Netflix gets the best superhero trilogy of all time

Disney Plus is now considered the de facto streaming service for comic book fans, but Netflix isn’t giving up and has just confirmed that it might be offering the best superhero trilogy of all time from next month.

Streamer went to twitter (will open in a new tab) to confirm that Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy will be available on Netflix starting Monday, August 1st. Consisting of 2002’s Spider-Man, 2004’s Spider-Man 2 and 2007’s Spider-Man 3, all three films were directed by the legendary Sam Raimi and are still popular today.

The original Spider-Man, along with the X-Men of the 2000s, essentially started the comic book craze that dominates the movie industry to this day. It’s no exaggeration to say that without them, we probably wouldn’t have the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it.

He may have turned 20 this year, but Spider-Man is still holding up remarkably well. Tobey Maguire is the perfect Peter Parker, and Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborne/Green Holbin is the perfect mix of sinister and ludicrous that you want in a character. There are some legacy effects, but they’re easy to miss when the movie is done right.

Its sequel, Spider-Man 2, has a serious claim to be the greatest superhero movie of all time, and last year we confidently ranked it as the best Spider-Man movie. Spider-Man 2 is a perfect mix of everything from the scalper sequences to the tragic villain, Dr. Otto Octavius. The subplot, which deals with the losses Spider-Man takes in Parker’s life, is especially well done.

(Image credit: Sony Pictures)

The final installment of the trilogy, Spider-Man 3, is definitely a weak point, and received mostly negative reviews upon release. The times have been kinder to the overly ambitious film, but it still suffers from trying to cram too much into one film. Not to mention, some of the cast choices don’t really work (sorry, Topher Grace) and the tone is way too cheesy. However, he has his moments, and the decisive final confrontation is exciting in every sense.

Of course, we can’t talk about the Raimi trilogy without mentioning its biggest impact on pop culture: memes. Each film is filled with shots, scenes and phrases that have been woven into Internet culture over the past two decades. From Norman Osborn’s “I’m kind of a scientist myself” statement to Parker’s bizarre walk through the streets of Manhattan! Even if you haven’t seen any of the films in the trilogy before, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll recognize a few moments – Netflix even announced that the film would be coming to the service via a meme from the trilogy.

After you’ve watched the Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, you can continue watching The Amazing Spider-Man, which is also available on Netflix. Unfortunately, if you want to watch the latest Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland, you’ll need to find alternative means (like Starz). While neither is currently streaming on Netflix, there’s some good news: Spider-Man: No Way Home has just made its first appearance on the streaming service.