Spider-Man: Origins to Overexposure

The origins of "Spider-Man" can be traced back to the year of 1962, when Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's masked hero first made an appearance in an anthology comic book by the name of Amazing Fantasy #15. Since that fateful release, Spider-Man has been plastered everywhere: from comics to novels, coloring books to video games, records to multiple waves of television series', and perhaps most notably, on the big screen.

In many ways, however, Spider-Man's true overexposure began in the spring of 2002, when Marvel's genetically-altered superhero took to the cinema for the very first time. This release, pitting Tobey Maguire's "Spider-Man" against Willem Dafoe's "Green Goblin", would open the franchise up to an immeasurable world of possibilities. Following rather overwhelming commercial success, Tobey Maguire reprised his role as Spider-Man in "Spider-Man 2" (2004) and "Spider-Man 3" (2007), defeating numerous villains such as Doctor Octopus, Venom, Sandman, and the lovable "New Goblin".

Unfortunately for dedicated Maguire fans, both production for "Spider-Man 4" and two additional sequels were cancelled in favor of a 2012 reboot, starring Andrew Garfield as "The Amazing Spider-Man". Rather than "quitting while they were ahead", Marvel Entertainment made a collective decision to rehash many similar plot points, alter Peter Parker's love interest and villainous counterpart, and begin the series anew. Garfield's role as Spider-Man would last merely two films, before a plethora of personnel issues gave way to Tom Holland securing the role in "Spider-Man: Homecoming".

The second Spider-Man reboot took to theatres on July 7, 2017. Holland's role as Spider-Man has been widely praised by critics, with a sequel currently scheduled to release in the summer of 2019. While Spider-Man is, indeed, among the most marketable of superheroes in the Marvel universe, a constant revival of the very same character can eventually become a bit dry to even the most dedicated of fans. Growing up, I was hopelessly devoted to the original Spider-Man movie trilogy; however, reboot after reboot has seemingly altered the entire series into more of a money-making device, rather than one of pristine quality.

Sadly, the production of Spider-Man films truly has morphed over time, eerily following in the footsteps of a more erratic Batman series. In all honesty, Marvel fans need yet another actor to portray Peter Parker about as much as DC fans needed Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck to portray Bruce Wayne (that is to say, not at all). At some point in time, it will be necessary for Marvel to invest in the creation and marketing of a new superhero, rather than ceaselessly revamping a failing movie series. Unfortunately, as long as movie tickets and Spider-Man memorabilia are selling, the number of actors willing to embrace this lovable web-slinger's role will only continue to skyrocket.

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