Here we are, gang, at the end of yet another summer, another season of blockbusters behind us. And whether you loved it or hated it, Spider-Man 2 was the undisputed king of popcorn movies this year. On one hand, the arachnid buzz has largely wound down for another couple of years, or at least until the DVD release. But on the other, I’ve always had a hard time letting things go gracefully (just ask my exes), and my sister recently got me the Collector’s Gift Set of the first movie for my birthday, so my Spider-Mania is still in full swing, as it were. With that in mind, I thought we’d spend today taking a look at some of the differences between the comics and the movies.

Comic fans are a notoriously fickle lot (sadly, Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons is a far-too-accurate portrayal of many “fans” who’ve come to represent the group as a whole, and — true story — a counterguy at my local store recently got canned for excessive surliness), and though any transition from 4-color page to film was going to have to make some changes, you’d better believe that the more, ah, “excitable” among them were online within minutes, registering their displeasure for all to read on the Doctor Who boards or wherever. Predictably, all of the changes were made anyway; some of them succeeded admirably, others… well, not so much. But the king of them all (and probably the biggest geek debate since “Who’s the best Green Lantern?”) was the stir over Sam Raimi’s organic webbing.

Y’see kids, as originally conceived by creator Stan Lee, Peter Parker’s webs were not one of the powers he received from that infamous spider bite. Wall climbing, yes. Spider-sense, check. But the webshooters were of his own devising, a way for Lee to show us how gifted a scientific mind Peter had. He could create a chemical compound that would stick to anything and evaporate after an hour, as well as mechanical devices to shoot it out as webs. When Raimi first announced that he was making the webshooters organic, the uproar among fans was enormous.

Looking at the matter objectively, it’s not hard to see the merits of both sides. Raimi wanted the webbing to represent the weird, scary changes everyone’s bodies go through during puberty, a way of getting audiences to relate to the character; also, if you emphasize Peter’s genius, he becomes less of an Everyman, the character’s defining trait. Meanwhile, comic fans wanted a concrete reminder that what allows Spidey to win so many fights isn’t superpowers or blind luck, but his keen intellect. As the debate raged back and forth, some fans proposed a compromise that I thought made a lot of sense — the webbing itself is a part of the transformation, but Peter invents devices that allow him to focus it the way he wants. In the end, Raimi left it the way he wanted it, and it worked- the natural webbing made for a great scene in Peter’s school, and we’ve seen evidence of his intelligence in other areas throughout the two movies. Still, in #3 it might not hurt to remind us just how much of a genius the guy is (bring on the spider-tracers!).

Then there’s the nature of the spider itself, which underwent a small but important alteration from printed page to big screen. In the original story, Peter was attending a radiation exhibit at a nearby science hall (scientists always let unescorted teenagers wander around their most delicate experiments) when a spider spun its web right into the path of the radiation, fell onto the hand of Peter, who was apparently standing directly under the lethal doses of radiation, and bit him — granting him a spider’s speed, strength, and penchant for red-and-blue costumes. Note that Norman Osborn wouldn’t even be created for a couple of years, let alone involved. For the movie, however, the filmmakers went with the origin recently presented in the revamp of Spider-Man (and many other classic characters) with Marvel Comics’ “Ultimate” line of books. Ultimate Peter Parker — see if any of this sounds familiar — went on a field trip to the chemical engineering company owned by his best friend’s father, Norman Osborn, and there was bitten by an escaped, genetically-enhanced spider (created, in fact, by Dr. Otto Octavius, but that’s another story). Enter the webslinger.

In both movies, fans had to deal with re-envisionings of the villains’ established comic looks, and in that sense I’d have to say the filmmakers are batting .500, with the next film the potential tiebreaker. Let’s start with the positive — Doctor Octopus has never had what you’d call a very threatening look. As I mentioned in my Spidey 2 review, a fat middle-aged guy in green spandex with a bowl haircut is disturbing, but not in the way you’re really shooting for. Whoever decided to put Ock in a simple, functional trenchcoat deserves a lot of credit, as it works great — so much so, in fact, that it’s now become the official look for the character in the comics as well.

