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Sam Raimi set in motion the events that would lead to Spider-Man: No Way Home, even though he didn’t know it at the time. The director first brought the friendly neighborhood superhero to the big screen, played by Tobey Maguire. And the rest will forever be history. Now, Raimi is discussing the Marvel Cinematic Universe film and what it meant to him.

'Spider-Man' 2 director Sam Raimi and the film's star Tobey Maguire pose for pictures together on the red carpet for the premiere. Raimi wears a black suit over a white button-up shirt and a gray and white striped tie. Maguire wears a black suit over a white button-up shirt.
Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire | Photo by L. Cohen/WireImage

Sam Raimi directed the first ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy with Tobey Maguire

Spider-Man, directed by Sam Raimi, premiered in 2002 and kickstarted the Spider-Man craze among the general public. Tobey Maguire starred as Peter Parker, and he would later go on to reprise his iconic role in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Due to the first movie’s instant success, Sony and Marvel ordered two sequels — Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. The second film premiered in 2004 and was met with high praise from critics and fans. However, the third movie, which premiered in 2007, received mixed reviews mainly due to the overstuffed plot and too many villains.

Sony originally planned to produce Spider-Man 4, but Sam Raimi dropped out, and the studio canceled the film. Sony would later reboot the franchise with Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man movies and the MCU’s Spider-Man projects starring Tom Holland.

Sam Raimi discusses his thoughts on ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

During an interview with Variety, Sam Raimi shared what he thought of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which featured the return of a few of his characters — Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Alfred Molina‘s Doctor Octopus, and Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman.

“It was so much fun,” the director revealed. “I love No Way Home, and the audience I was with went crazy. It was delightful to watch Alfred play his role, and Willem Dafoe, just seeing these guys take it to the next level. And Tobey was awesome as always. The best word I can say is it was refreshing for me.”

Spider-Man: No Way Home is a box office hit, and fans around the world cannot stop talking about it. As Tom Holland has often said, the film celebrates three generations of cinema, which all began with Sam Raimi.

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The director’s next project is ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

While Sam Raimi may not return to the Spider-Man world any time soon, he is revisiting his superhero roots. The filmmaker signed on to direct the next film in Phase Four of the MCU — Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

The movie’s original director, Scott Derrickson, dropped out due to creative differences. So, Marvel reached out to their old friend. Raimi was initially hesitant to direct the film because of the negative reception Spider-Man 3 received. But he eventually agreed to helm the Doctor Strange sequel.

While speaking with Variety, Raimi praised his working relationship with Marvel. He said, “Marvel’s been a great team to work with. I think that was a not-surprising surprise. I’ve been super-supported by the whole Marvel operations, starting at the top with Kevin Feige, and working all the way down to the crews that they work with. [They’re] super professional and have supported me every step of the way.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres exclusively in theaters on May 6.

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