graduating, Peter begins using his abilities to fight injustice, donning a spandex costume and the persona of Spider-Man. J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of the Daily Bugle newspaper, hires Peter as a freelance photographer, since he is the only person providing clear images of Spider-Man. Norman, upon discovering Oscorp's board plans to oust him in order to sell the company to Quest, assassinates them. Jameson dubs the mysterious killer the "Green Goblin".

The Goblin offers Spider-Man a place at his side, but Peter refuses. They fight and Peter is wounded. At Thanksgiving dinner, Peter's Aunt May invites Mary Jane, Harry, and Norman. During the dinner, Norman sees the wound and realizes Peter's identity. Thinking the only way to defeat Peter is to attack those special to him, Norman later attacks May, forcing her to be hospitalized.

Harry, who is dating Mary Jane, sees her holding Peter's hand to comfort him and presumes she has feelings for him. Devastated, Harry tells his father that Peter loves Mary Jane, unknowingly revealing Spider-Man's biggest weakness. Norman holds Mary Jane and a Roosevelt Island Tram car full of children hostage alongside the Queensboro Bridge. He forces Peter to choose whom he wants to save and drops them both. Peter saves both Mary Jane and the tram car. Norman then throws him into an abandoned building and brutally beats him. When the Goblin says how he shall kill MJ, Peter regains his strength and gains the upper hand. Norman reveals himself to Peter and begs for forgiveness while subtly getting his glider ready to impale Peter from behind. Warned by his spider-sense, Peter dodges the attack and the glider impales Norman instead. Norman tells Peter not to reveal his identity as the Goblin to Harry before dying. Peter takes Norman's body back to the Osborn house just as Harry walks in and, believing Spider-Man to have killed his father, pulls a gun on him, but he escapes.

At Norman's funeral, Harry swears vengeance towards Spider-Man, whom he deems responsible for his father's death. Mary Jane confesses to Peter she is in love with him. Peter, however, feels he must protect her from the unwanted attention of his enemies so he hides his true feelings and tells Mary Jane that they can only be friends. As Peter leaves, he recalls Ben's words and accepts his new responsibility as Spider-Man.