But as for the Green Goblin… well, ol’ Normie Osborn didn’t fare quite so well, with a costume many fans dubbed the “Mighty Morphin' Goblin Ranger.” With its armored appearance and an Alien-esque helmet rather than a cackling, leering mask, the look struck a sour note with some established fans and new moviegoers alike. And you know, I can kind of see what the designers must have been thinking — the comic version’s green and purple jumpsuit IS pretty goofy looking — but what I think they missed is that that’s the entire point; the Goblin is supposed to take a wacky, funny, child-friendly look and make it threatening through his sheer malevolence and insanity. Jack Nicholson got to do it very successfully with the Joker, but Dafoe drew the short end of the stick — let’s hope that if a new GG appears in the next installment, they return some purple to his costume and make it more Halloween-ish, less space armor.

Speaking of the bad guys, let’s take a closer look at them. Doctor Octopus changed the least from comic page to big screen. In both, he was a brilliant and driven scientist who invented four mechanical arms to manipulate hazardous materials from a safe distance. In the original comics, a radiation (of course) explosion fused the harness to his body and damaged his mind, changing his personality from “benign scientist” to “criminal mastermind.” Really, the only big changes made for the movie were his being married, the goal of his criminal endeavors — comics-Ock never had the urge to finish his original experiment, he just liked money and power — and his last-minute reversion to sanity and the forces of good. I have to give both the filmmakers and Stan Lee tons of credit for this: Lee for writing a story that still holds up with minimal tweaking, and the filmmakers for recognizing what works and not feeling the need to change more than was necessary. And for having the good taste not to have Aunt May get engaged to Ock. (What were the comic writers smoking THAT day?!)

As for the Green Goblin, his original story was likewise changed little, and what WAS altered seems to have been for the purpose of making the character slightly more sympathetic. Though movie Norman appeared to be a strict, driven, but ultimately decent man, comic Norman was something of a heel even before his transformation. A ruthless businessman, Osborn had his partner Mendel Stromm arrested for embezzlement (which, in fairness, he was indeed guilty of) and seized control of all of Stromm’s experiments, including a prototype strength-enhancement formula. Not much of a chemist, however, ol’ Norman managed to cause it to blow up in his face, granting him the superstrength but also insanity to boot. Creating a costumed identity and resolving to rule New York’s underworld, the “Green Goblin” decided to make his reputation by killing Spider-Man. Easier said than done, and after the defeats began piling up, revenge against the arachnid became his driving obsession. Dead for almost two decades (and probably should’ve stayed that way), the original Goblin lives again in comics today, alternating his time between trying to kill Parker and attempting to “adopt” him as some sick, twisted kind of son-figure to replace weak Harry.

Now, what baddies might we see in the next movie? Well, there’s a few possibilities that’ve been set up for us. First off we have nobody’s favorite Spiday villain, the Man-Wolf; astronaut John Jameson, during one of his little jaunts to the moon, brought back a strange glowing rock that turned him into this lycanthropic menace. Then there’s Pete’s college chemistry professor, Dr. Curt Connors — experimenting with reptilian DNA in an attempt to regrow his lost arm, Connors accidentally transformed himself into the cold-blooded Lizard. By far the two more likely candidates, however, are Harry Osborn as either a new Green Goblin or the Hobgoblin… and Venom.

In the comics, the Hobgoblin came about as the result of an accident. Spider-Man was pursuing a group of bank robbers when one of them ducked into a sewer to escape. Spidey gave chase, but the smell and darkness soon caused him to give up, reasoning that the cops could take care of the last one. Of course, we all know what happens whenever Peter shirks his responsibility, and this was no exception — the escaped robber happened upon a secret hideout of the deceased Green Goblin, chock full of weaponry and costumes. He promptly sold it to a mysterious figure (whose true identity was hidden even from readers, and not revealed until over a decade and a half later), who changed the costumes’ color scheme and used it all to become the Hobgoblin! Using Norman’s journals to duplicate the Goblin formula that had given him his superstrength — but also insanity — the Hobgoblin was soon going toe-to-toe with Spider-Man. He was a terrific foe because he showed readers that even in death, Norman Osborn’s legacy of hatred continued to haunt Peter, and that forgetting his reason for becoming a hero in the first place, even for a moment, would cost Spider-Man dearly.

