Sequels are difficult to get right. From
an audience’s perspective, it can seem that sequels don’t have the same amount
of excitement as the original, and honestly, most of the time they don’t. The
first book in a planned series tends to be the most popular with its
originality while those that proceed it, struggle to come up with any notable
way to push the narrative. In music, there is a phrase called the “sophomore
slump” directed towards a musician or band’s second album not attaining the
same level of success critically or commercially as the debut. The movie
industry is where the struggling sequel is most visible. Hollywood is famous
for taking a successful original film and turning it into a franchise, and one genre of film well known for producing sequels is the superhero genre.
There are great sequels within
superhero franchises. Staples of the genre like The Dark Knight and Capt.
America: The Winter Soldier. Superhero films that pushed their respective
properties beyond the original’s source material, but they are rare in a market
of superhero sequels. Counting the number of Marvel and DC films since the year
2000, 16 have been direct sequels to an original film. So, what are the
deciding factors between The Dark Knights and the Iron Man 2s of the superhero
genre? A great, and sometimes forgotten, example of a well-crafted superhero
sequel is Spiderman 2 (2004) directed
by Sam Raimi and starring Toby Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-man. Spiderman 2’s handling of context, villain,
and growth of its protagonist make it a great model for any superhero sequel.
When Spiderman 2 begins, we see a montage of comic style drawings of
scenes from the first film. These range from Peter’s famous upside-down kiss
with Mary-Jane, to him laying the life-less body of Norman Osborn (aka Green
Goblin) in front of his best friend Harry Osborn. These scenes remind us of
the victories and defeats he suffered as Spiderman in the original. From this
montage, the first live action scene begins with a monologue from Peter
describing his love for Mary-Jane while looking at her picture and acknowledging how the duality of Peter Parker and Spiderman will
never allow him to live a normal life.
Besides making us feel bad for
Peter’s situation, this opening scene, as well as others throughout the film,
have story beats that create continuity and context that are carried over from
the original. Spiderman 2 is heavily
influenced by the first movie, which differentiates Sam Raimi’s second
Spiderman film from other superhero sequels by making these two movies
resemble a Part 1 and Part 2 of a bigger story. There is a strong arc from the
first scene of the original to the last scene of Spiderman 2, and when it comes to the villains that are a challenge
to Peter, they’re a great example of this arc.
Doctor Octavious aka Dr. Octopus is
a well-known rogue’s gallery member amongst fans and could have been seen as a
predictable choice for the second villain in Sam Raimi’s Spiderman franchise.
However, by making him a father type figure to Peter as well as his motivation to do good (at least starting out) make him one of the more unique and heartbreaking super villains in any franchise. To recap on the first film, after the death of Uncle Ben, Peter sees Norman Osborn as a father figure with him providing a place for him and Harry to stay in New York as well as taking an interest in his science studies. His
attachment to Harry’s father is cut short from his discovery that the man he
thought so highly of as a mentor ends up being the Green Goblin.
Fast forward to 2 years after the
events of the first film, and Peter meets Otto Octavious who is working on a renewable energy source for
the Oscorp Company now ran by his friend, Harry Osborne. When meeting Octavious,
Peter sees a man who has everything that he wants: a successful science career
and a loving partner who supports his endeavors. Octavious’s interest in
Peter’s life creates an interesting dynamic between the two of them when he
becomes Dr. Octopus after his failed experiment results in the death of his wife and the permanent attachment of his four mechanical arms. Peter again sees the downfall of a mentor figure that may have represented a future version of himself to aspire by. This idea of mentorship and Peter’s desire to fill the gap that
Uncle Ben’s death left is a thread that continues through both movies and is a
tragic but necessary part of Peter’s arc.
At the end of Spiderman 2, Peter comes full circle in his journey in being a hero. His greatest challenge is not Doc Ock or trying to amend things with MJ, but with upholding the ideal that Uncle Ben
wished for him to aspire to in the first film, and the remarkable risk the film
takes with Peter’s arc is that half-way through Spiderman 2, he quits being Spiderman. With his Aunt May in
financial distress, his best friend Harry beginning to hate him for continuing
to protect Spiderman’s identity, and Mary Jane’s engagement to J Jonah Jameson’s
son, Peter trashes his Spidey suit and tries to begin some type of normal life.
We see a more fulfilled Peter who has
time for a social life, but also during this freedom, he witnesses the injustices
he used to fight against. In one of the best, and my personal favorite, scenes
in the film, Peter comes across an apartment fire with a couple’s child lost in
the wreckage. Despite almost dying in the process, Peter saves the girl without
using his powers and comes to the realization that the hero side to himself is
something he cannot escape. Whether if it is a curse or a duty he is meant for, Spiderman is essential to his character and makes Spiderman 2 not only a great sequel but a tribute to Spiderman's endearing charm in pop culture.
What is your favorite superhero
sequel? Let me know in the comments!