Of course, though it would be cool to see James Franco become the Hobgoblin on the big screen, it’s just as likely that he’ll follow the path his comic alter-ego followed: taking up the mantle of the Green Goblin. Following his father’s death (which he did NOT blame Spider-Man for), Harry went through some difficult times psychologically, donning the GG costume both for evil and — once, to protect his wife and son from the second Hobgoblin (long story) – for good. In the end, he succumbed to the negative side effects of a supposedly enhanced Goblin formula, but not before finally regaining his sanity and rescuing his former friend from the very building he’d intended to blow him up in. “Why, Harry?” Peter demands. “Why’d you come back for me?” Harry’s final words? “Hey… what else could I do? You’re my best friend.” That ending gave me goosebumps as a kid, and nothing’s changed now. Note to filmmakers: you could do a LOT worse for an ending to Spidey 3.

And then there’s Venom. They say every hero needs an opposite number, and while Norman Osborn fulfills that role spiritually, Venom is without a doubt the physical manifestation of Spider-Man’s dark side. During a visit to an alien world (again, don’t ask), Spidey’s costume was shredded, so he used what he thought was an alien clothing machine to create a new one, with a sleek black design. Not only did it look cool, it also generated its own webbing (a major plus for cash-starved Parker) and could be mentally commanded to change into street clothes. Not too shabby. Unfortunately for ol’ Pete, however, his new “costume” was in actuality a symbiotic creature that wanted to permanently bond with him. After being rejected and violently driven away, the symbiote hooked up with Eddie Brock, a disgraced reporter holding a major grudge against Spider-Man, and Venom was born!

Possessing all of Spider-Man’s powers plus some extras, greater strength, and invisibility to his spider-sense, Venom is major bad news, and continues to plague the wallcrawler in comics to this day. The name “Eddie” was mentioned as a Daily Bugle photographer in the first movie, and comic fans and regular audiences alike would love to see him in action, so it’s a good bet that Venom will make his way to the big screen someday. Hopefully with something closer to his “Ultimate Spider-Man” origin than the original, alien backstory.

Finally we have Peter’s romantic interests. For this, the filmmakers again turned to Ultimate Spidey for inspiration, making Mary Jane the “It” girl right off the bat, in contrast to the original comics. Initially, Stan Lee had conceived MJ as something of a running joke: Aunt May was forever trying to set her nephew up with the sweet, darling niece of her best friend, while Peter — convinced that any girl his aunt wanted him to date would be both unattractive and hideously dull — went to great lengths to avoid meeting her. Naturally, after years of successfully dodging the bullet, Peter finally got a glimpse of Mary Jane… and learned she was a complete knockout. As she said, “Face it, tiger — you just hit the jackpot!” Indeed he had, but it was to be a delayed payoff, as Peter already had a girlfriend: Gwen Stacy.

Gwen was also extremely beautiful, and Lee had always intended for Peter to eventually marry her, but there was a problem — she had about as much personality as a can of paint, at least compared to party girl MJ. Hence, when it came time to write the Best Damn Green Goblin Story Ever, writer Gerry Conway didn’t hesitate. Instead he had the Goblin, who had discovered Peter’s secret identity years earlier, kidnap Gwen and take her to the top of the George Washington Bridge; there, he waited until Spidey arrived, then chillingly knocked her off the edge. Again, familiar territory for anyone who’s seen the first movie, but with a twist: instead of diving after her, Spidey shot a webline and snagged her ankle. Big mistake, Pete… even superheroes have to obey the laws of physics sometimes, and a fall broken that suddenly broke something else in turn — namely, Gwen’s neck.

Just like that, the love of Peter’s life was dead, (mostly) never to return, and Pete was PISSED; he took off after the Goblin, fully intent on killing him in revenge. In the end, of course, he couldn’t go through with it, beating the Goblin severely but ultimately refusing to become like Norman himself. Instead, Osborn used his remote-controlled Goblin Glider to try to impale Spidey on the bent front end of it… and as movie fans saw, Peter leapt out of the way just in time, causing it to pierce Norman’s heart, killing him instantly. As Conway so perfectly wrote, “So do the proud men die — crucified, not on a cross of gold, but on a stake of humble tin.”

And on that note we come to an end, my friends. I’d like to go on — we haven’t even touched on “Spider-Man No More!”, basis of the second movie — but this article has already run about twice as long as I intended and Justin’s looking over my shoulder growling about bandwidth in his best J. Jonah Jameson impression, so I’d better wrap things up. (For now, at least… dear God, I’m gonna need a 5-part series to cover the X-Men…) Until next time, true believers, remember: make mine Mutant!